Since 2012, it seems researchers have discovered a steady stream of new applications for ketamine. Introduced as an anesthetic in the early ‘70s, it has more recently gained popularity for its highly impressive antidepressant and antipsychotic qualities. Ketamine research shows that infusions, when administered following the proper protocol under expert supervision, dramatically improve depressive symptoms in upwards of 70% of patients. Similarly extraordinary results have manifested in ketamine studies pertaining to PTSD prevention and treatment, addiction treatment, and chronic pain management.

In life, at some point or another, everyone struggles with situational anxiety. Financial strain, emotional trauma, stress at work or school, all those anxiety-inducing what ifs. And we take a deep breath, brace ourselves, and keep moving forward the best we can. But what if you don’t?

It is hard to argue against ketamine as the most promising depression treatment available today. In 70% of patients, ketamine effectively and rapidly improves depressive symptoms, even in those patients who have historically resisted other methods of treatment. Study after study shows the same thing: ketamine works, and it works significantly better than traditional antidepressants or psychotherapy. 

It’s a frustrating situation, to have this miraculous drug – a drug that is capable of changing and saving lives – so readily available, and yet so inaccessible. Without FDA approval, the overwhelming majority of insurance companies will not cover the cost of ketamine infusion therapy, leaving millions of Americans to suffer in the despair of severe depression. Private label ketamine clinics are operating around the country, but average prices of $500-800 per infusion are inhibitive at best. Even at our clinic, offering the lowest-priced ketamine infusions in the country, this potentially life-changing treatment is still not an option for many people.

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.

Accepting the fact that you or a loved one is suffering from a mental health disorder isn’t always easy, and seeking treatment in the face of shame and stigma requires immeasurable strength. Suicide rates are at their highest levels ever. Drug addiction is wreaking havoc across the nation. Mental health disorders affect one in four people, and yet, discrimination is still alive, well, and preventing those suffering from seeking help, finding hope, and recovering.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults. We have seen the life-changing effects that ketamine infusions can have on suicidally depressed adults, and in adults who have resisted other forms of depression treatment. When it comes to teen depression, however, few studies have explored the use of ketamine infusion therapy.

Depression is a chronic physical illness, with symptoms that are mostly invisible. Because of this, understanding depression – and knowing how to help someone with depression – is a challenge to those who are not afflicted. You walk on eggshells, afraid to say the wrong thing. You keep quiet, or give advice, albeit with good intentions, that may not be ideal or realistic for your friend or loved one to follow.

Ketamine is, by far, the most effective treatment for depression available today. Effective in 70% of patients, ketamine oftentimes works where other antidepressants have failed. In addition to being used as a depression medication, ketamine has also shown promise in PTSD prevention, the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction, and has been used to reduce chronic pain.

Postpartum depression is complex, oftentimes confusing, and always emotionally-charged. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that 11-20% of women who give birth– about 600,000 women every year – will experience signs of postpartum depression. Only 15% of the afflicted women, however, will seek professional counseling or medical attention. This may be because admitting to being depressed after giving birth can feel shameful. It may also be because postpartum depression generally doesn’t persist for more than six months, making it difficult to treat with psychotherapy, antidepressants, or other depression treatments that aren’t immediately effective. 

Nearly 35,000 people die by suicide each year. That translates to 94 people per day, making suicide the 11th leading cause of death across all age groups. Suicide is a complex issue: there is no single cause, and, oftentimes, suicidal thoughts are never voiced and suicidal signs can be subtle.

Based on the title of Time Magazine’s latest article about ketamine as a treatment for depression, one might not even think twice about giving the long-time anesthetic a chance. The article, The Dangers of Using the Club Drug Ketamine for Depression, was published shortly after the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released their long-awaited findings and recommendations about using ketamine as an antidepressant. Contrary to what the title insinuates, the findings weren’t all bad.

Though controversial and oftentimes misunderstood, ketamine infusions have been a life-changing treatment for individuals suffering from severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Ketamine works when more conventional depression treatments and antidepressants fail. 70% of patients who undergo ketamine infusions experience improvement in their symptoms. Many of these patients – and their doctors – are eager to share these stories, believing that their successes may bring hope to those who are still suffering. Here are a handful of these stories.

Ketamine infusions provide more than 70% of patients with relief from their depressive symptoms, but to get the most out of ketamine therapy, it’s important for patients to engage in other therapeutic activities in between infusions. While exercise, meditation, and art can help keep sadness in remission, more formal forms of therapy – especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ­– can help patients bring their relief to a new level.

Since its introduction as an anesthetic in the ‘60s and its subsequent fall from fashion in the ‘80s, ketamine’s comeback has been an interesting one to watch. Reintroduced to hospital emergency departments as a sedative and analgesic in the late ‘90s, and recently discovered to be a highly effective antidepressant, pain reliever, addiction treatment and potential PTSD vaccine, emergency medical service providers and first-responders are beginning to leveraging the versatility of the drug to provide the best possible care for patients.

Since the antidepressant effects of ketamine were discovered, its seems as though a Pandora’s Box of new uses for the medicine has been opened. Recent studies by the Columbia University Medical Center show that ketamine may prevent PTSD from developing in individuals who will experience a trauma – an especially hopeful discovery for our nation’s soldiers and first responders. Ketamine has also shown promise as an alcohol and cocaine addiction treatment. All of this on top of already being used to effectively alleviate chronic pain, treat depression and mood disorders, and – of course – as an anesthetic.

Using ketamine as a treatment for major depression is a relatively new practice. While ketamine has been used as an anesthetic since the 1960s, its application as a depression treatment didn’t start to attract attention from researchers until 2006, with the first ketamine infusion clinics opening in the US around 2012. With a 70% success rate in improving the symptoms of depression, ketamine infusions have become increasingly popular, bringing hope to those who had none.

Research continues to yield promising results about the use of ketamine as a treatment for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. Beyond mood disorders, ketamine has also recently been used to effectively treat alcoholism, addiction and chronic pain. As potentially life-changing applications for this drug continue to be discovered – and as clinical trials continue to prove its viability as the most effective depression treatment available on the market – the negative stigma associated with ketamine is slowly slipping away. 

Over the past few years, ketamine infusion centers have been opening up across the country, bringing new hope to millions of Americans suffering from major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mood disorders. However, most ketamine clinics are privately owned and operated, making it difficult to discern between reliable and irresponsible ketamine infusion centers.

Ketamine has made headlines as a groundbreaking treatment for severe depression. But using ketamine for anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), postpartum depression and other mood disorders has generated positive results. 

In the United States, intravenous ketamine infusions have emerged as the primary route of administration for the treatment of depression. However, there are other ways to take ketamine, including orally with ketamine pills for depression, sublingually, nasally, or intramuscularly. Each route of administration offers its own unique benefits.

The symptoms of depression don’t just manifest in different ways; they are also perceived in different ways. The signs of depression in women may feel different than the signs of depression in men, making it difficult for individuals to “check off” the depression symptoms in a standard list. 

If you’re at the point where you’re asking yourself, Am I depressed? Do I have depression? then this depression symptom checklist could help you find answers.