Chronic pain can make it difficult to work, enjoy hobbies, or even to think. It disrupts your life and affects your relationships. If you have chronic pain, you’re all too aware of how much it can limit your life.
In addition to disrupting your life, you have a higher chance of developing depression when you have chronic pain. Depression poses numerous health risks as well.
For too many, the usual options to address chronic pain simply don’t work. Ketamine, a drug that has been around for many years, is gaining ground as a treatment for chronic pain.
Ketamine is a derivative of phencyclidine hydrochloride, better known as PCP or angel dust. In 1963, researchers found a way to synthesize ketamine for use as a pain reliever. It was approved by the FDA in 1970 and was used often during surgeries performed in the Vietnam War.
One problem with ketamine was that it had psychomimetic effects, and though they were far milder than those of PCP, they were still a problem for patients. Its use began to decline in surgeries, but it’s popularity as a recreational drug grew.
Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, which describes how it works at the cellular level. It prevents the central nervous system from receiving or processing certain sensory input, which is how it works as a pain reliever.
Ketamine has been shown to help with some types of pain that have historically been difficult to treat. For example, ketamine infusion has been successfully used to treat neuropathic pain conditions, where many other types of pain relief have failed. Other conditions ketamine has been used to treat include:
Other applications are being studied as well. Recently, several associations have approved guidelines for the use of ketamine infusions to treat chronic pain, which is an indication of how useful the treatment has become in pain management. These guidelines include information on the safe use of ketamine, patient selection, and serve as a resource for information for care providers, patients, and others involved in the delivery of healthcare.
Ketamine is considered safe, and adverse effects have been rare in studies. Serious adverse effects occur at the same rate as they do in when participants are given a placebo. The physicians at South Lake Pain Institute are experienced and well-aware of the most up-to-date information regarding appropriate dosages and applications for ketamine.
Given the current widespread problems with opioid addiction, ketamine may be a safer alternative, depending on your medical history and current situation. For some people, the most appropriate treatment plan involves a combination of ketamine infusions and opioids.
If you’d like to learn more about ketamine infusions and whether or not it could be an effective treatment for you, book an appointment at South Lake Pain Institute online or by phone today. There may be an option for pain management you haven’t yet considered.
