Bipolar Disorder
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Ketamine Center of Connecticut
Ketamine Infusion Clinic located in Milford, CT
Bipolar disorder often begins with an episode of major depression before you cycle to mania. In many patients, bipolar depression doesn’t respond well to standard medical care. Gino Ang, MD, and the team at Ketamine Center of Connecticut can help with intravenous ketamine infusions that produce quick relief from bipolar depression. To learn if you’re a good candidate for ketamine treatment, schedule an appointment by calling our office in Milford, Connecticut.
Bipolar Disorder Q & A
What should I know about bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is a neurological condition that causes shifts in your energy, mood, and activity levels. Patients with bipolar disorder go through identifiable cycles of low mood (depression) and high-energy (mania).
What symptoms develop during mania?
The symptoms of mania include:
- High activity level
- Insomnia
- Racing thoughts
- Rapid speech
- Feeling irritable
- Risky behaviors (reckless driving, substance abuse, sexual encounters)
- You may also experience hypomania, which means you have the same symptoms but they’re milder than full-blown mania.
What should I know about bipolar depression?
Bipolar depression has the same symptoms as major depressive disorder. You may experience:
- Low energy levels
- Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
- Loss of interest in activities
- Changes in your sleep habits
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in your eating habits
- Thoughts of suicide
Many patients with bipolar disorder go through depression before they experience a mood swing to mania or hypomania. Throughout their lifetime, they may spend more time depressed than having manic or hypomanic episodes.
How do specialists treat bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition that should be treated by a professional team of psychologists and psychiatrists. Treatment includes a combination of medications, such as mood stabilizers, atypical antipsychotics, and antidepressants, together with psychotherapy.
Antidepressants usually aren’t the first line of treatment for bipolar depression, however, due to concerns that they may exacerbate the disease. Ketamine is a safe and effective alternative to antidepressant medications.
How does ketamine relieve bipolar depression?
Ketamine is highly effective for major depressive disorder and recommended as adjunctive therapy for patients with bipolar depression, especially when their depression doesn’t respond to psychiatric medications.
When the anesthesiologists at Ketamine Center of Connecticut administer intravenous (IV) ketamine, the medication improves nerve connections in your brain and has a direct effect on brain chemicals. Ketamine balances glutamate, and this, in turn, improves symptoms of bipolar depression.
Patients who respond to IV ketamine often experience symptom improvement within several hours. If you respond positively to your first two ketamine treatments, you’ll have a series of six total infusions. A series of treatments produces long-lasting results so you’ll only need occasional maintenance treatment.
To learn more about the benefits of ketamine for bipolar depression, call the Ketamine Center of Connecticut to schedule a consultation.
