Posted by chumbawumba on January 4, 2017, at 22:05:43
In reply to Re: Ketamine infusions for Depression » chumbawumba, posted by SLS on January 4, 2017, at 6:39:31
> > > The dosage of ketamine is critical - (0.5 mg/kg) over 40 minutes. You can have IV infusions every day, but if the dosage is too low - or too high - it won't work for depression.
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> > Why do so many docs use intranaasal ketamine or intramuscular shots? One could deliver the correct dosage but timing smooth delivery over 40 minutes would be impossible. Is the rate critical, the dosage critical or both?
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> It is critical. Taking too much ketamine ruins the effect. Intranasal ketamine can be regulated by changing and titrating the dosage. However, there are people who do not respond to intranasal who do go on to respond to infusions.
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> A major question is, would someone want to commit the rest of their life to going for infusions every few days to a week rather than sniff a liquid for a few seconds every 1-5 days? Try intranasal first, then go for infusions if necessary. That would be my answer to the question.
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> http://bipolarnews.org/index.php?s=intranasal+ketamine
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> - ScottThank you for that link, I had not seen that.
Perhaps you would care to opine on the concurrent use of benzodiazepines with ketamine. All the clinics are saying you can't use them with ketamine. They are total buzz killers. Lamictal as well.
I have found both of these to be true myself. I cannot experience the ketamine bliss state or the antidepressant afterglow if I am taking benzos or Lamictal. No problem with the Lamictal. I take Lithium now and that works better anyway.
Problem is ketamine stimulates the hell out of me and I can't sleep without taking 60 mg of flurazepam. I am thinking of asking my pdoc to change from flurazepam, which is long acting by virtue of it's active metabolite. To a high dose of a short acting benzo like Halcion. That way when I wake up the benzo willl be more or less out of my system and I can take the ketamine and have a nice day.
A link for you, perhaps you've seen it maybe others haven't. Over ten years since publication. Seems like ancient history for the subject at hand.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2006.00208_8.x/abstract
poster:chumbawumba
thread:1086241
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20161215/msgs/1093818.html