Ketamine Therapy For Treatment-Resistant Depression

Feel like you’ve tried it all for your major depression disorder… but nothing seems to work? Your frustration is completely warranted — you’re not the only one. As many as 30% of people getting treatment for major depression disorder have treatment resistance. That’s right: almost 1 in 3 people that put in the hard work of getting treatment still don’t see good results.

If you’re considering ketamine for your treatment-resistant depression, we know you’ve already had a long battle for a successful treatment. At Lighthouse Infusions, we’ve had the privilege of seeing amazing upswings in our patients’ lives. We’d like you to have access to that healing as well.

Do you know what kinds of things we hear?

How does ketamine work for treatment-resistant depression?

Like many mental health troubles, depression doesn’t have a standardized lab test or scan that can reliably diagnose what’s going on. Research suggests that depressed people’s neural pathways in the brain have lost plasticity. In plain English, it means the normal nerve pathways in your brain have lost some connections. They’re not appropriately adapting to the stimulus in your life. Depression recklessly prunes the pathways that could have helped you function normally.

Classic medications for depression usually work to make the “happy” hormones more available in your brain (i.e. SSRI’s, MAOI’s). However, your hormones and enzymes have many more functions than just regulating your mood. None exclusively control happiness or contentment. This may be why we see so many side effects and treatment resistance with antidepressant medication therapies.

Ketamine works in a totally different way. It helps rebuild those connections of neurons, creating new pathways in your brain. And it works quickly.

It’s not uncommon for patients to see a difference after their first infusion. Many notice a sustained difference in their mood and energy after 4-6 infusions. At Lighthouse Infusions, that’s about 2-4 weeks. That’s significantly less time than the months of trial and error with different medications.

Do you have these treatment-resistant depression symptoms?

As we’ve talked with patients struggling with significant depression prior to ketamine treatment, we’ve seen some recurring symptoms. Do you relate to any of these?

• You’re not able to enjoy anything. Activities you previously looked forward to, like hobbies or eating favorite foods, don’t have joy or appeal.
• Your eating schedule is sporadic, ranging from overeating to not eating at all. Day-to-day tasks feel unbearably heavy. If something takes too much energy, you can’t do it, even if it’s a small necessary task.
• You feel overwhelmed whenever you have to work. You might even feel like you don’t have the energy to put in the minimum.
• You’ve let hobbies and relaxing activities go. They don’t engage you anymore, even if you try to pick them back up.
• You feel bored, yet lack the energy to do anything. Another common frustration is that even though you feel no drive to do anything, you still can’t seem to relax.
• Even the most basic self-care takes lots of effort. For example, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, or fixing a meal takes tremendous energy.
• Your relationships are strained…even the ones you care about most. You struggle to invest the energy you want to with them. Many patients feel guilty about neglecting these relationships.
• You’re tired and irritable all the time. Even the values that are important to you aren’t guiding your life. This makes the divide between what you’d like to do and what you have the energy to do greater and greater.

How IV ketamine therapy can help YOUR treatment-resistant depression

We often see that our depressed patients are pleasantly shocked at how much ketamine therapy helps. The psychedelic experience works differently than the previous interventions they’ve tried.

Lighthouse Infusions patients are seeing amazing results from their treatments like:

• Enjoying activities and hobbies again. Many become interested in hobbies they’d given up years ago.
• Finding daily tasks to be manageable — even easy.
• Having people around them notice that they’re more animated, outgoing, and at ease.
• Having the emotional and physical bandwidth to start doing well at work again.
• Seeing a drop in suicidal thoughts and ideation.
• Having a longer attention span.
• Finding talk therapy sessions to be more helpful and engaging.
• Noticing a profound change in their energy and drive.

Suffering from depression takes away so much time. Many patients are worried they’ll be overwhelmed with “catching up” on life if their treatment really helps. But we’ve had the privilege of watching patients really enjoy the transition into a life that isn’t crippled by depression. Patients have often voiced that their worries weren’t warranted, and that re-learning how to love life has been enjoyable.

Many patients, while depressed, felt they’d become incurably awkward and withdrawn. Once they completed several ketamine sessions, they’re delighted to see a personality transformation. Their loved ones often report the old “them” is back.

When to try ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression

Patients that come to Lighthouse Infusions for IV ketamine treatments are often exhausted by how many unsuccessful treatments they’ve already tried. Some have been struggling with depression for their whole lives. Have you already tried any of the following?

• You’ve tried mountains of prescription treatments for depression. From antidepressant SSRIs to mood stabilizers, trying new meds has been a long guessing game with your doctor. It’s taken weeks to even see if they work, and the side effects are almost worse than the treatment.
• You’ve tried natural depression therapies. A healthy diet and exercise routine are ideal treatments for depression. But half the battle in treating major depression is having the motivation and energy to stay consistent.
• Psychotherapy feels like it’s going nowhere. It’s expensive, and results generally aren’t immediate. The motivation to continue seeing a therapist wears away when your hope for results continues to wear down.
• You’ve tried Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR). It’s an enormous time commitment, which makes consistency much harder.
• Maybe you’ve tried Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).
• You’ve tried self-medicating. Whether it’s THC or alcohol, opiates or street drugs, self-medicating is dangerous, expensive, and deeply frustrating. Many of our patients have already tried ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, or other psychedelics.
• You’ve isolated yourself so you don’t have to deal with other people. This temporarily alleviates the stress of interacting with others, but in the long run thoroughly hijacks your ability to benefit from collaboration.

After everything you’ve tried for your depression…are you interested in looking into IV ketamine?

IV ketamine is a psychedelic therapy that helps your brain’s neuroplasticity — it primes it to be more ready for classic interventions. We strongly recommend having both psychotherapy and IV ketamine treatments together. This combo has shown excellent results for patients wanting to get the most out of their therapy sessions.

How do I get my depression treated with IV ketamine therapy?

Unlike most treatment options for depression, ketamine can begin to work within days. Many report that the people around them are the first to notice an improved mood. Some of our patients being treated for depression see an upturn in symptoms after 4-6 visits.

Interested in starting treatments at Lighthouse Infusions & Seattle Ketamine? You can begin looking into it today: we can answer therapy questions via phone, text, or email. If you’re interested in considering treatment and speaking with a specialist, give us a call and we can answer most of your questions right away. After talking with us, if you are ready to get started, we can also arrange your intake phone call.

During the intake call, you’ll get to speak with Liana, our experienced anesthesia specialist. She’ll go over your health history to make sure there isn’t anything that would negatively interact with IV ketamine. She can also answer any questions you may have about the treatment and your case.

Already have a treatment-resistant depression diagnosis? Then you may be ready to start ketamine therapy soon.

Once you’re cleared, you’ll receive 6 infusions over 4 weeks. Liana will deliver your treatments. She’ll be right there with you during the whole session. If you need your dosage adjusted or stopped, she’s immediately available.

Once the first weeks of treatments are complete, you’ll be able to come back for booster infusions per your needs, which you’ll be able to track via an app we provide. Maintenance infusions usually range from every 1 to 3 months.

Ready to learn more about ketamine therapy at Seattle Ketamine?

You’re closer to relief from your depression symptoms than you think. If you feel like you’ve tried everything and feel like giving up, we encourage you to consider IV ketamine therapy. Give our office a call at 425‑835‑2363 , send us a text , or email us at info@lhinfusions.com . We look forward to talking with you soon!