Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a devastating impact on people of all ages, including about 8% of adults and 11-20% of veterans. PTSD doesn’t respond well to standard medication options, which is why Gino Ang, MD, and the team at Ketamine Center of Connecticut offer low-dose ketamine infusions. Ketamine may quickly and effectively relieve your symptoms when other treatments have failed. To learn if you’re a good candidate for ketamine, schedule an appointment today by our office in Milford, Connecticut.
PTSD develops after you experience a dangerous, traumatic, or scary event. You may be personally involved in the incident or hear about it from a family member or friend who experienced the event. PTSD often occurs following events such as:
PTSD symptoms usually appear within a few months of the traumatic event, but they may be delayed for years. The symptoms of PTSD last at least a month. During that time you may:
Many patients find they have a hard time remembering specific details about the event. Flashbacks and dreams often trigger anxiety and physical symptoms such as shortness of breath.
The current psychiatric treatments for PTSD, antidepressants and psychotherapy, fail to improve symptoms in many patients. While ketamine is an experimental treatment for PTSD, doctors in Veterans Affairs medical centers have reported successful results using it to treat vets who haven’t obtained relief with the standard therapies.
At high doses, ketamine is a safe anesthetic. When given at low doses, however, ketamine improves the symptoms caused by a variety of mental health disorders, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
Ketamine balances the levels of glutamate, a brain chemical directly involved in psychological symptoms. The medication also restores connectivity between neurons. By directly targeting the brain, ketamine can work rapidly, often improving symptoms within hours.
During your treatment, you’ll relax in a private room while an anesthesiologist at Ketamine Center of Connecticut gives you ketamine through an intravenous (IV) infusion. They use a pump to ensure you receive the best dose and monitor your heart rate and blood pressure. Your treatment takes about 90 minutes, including your recovery time.
If you respond to your ketamine treatment during the first two infusions, your provider at Ketamine Center of Connecticut recommends a series of six total treatments. A series of infusions produce longer-lasting results.
To learn more about ketamine for PTSD, schedule an appointment by calling the Ketamine Center of Connecticut.
