Please Note: Not all patients are eligible for this treatment. Each patient must be evaluated by a physician where an individual treatment plan will be developed that may or may not include Ketamine infusion therapy.
Ketamine Infusions Q & A
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is a potent anesthetic drug that’s a valuable option for pain control in surgical settings. The drug works by preventing pain signals sent by your peripheral nerves from getting through to your brain.
In addition to its pain-blocking effects, ketamine also acts on the neurotransmitters in your brain. These are chemical messengers that influence your state of mind, often playing a key part in a variety of mental health disorders.
These effects have value in treating chronic pain and treatment-resistant depression.
What are ketamine infusions?
Ketamine infusions are the most effective way of delivering ketamine into your system. The procedure requires you to have an IV line in a vein in your arm. The ketamine infusion then drips slowly down the tube and into your bloodstream.
Infusion is a more direct method of treatment than taking oral medication, as the ketamine doesn’t have to pass through your digestive system. The drug starts working more quickly, and less goes to waste.
When might I need ketamine infusions for chronic pain?
Ketamine is best for treatment-resistant chronic pain, so infusions won’t be the first therapy your provider at Elite Pain Management and Recovery Centers offers you.
When you have chronic pain, you’re likely to receive the most conservative treatments to begin with. This is primarily in the interests of your safety and the fact that approaches like physical therapy and chiropractic are usually effective as well as safe.
When your pain persists in spite of these treatments, the Raj Pain Clinic and Recovery Centers team usually finds steroid injections, regenerative medicine, and other interventional pain management techniques are successful for most patients.
If none of these methods work, your provider might suggest ketamine infusions. Raj Pain Clinic and Recovery Centers provides these treatments on a self-pay basis.
Am I eligible for ketamine infusions?
To be eligible for ketamine infusions, you need to have a normal EKG within the last year to ensure your heart is healthy. Your provider at Raj Pain Clinic and Recovery Centers also refers you for psychological clearance before you begin a course of ketamine infusions.
It’s important to ensure you’re physically and mentally well enough to have ketamine infusions.
To find out whether ketamine infusions are right for you, call Raj Pain Clinic and Recovery Centers or book an appointment online today.
