Migraines
Ketamine for Migraine Treatment
Innovative New Treatment for Migraines
Low dose ketamine infusions as a therapy for the treatment of depression is slowly starting to become a more mainstream concept. There have been several recent reports in the media profiling the type of patient successes that we here at Rainfall Medicine have seen regularly. Less well known is ketamine’s effectiveness in treating several pain syndromes, including migraine headaches.
How can ketamine help with migraines?
There are some hospital in-patient services and hospital emergency rooms that have employed Ketamine infusions for several years to treat intractable migraine headaches. Recently, Dr. Eric Schwenk, the Director of Orthopedic Anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and colleagues completed a retrospective study to ascertain the effectiveness of Ketamine in this population. All sixty-one patients studied received daily low dose Ketamine infusions for three to seven consecutive days.
Almost 75 percent of the patients experienced an improvement in their migraine intensity. On a scale of 0 – 10, the average migraine headache pain rating at admission was 7.5, compared to 3.4 on discharge. The average infusion was 5.1 consecutive days. The infusion day with the lowest average pain rating was day 4.
This study’s focus was on short-term relief. The author is encouraged by the potential for ketamine infusions to provide long-term relief.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Ketamine is a synthetic medicine that has primarily been used as an anesthetic agent in humans and animals for over 50 years. It is one of the most commonly used anesthetic agents in the world, because of its unique properties that make it incredibly safe to administer.
Ketamine binds to NMDA receptors, and creates a glutamate surge, releasing growth factors that help make new synaptic connections in your brain. This paves the way for healthier thought patterns and increases your resilience to chronic stress.
The literature for depression shows a 70% success rate. Individual clinics have seen higher rates, because they have seen increased efficacy with increased dosing.
The low doses used for depression are in the empathogenic “heart opening” psychedelic dose range. People report feelings of love, peace, compassion, forgiveness, and a touch of euphoria.
Ketamine will not be provided to individuals with schizophrenia, psychosis, or certain seizure disorders. Those taking aminophylline for asthma or COPD should not undergo ketamine infusions. If you have serious medical problems like uncontrolled high blood pressure, cardiac disease, or pulmonary problems, a clearance will be requested from your primary care physician before undergoing treatment.
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Are You A Good Candidate for Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Although it has been used for more than half a century as an anesthetic and pain reliever, Ketamine is now proving to be the biggest breakthrough in depression treatment in decades as well. Studies show that ketamine may be a powerful treatment for migraine relief.
If you are interested in learning more about how ketamine treatment for migraines can help you, contact Rainfall Medicine today and schedule your free consultation.
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