Ketamine has earned its clout as one of the most effective treatments for depression, bipolar disorder and PTSD currently available on the market. However, ketamine is also effective in pain management, specifically for the treatment of chronic pain conditions, such as CRPS, migraine headaches and as a fibromyalgia treatment. Pain is the #1 cause of physical disability in the world, but modern pain management options – including opiates and other medications, physical therapy, meditation, acupuncture and other complimentary and alternative techniques – tend to treat pain symptoms as they continue to occur, rather than stopping the pain from reoccurring altogether.
That’s where ketamine infusion therapy comes into play.
The way we believe ketamine works in pain management is not unlike the way we believe it works for psychiatric disorders: it changes and repairs neural pathways, essentially replacing “bad” nerve pulses – those that send signals for physical or emotional pain – with new, healthy nerve pulses. Ketamine infusion therapy has been highly effective as a fibromyalgia treatment, or for the treatment of CRPS, Lyme disease, migraine headaches, and other chronic pain conditions. It’s not surprising that ketamine works so well for both pain management and psychiatric disorders, as the two conditions are rarely mutually exclusive.
Of course, similar to the use of ketamine for depression, there are still questions about the use of ketamine in chronic pain management. In the few studies that have been conducted, researchers have found positive trends in the way ketamine reduces pain scores, decreases opioid consumption, its safety profile, and the ability to foster recovery and rehabilitation in injured individuals. Studies also show minimal side effects for the use of ketamine in treating CRPS, migraines, Lyme disease, or as a fibromyalgia treatment.
Recently, due to the rapidly growing popularity of ketamine as a treatment for depression, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published a consensus statement about its use, acknowledging the fact that it may be a breakthrough depression treatment, but that there isn’t enough research about exactly how ketamine works, or if there are any long-term implications. Now, as ketamine is more and more often used to treat chronic pain, pain doctors are asking for a consensus statement of their own. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is preparing a set of guidelines for the use of ketamine in pain management that should be available by October 2017.
Disability due to chronic pain costs our national economy over $100 million annually. It effects 70-million individuals – and counting. With the opioid epidemic growing worse each day, more effective pain management options are needed, and fast. It’s exciting to watch ketamine’s evolution, as it brings new hope to so many people suffering from physical and emotional pain. As more studies are conducted, and more research becomes available, we can only imagine that more and more people will benefit from its use.
CONTACT VITALITAS
If you or a loved one is suffering from a chronic pain condition and is in need of fibromyalgia treatment, or relief from the symptoms of CRPS, RDS, Lyme disease, depression, PTSD, or other psychiatric illnesses, contact Vitalitas Denver using the brief form below. We’re happy to discuss your needs and determine whether ketamine infusion therapy is the right path for you.
