Ketamine For Depression? (Page 45)

It was recommended by the members of a separate thread that one be started that directly relates to ketamine and it's use to treat depression.

If anyone besides myself would like to discuss it's use as a treatment for depression, feel free to post your questions, answers and experiences here.

This thread is an offshoot of a related one that discussed a treatment of Scopolamine for depression.

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Re: JP in Toronto (# 845)

Hi there, it has been a while since this post. Do you have any updates on obtaining ketamine in Canada, infusion or oral? Thanks so much.

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Re: Guy in Toronto (# 875)

Would you be able to provide any sources for ketamine in Canada? Thanks so much

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Re: Mh (# 882)

See my posts straight below under “Guy”. That is about all I can say about it. Good Luck!

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I am hoping I get the ok for this treatment. I had gastric bypass almost two years ago and I have completely fallen apart. Not only would they forget to give me my meds in the hospital. The stoped working completely because they are not absorbing. I started to self medicate because I need to function some how. I have never been so desperate for help in my life. I feel like a stranger in my skin and I’m worried this feeling will never go away. I have started liquid meds because they are supposed to absorb better but not feel much from them. This is my last hope. An IV treatment will be good because I don’t have to worry about absorption. Is there any information that I ave aware of? I just need my Dr. to sign off and then I get a consult.

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I have chronic pain for most of my life. It was in 2003 that it became debilitating. I had been through all kinds of SSRIs, non-narcotic painkiller, narcotic painkillers and a host of things they give to people with Diabetes having nerve pain in common. To sum up the symptoms I have nerve pain throughout my body and horrible muscular cramps that if I just move wrong can go into a spasm that I can't get rid of especially in my jaw, neck and upper back.

Nothing had really worked for me other than Botox but I couldn't afford it and insurance wouldn't cover it. The Pain Specialist I had been seeing went off the deep end (I think they use too many of their samples) I ended up with a new one. It took a while but I guess something I said made him say that he believed that I had Infectious Myositis and he started me on Ketamine 10mg capsules 3x a day. I haven't felt that good in years. I was on them for about a year when all this bulls*** with the Narco-State came to the surface because of the so-called Heroin Epidemic and then suddenly he asked me how much the medication was costing and I said it runs about $84 a month but insurance won't touch it. He had been giving me refills without coming in for an office visit except if I needed something. And then he makes this ridiculous statement that I should be able to afford to come in every month. I have no idea what he based that on but he wouldn't even see me, according to his office staff which were no brain trust, unless I could come up with the co-pay I wasn't enough for him to just get the insurance payment for a refill appointment (even if I had the co-pay I'm not taking up but 5 minutes of his time and a $45 copay is a bit excessive). I ran into a similar problem years back when I was going to the allergist and they wanted a full co-pay to come in weekly and get an inj. and sit in a room for 20 minutes. I didn't have it then and I don't have it now. Greed is becoming very coming in the healthcare industry. Why just taking the insurance portion wasn't enough I'll never understand. I don't know exactly what it is but it's about $200 a pop so they're being well paid for a refill appointment. His office staff sent me a letter when I asked about coming in without the co-pay and told me that the FDA required me to pay my co-pay. Are you freaking kidding me! The FDA? I don't think the FDA nor the DEA gives one s*** if I pay my co-pay.

Part of his online review had already alerted me that he was big into the money aspect of his practice but that he was considered very good at diagnosis. I told him that if he insists on forcing me to come in monthly then I can't afford it and that effectively raises the price of the medication to $129 a month. The next remark I will never forget. He says back to me if it's going to come down to his kids eating or me that it's going to be his kids eating. Just out of the blue. I assume in hindsight that he was referring to some type of pressure he was under if he was prescribing these meds but his pressure meant nothing to me if I could not afford to go on a monthly basis. I stopped taking it and now I lay on the sofa on a daily basis trying to remain comfortable.

My primary care doctor was real quick to take over the narcotics which caused a huge rift between the Pain Specialists and me but it was always my understanding that you went to a specialist to get diagnosed and stabilized and then you went back to your primary care for continued treatment except my primary refused to write Ketamine even though it wasn't a narcotic and is in the same class as Xanax but he has continued to refuse stating, "its not his balywick" whatever the hell that means. I guarantee that some of the other medications I take aren't either but he doesn't even think twice about medications that can result in death or amputation, etc and yet he won't give me what I had taken for a year without so much as a single side-effect.

I'm going to attempt to call out my primary care on his only writing meds if they're on/in his balywick and tell him how much I'm suffering and the stress that he's causing on my body is probably doing more damage, etc and see if I can get him to write the script. But now because SSDI doesn't keep pace with inflation I don't have the money to even pay what I imagine is now around $100 a month. I didn't even always take 3 a day so I don't know how I might get around my lack of funds but maybe something good could happen in my life?

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Have you looked in to having ketamine IV treatments. Many insurance will pay for these treatments for pain. Dr Hanna in Florida excepts most insurance.

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Joseph (# 879) --

I find oral Ketamine works just fine for me. Since it must be compounded I also get asked by the Pharmacist for my thoughts on it's effectiveness and he tell's me that there is only one other doctor that prescribes a nasal spray form and that's he has had conversations regarding the spray with the doctor and feels the oral form is a much better choice. Now I have not asked him specifically because I was getting the oral form and it was doing what I needed and just seems more convenient than a nasal spray. Having never had the nasal spray I cannot tell you my thoughts. I have also been told about the infusions although I really don't know a lot about them. Some people say they're curative and that seems hard to believe because at some point your system will clear it from the blood. I'm guessing that the doctors think it's more controllable and people won't be able to misuse it because they have no direct access to it. But I've also read about people having terrible terrors that have had Ketamine used on them as anesthesia so there's that.

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Re: dave (# 4)

Hi, where did you find your doctor for these prices? Cause my doctor charges $450 for every visit even after the first visit! And I have not heard of them using the inhaler yet but I would benifits from the inhaler

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Re: CityguyUSA (# 887)

Hey City, I read the opposite, that oral is the least effective! It's pretty clear that we need more research. I'm not sure how easy it would be to obtain ketamine powder for a pharmacy to compound here in small town Ontario and Canadian drs seem more reluctant to prescribe off label than are their American counterparts.

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Re: Joseph (# 889)

I just know what the pharmacist told me. I took 3 10mg capsules a day and from what I think I remember reading those only last like 4 hours so you aren't even getting a 24 hour period of coverage but ups and downs but I can tell you I never noticed any side effect or highs or lows. I felt consistently good. My depression issues are definitely gone and my neuropathies burning in my back, legs, knees and feet are all gone and I often would miss a dose because it was the only medication I took 3 x per day and I still felt fine.

As to being able to get the powder... I live in a city of about 40,000 up to 60,000 if you want to include the suburbs and as far as I know, we have only 2 compounding pharmacies. How much demand they have for the powder and how much must be purchased is out of my knowledge base but I gotta believe that the manufacturer wants to sell as much as possible even if that means selling small batches.

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Re: Joseph (# 889)

Injesting ketamine really does not work just get you upset stomach..

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Re: CityguyUSA (# 890)

I'm glad what your doing is helping. I wish it was an option in Ontario.

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jimta (# 877) --

Upadhyay (sp) he was in York, PA but has moved to Harrisburg without even telling me as asupposed patient. He's a good diagnostician but he is money hungry. He told me if it comes down to his kids or me it's going to be his kids. You might think that but don't say it out loud. I never forgot that.

Anyway he started me on ketamine, no office visits just called in for refills and he typically gave me 3 months. Then everything changed and he wanted me in the office every month which I couldn't afford and even though I told him the most he would go was every other month. If you have money it's not an issue just a pain.

He was in the US Navy for what it's worth and he has serious movement issues himself. He's personable and he's not like some doctors that treat you like an addict just because you have problems with what they presecribed.

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Cai (# 492) --

I live on the west side of Canada. I have depression in most parts of my life and anti-depressants prove to be of little effect. I took ketamine IV in Portland last month and it changed my life. Not only my depression was lifted, my fibromyalgia was gone as well. However, the effect lasted only 3 days. I'd like to pursue the route of oral ketamine to get an enduring effect. My GP and psychiatrist are reluctant to prescribe oral ketamine but they'd like to refer me to the doctors who are willing to. Do you think you could ask your neuropsychiatrist whether they are willing to take any new patients or do you happen to know other doctors who prescribe ketamine? If it is confidential to post your doctor's information online, could you email me?

Editor's note: Per our privacy policy we do not allow individuals to post their own personal contact information on our discussion threads. Please note however, that there is nothing wrong with sharing doctor information as long as it can be verified.

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Re: Lou (# 891)

I had no side effects of taking Ketamine. That's what made it such a good choice. Certainly more problems related to the MS Kontin.

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Re: CityguyUSA (# 895)

To all, be careful with Ketamine. There are serious issues regarding chronic Ketamine use and possible bladder damage. Just remember this is still experimental and off-label at this point. Please research thoroughly, discuss with your physician and be careful.

"Summary: Research has revealed how recreational ketamine abuse damages the bladder. In two studies, medical researchers show how ketamine present in urine causes damage to the epithelial lining of the bladder, allowing urine to penetrate into underlying tissues which causes inflammation and extreme pain. In some cases this pain can be so extreme that patients need to have their bladder removed (cystectomy)."

Source: "New effects of ketamine abuse uncovered: Extreme pain, bladder damage." Sciencedaily.com March 18th, 2016.

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Re: jimta (# 876)

There is a place called Relieve Us in Havertown in Pa that does Ketamine , without insurance.

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Re: Guy in Toronto (# 896)

It's all relative -- chronic, unrelenting depression or depression relieved in exchange for something else. I've been dealing with this for more than 40 years. I'm a little desperate, Guy.

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Ketamine has been used for years to treat severe depression. The theory behind it is to reboot if you will, the brain as opposed to extra. It’s the same principal, but without memory impairment.

It’s hard to judge the success rate as it is used almost as a last resort next to low dose of opioids. Yes you read it write for extreme clinical depression some of us have used low dose oxycodone to relieve symptoms.

Ketamine can be effective however, each person can react to it differently. It is safe as long as someone is monitoring you and the dose should be no more then 40mg. Madazolam should be on hand to stop side effects that may arise due to the psycho effective. I have had more success with cannabis or cannabinol for extreme cases patients can use it prn and it can have extreme benefits with sleep and sleep architecture.

Don’t get me wrong before Ketamine I might suggest cannabinol in oil form.

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Breaking news: It looks like a new ketamine-like medication in the form of a nasal spray is coming to the market for treatment resistant depression:

March 5, 2019 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray, in conjunction with an oral antidepressant, for the treatment of depression in adults who have tried other antidepressant medicines but have not benefited from them (treatment-resistant depression).

Source: FDA approves new nasal spray medication for treatment-resistant depression ...

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