Ketamine vs Traditional Medications: What’s the Difference

Maybe you have heard of ketamine therapy. Medical research is starting to show that it can assist with treating various conditions and disorders. You might wonder about the issues concerning ketamine vs traditional medications. For instance, you might wonder why people try ketamine therapy when more conventional treatments are available.

This post will cover ketamine vs traditional medications. Instead of looking at every condition ketamine can help, we will focus on depression.

Ketamine vs Traditional Medications

Fast Acting

Most conventional antidepressants take time to have an effect. It can be weeks or even months before the individual gets the necessary relief. As an alternative, ketamine is much faster at providing relief. In most cases, patients start feeling better after a few days. Some studies even report patients feeling relief 24 hours later. It can be one of the best options when patients are in an extreme depressive episode and need fast relief.

Long Lasting Relief

Ketamine delivers long-lasting results even after the patient stops their sessions. Patients may experience new depressive episodes not long after going off traditional antidepressants. Even if the patient is successful with treatment, they will likely need to take the medication for months or years. Most patients also need to take their time when coming off antidepressants. Quitting these drugs usually means slowly reducing the patient’s dose over several months.

Broader Efficacy

One problem with traditional medications is that it can be challenging to find the right one. These medications affect different people in different ways. Your doctor will start by prescribing the one they believe has the best chance of working. However, there is no guarantee that it will be the right one for you. You will have to take it for a few weeks to see how well it works. The patient might have to go through several cycles of trying new medications. Ketamine therapy has a high rate of success in providing relief.

Mechanism

Another difference is in how the drugs work. Most antidepressants are SSRIs. These medications regulate the individual’s mood by increasing serotonin in the brain. Ketamine works by increasing glutamate activity in the brain. It is another chemical that plays a role in mood regulation. Along with that, research indicates that this activity also repairs connections in the brain. Some researchers believe this “repair” mechanism is one of the reasons for the long-term relief from ketamine therapy.

Get Your Silver Lining Back

Contact the team from Silver Lining to learn more about ketamine therapy. We would be happy to answer any questions you have.

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