Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Robert Pollack
Data analysis collected by the FDA supports that Ketamine Therapy shows promising results as an effective treatment for severe depression. During the study over 279,000 patients were closely evaluated for pain therapies and their outcomes. 41,337 patients were given Ketamine for alleviating pain and pain management, but surprisingly, many of these individuals were concurrently reporting fewer episodes of depression.
Ketamine was thought to be a favorable treatment opportunity for patients with severe depression or those that suffer from suicidal episodes. The study also acknowledged Ketamine’s rapid onset and capacity in reversing depression and its symptoms.
In a series of ongoing randomized tests, Ketamine is beginning to become more widely accepted for its capacity to revamp the brain’s depressive episodes quickly. Over the past several years, many psychiatrists have studied the effects of Ketamine on depressed patients including those with bipolar disorder. Dr. Robert Pollack, a Board Certified Psychiatrist, has extensive experience in managing his patients that need this therapy. And he consistently sees the benefit of the Ketamine IV treatment in his patients that suffer from depression firsthand.
Ketamine Therapy coordinated by Dr. Pollack is a safe, reliable treatment tailored to each patient’s unique medical profile. They administer the therapy using state-of the-art technology, which allows them to monitor and evaluate each patient’s response and progress meticulously.
What is Ketamine?
Back in the 1960’s Ketamine was developed to treat wounded U.S. soldiers that were serving in the Vietnam War. In the 1970’s, Ketamine was often used as the anesthetic of choice for surgery, and in the 1980’s it became a popular street and club drug because of its “out of body” sensation that it’s users experienced.
How does Ketamine Work?
Because depression is truly a Brain Disease with associated physical symptoms, practitioners should provide their patients with the most advanced and efficacious treatment modalities available, to allow those suffering from it to have their wellness restored.
Ketamine works by creating new connections in parts of the brain that control mood and emotions. These new neurological connections help the brain to send positive signals to the psyche, along with beneficial physical conditions to the body. The effect is notable within hours, but most patients report the results are instantaneous. These astonishing changes can be seen on brain scans and imaging. And the results are long lasting. During the treatment, the initial infusions usually take place over approximately two weeks with six infusions that are administered every other day. In the maintenance phase of treatment, your doctor will determine how often you need the treatment repeated.
In a report published in JAMA Psychiatry, the APA’s (American Psychiatric Association) task force gave a summary on ketamine therapy and its ability to treat depression. The authors stated, “The rapid onset of robust, transient antidepressant effects associated with ketamine infusions has generated much excitement and hope for patients with refractory mood disorders and the clinicians who treat them. However, it is necessary to recognize the major gaps that remain in our knowledge about the longer-term efficacy and safety of ketamine infusions. Although economic factors make it unlikely that large-scale, pivotal phase 3 clinical trials of racemic ketamine will ever be completed, there are several studies with federal and private foundation funding aiming to address some of these issues.
“It is imperative that clinicians and patients continue to consider enrollment in these studies when contemplating ketamine treatment of a mood disorder. It is only through these standardized clinical trials that we will be able to collect the data necessary to answer some of the crucial questions pertaining to the efficacy and safety of the drug.”
In addition to Dr. Pollack’s success and evident outcomes with his patients that are receiving Ketamine infusions, his practice, PASWFL, utilizes multiple modalities to treat depression, including Genomic Testing, TMS and TBS.
Genomic testing is specific to the Cytochrome p450 gene, which allows Dr. Pollack to offer precise, personalized medicine and treatment options for his patients with depression. TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a noninvasive method to influence brain activity and rework cortical emotionality. TBS or Theta-Burst Stimulation is a dynamic version of TMS, utilizing the same approach with even greater effects on brain activity.
For more information, please visit our website, www.paswfl.com or 888-491-4171. My staff and I are standing by to be of assistance to you.
About Dr. Robert Pollack
Robert W. Pollack, M.D. CEO is a Florida-licensed Board Certified Psychiatrist. He has been in practice since 1977 and has served the public in many capacities.
The American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees, January 1, 2015, has granted him Life Fellow status.
Psychiatric Associates of Southwest Florida (PASWFL) is a private solely owned psychiatric medical practice located in Fort Myers, Florida. Dr. Pollack is currently the CEO of Psychiatric Associates of Southwest Florida and resides in Fort Myers. His practice serves people from ages 18 and up. His current special interests focus on the use of Genomics to aid in the determination of the most efficacious way to utilize psychotropic medications as well as the use of rTMS in the treatment of refractory depressions and other psychiatric illnesses. Ketamine, Theta Burst Stimulations and new and innovative treatments for psychiatric patients.
At PASWFL, appointments are scheduled quickly, within one week of your call. For more information on Ketamine and our practice, please visit our website at www.paswfl.com.
PASWFL
6804 Porto Fino Cir #1, Fort Myers, FL 33912
Office: 239-332-4700 | TMS & Ketamine: 888-491-4171
