For many people coping with depression, antidepressants and therapy can significantly alleviate their symptoms. There is no denying the invaluable role medications play in treating depression, but what if you are resistant to them or burdened by their side effects?
If you have tried at least two depression medications and have not responded to either, you may have treatment-resistant depression or TRD. It is an unfortunate situation and distressing feeling to go from medication to medication, waiting week after week for something to work so you can start to feel better. If you do not experience any improvements after a sufficient amount of time, then you have a complex case of depression, to say the least, but not an impossible one.
What Causes Treatment-Resistant Depression?
Because people have treatment resistant depression. The causes of depression are still largely unknown. We can only understand treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and base predictions on what we do know. For example, women and seniors account for the highest number of individuals with TRD.
Apart from various risk factors such as genetics and family history, the most common understanding regarding the cause of depression has to do with decreased levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. However, research suggests that this might not be the only contributing factor, which means that antidepressants cannot treat everyone because they are intended to increase the count of these neurotransmitters. This is a disheartening conclusion, especially for the patients who lose hope when medications and therapy fail. However…depression is more complicated than increasing or decreasing neurotransmitter levels.
What is Ketamine and Who Is It For?
If you are suffering from treatment-resistant depression, the first thing you need to know is there is still hope! Research is constantly being conducted to better understand TRD in order to find innovative solutions. The second thing you need is a breakthrough, and there are alternative treatments to antidepressants that are proven to help, like Ketamine. Ketamine Infusions and Ketamine Assisted Therapy is intended for those who have tried medication for depression but to no avail. Ketamine is a Rapid Acting Antidepressant (RAAD), which means it won’t take weeks or months to see improvements in your depression symptoms.
Response rates to ketamine range between 60 and 70 percent among people with treatment resistant depression and major depression, and if a person responds to it, it can rapidly reduce suicidal thoughts. Just a single dose of Ketamine can accomplish this, while other depression treatments and medications take weeks or months to take effect.
How is Ketamine Administered?
While there are many ways to administer Ketamine, at TMS Hope Center, we provide the safest route via intravenous infusion. This way, we control the rate that it goes into your system, and you get 100% of it at the quickest rate possible.
After the recommended six treatments over two to three weeks to start, we can continue with personalized treatments from there, as you focus on resuming the life that you once enjoyed. If you or someone you love suffers from depression and can’t find relief from medications, give TMS Hope Center a call today to learn more about our innovative options for renewed mental wellness.
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