Postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women and can last for months if not treated. The symptoms of pervasive depressed mood, feelings of inadequacy and being overwhelmed are often accompanied by anxiety, irritability, inability to sleep despite exhaustion, inconsistent appetite, and intense isolation and guilt about experiencing these symptoms during what should be a joyful time. Some women have thoughts of harming themselves or intrusive thoughts of intentionally or unintentionally harming the baby.

Treatment for postpartum depression includes support for the mother and baby, omega 3 fatty acids, bright light therapy, and acupuncture. Data on the effectiveness of these is limited, but some women have found them helpful. Multiple studies have found that postpartum depression responds to psychotherapy and to traditional antidepressant medications. However, psychotherapy can take weeks or months to help ease symptoms; antidepressants often take weeks to work and are transmitted to the baby if the mom is breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding mothers with postpartum depression often agonize about whether or not to use antidepressants to treat their symptoms because they often don’t want to expose the baby to medication and don’t want to stop nursing in order to take a daily medication.  Yet they need rapid and effective relief–for their own health and the health and development of their babies. Multiple studies show that untreated postpartum depression affects mother-baby interactions and are associated with lower cognitive functioning and adverse emotional development in the baby. In these instances, IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression can help.

Explore IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression Safely and Affordably

If you have postpartum depression or know someone who does, IV ketamine can treat it within hours without requiring that you stop breastfeeding.

IV ketamine is an extremely rapid, effective treatment for depression and 75-80% of patients respond quickly and dramatically to very low dose IV infusions. Although more research needs to be done, this makes IV ketamine therapy an exciting treatment option for postpartum depression, where getting better quickly is what every mom hopes for, and where restoring the health of the mother positively impacts the whole family.  Mood, negativity, hopelessness, anxiety and distractibility can improve within hours, and hopelessness and suicidal thoughts can evaporate. A series of low dose infusions over about 2 weeks can result in dramatic and complete remission of symptoms.

Most women experience a mild floating feeling during the 45 minute infusion and lightheadedness, which clears within about 10 minutes.  Although other side effects are possible, they are rare, and have not occurred in our postpartum patients. We are careful to discuss and review these in depth with our patients, as well as the breadth of research that supports the use of IV ketamine in the treatment of depression.

We Prioritize IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression with Flexible Scheduling

We offer IV ketamine infusions, called IV Ketamine Therapy, for depression and for postpartum depression, and we make it a priority to see postpartum moms.  We offer flexible scheduling in the late afternoon and evenings so that a breastfeeding mom can come in for her treatment and resume breastfeeding when the medication has cleared from her system so that her baby is not exposed to it.  We carefully calculate the time that it takes for ketamine to clear and work with our patients to plan breastfeeding or pumping around their treatments.

This is dramatic and life-changing for new moms and their families and can be easily added to support, non-pharmacologic approaches and psychotherapy for the most robust and sustained result.

If you or a loved one would like to learn more about IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression, please reach out to our office. We are here to help restore you back to your best self.

To getting you back to your best self,
Lori Calabrese, MD