Posted by europerep on April 18, 2012, at 16:46:36
In reply to Re: found out exactly what dose of ketamine i'm on, posted by Sailboat77 on April 18, 2012, at 10:27:58
> I have a few questions: Is Ketamine FDA approved for the treatment of depression?
No. And, as far as I know, ketamine isn't approved for long-term use at all. It is used as an anaesthetic in hospitals, and for a very small number of patients for pain therapy. This latter use is of course long-term, but I'm not sure whether ketamine is actually approved for that use.
> Do you have to be in a medical trial to get Ketamine treatment?
Technically, yes. As this thread shows, that is not always what happens in reality. Other members here know more about docs in the US that prescribe ketamine for depression.
> What's the most effective way of administering Ketamine and how often do you need treatments?
Answers to these questions are not yet established. Studies usually go with IV infusions that administer the dose over a period of forty minutes. There is also a study going on (or maybe already finished) with intranasal administration. In the studies that have been finished so far, antidepressive effects typically faded out after a week or two, sometimes longer though. Long-term treatment of refractory depression with ketamine has not been researched, i.e. there is zero scientific data on how this would work in terms of dosage, routes of administration, side effects, and so on.
I hope this helps!
ER
poster:europerep
thread:1015824
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120411/msgs/1015892.html