In May of 2021, writer Zoe Boyer published an article in the New York Times describing her remarkable release from life-long depression thanks to ketamine infusion therapy.
Her story mirrors that of many who have long struggled to find relief from mental health disorders, and her success likewise mirrors that of many who have benefitted from this remarkable treatment.
Boyer writes that, when she was 26-years-old, she moved back in with her parents because she could no longer care for herself. Her depression had deepened to a point that even simple tasks were insurmountable. Despite having suffered from depression her entire life, this was something new.
Many readers will identify with Boyer’s story. At as early as age 10, depression was disrupting her daily life. During childhood, she could hardly sit through an entire television show due to a rising feeling of inexplicable dread. By the time she reached adolescence, she was waking every morning with what she describes as an “immutable sadness.” Despite once being an excellent student, she dropped out of high school at the age of 16.
Things didn’t improve for Boyer over the years. She reports trying every available treatment, being hospitalized, and investing endlessly in talk therapy—all to no avail. One day, she stumbled across an article on the potential for ketamine to treat severe, treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and, after consulting with her therapist, decided to contact a nearby ketamine clinic.
Boyer’s treatment plan was a fairly standard six initial ketamine infusions delivered over two weeks, followed by maintenance doses as needed. After three ketamine infusions, her depression had not subsided, and she considered abandoning course. “Thankfully,” she writes, “everything changed after my fourth infusion.”
In Boyer’s language, relief from depression felt “as though a switch had been flipped.” She describes how her brain lit back up, color returned her world, and the knot of dread she had held in her chest since childhood melted away.
Thousands of people nationwide share Boyer’s experience with ketamine infusion therapy. Clinical trials have, over and over, corroborated ketamine’s potential to deliver relief to patients suffering not only from depression, but also from bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder, among other ailments.
This success has driven ketamine clinic after ketamine clinic to open across the U.S. and, more recently, to the advent of telemedicine platforms that deliver ketamine lozenges to your home.
Growing awareness of ketamine infusion therapy’s life-saving potential is an enormous global good, but individuals who think they might benefit from the treatment should approach the many available options with caution.
Research into ketamine’s efficacy has focused on intravenous (IV) or nasal delivery. Oral delivery has not been subject to the same rigorous testing, and at-home consumption is a potentially dangerous practice. While clinical trials report that ketamine side effects are few and mild, this can only be assured when consumption is administered under supervised care. For all of these reasons, a qualified ketamine clinic is the best and safest place to receive treatment.
To learn more about whether ketamine infusion therapy may be right for you, do not hesitate to reach out to the full suite of medical staff at Vitalitas Denver.
Contact Vitalitas Denver Ketamine Infusion Center
