Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) causes unwanted but uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors that disrupt your daily life, interrupting your work responsibilities and your social activities. When your OCD symptoms persist despite psychiatric treatment, Gino Ang, MD, and the experienced team at Ketamine Center of Connecticut offer a safe option that often produces rapid results: ketamine infusions. To learn if ketamine may help diminish your OCD symptoms, schedule an appointment by calling our office in Milford, Connecticut.
OCD is a mental health disorder that causes uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that you have the urge to repeat. You know your obsessions and compulsions are unreasonable, yet you can’t stop the thoughts or the urgent actions they trigger.
In severe cases, you may spend hours each day acting out compulsive behaviors. OCD makes it hard to lead a normal life, as your obsessions and compulsions interfere with work, school, and personal relationships.
Obsessive thoughts typically follow a theme, such as a fear of being harmed or a fear of germs. You may need to keep items in a precise or symmetrical order. It’s also common to continuously think you forgot to turn off the stove or didn’t lock the door.
Compulsive behaviors often line up with your obsessions. For example, you may repeatedly wash your hands to remove germs or frequently verify the location of an item. Many patients must continuously rearrange or count items.
If you can’t shake the thought that you didn’t lock the door, you’ll need to go back numerous times to check it, even though you know you already checked and it was locked.
Ketamine is an anesthetic and pain-relieving medication. Over decades of use as in surgery, the medication has established a solid reputation for safety.
When you receive a low dose of ketamine through an intravenous (IV) infusion, it produces a completely different effect. Low-dose ketamine safely balances brain chemicals, restores nerve communication, and alleviates the symptoms of many mental health disorders, including OCD.
Highly experienced anesthesiologists administer your infusion at Ketamine Center of Connecticut. Though ketamine is known to be safe, your heart rate and blood pressure are monitored throughout your treatment using a wireless device called Caretaker®.
If you respond to the treatment, you’ll notice a rapid improvement in your OCD symptoms. In studies, about half of the patients still noticed the improvement a week after their first infusion.
Your provider at Ketamine Center of Connecticut typically recommends a series of six treatments spaced 12 days apart. After six treatments, most patients experience longer-lasting results.
If you continue to struggle with OCD despite psychiatric medications, call the Ketamine Center of Connecticut to schedule an appointment.
