CT Psychiatrist Refines Ketamine Treatment for Depression to Increase Remission Rate
On the shore of Long Island Sound, half way between Guilford and Clinton, lies the old and beautiful town of Madison CT. First settled in 1641, it known throughout the 1700’s as East Guilford. However, in 1826 they incorporated this community with the name Madison. It was named after James Madison who served as the 4th President of the fledging United States. To enjoy this area so full of historical landmarks and breathtaking scenery requires those who have the power to enjoy. But in this town of 18,000 residents, hundreds, likely thousands, lost that power due to severe depression, PTSD, social anxiety, and substance abuse. Keep reading and you’ll learn how ketamine treatment near Madison CT provides rapid and robust relief from the symptoms of these disorders.
The beautiful beaches along Long Island sound beckon families, lovers, and singles for activities in the sun.
Treatment is necessary for those who aren’t comfortable in public places and who suffer from disorders that drain their energy, their confidence, and their peace, Nearby psychiatrists prescribe much needed medications to ease these symptoms. Still, 30-40% of these struggling patients experience no relief.
These are the ones referred to as “treatment-resistant.” But that label is a misnomer. These people aren’t resisting treatment, they’re receiving the wrong treatment. Their treatment is failing them.
Treatment Resistance Needs Ketamine Treatment near Madison CT
This especially afflicted group requires a special treatment to lift the symptoms so these people can pursue happiness and a rewarding life.
A relatively new and novel treatment developed using ketamine, an FDA-approved anesthesia medicine. When a psychiatrist administers ketamine off label., it can slash PTSD, lift severe depression, and erase suicidal thinking.
With a 50 year history of safety, around the dawn of the 21st century, researchers began to find it was remarkably effective for depression. Fast forward to 2015, and more and more doctors were beginning to use IV ketamine to treat depression. The amazing thing they found was that these ketamine infusions could not only relieve the symptoms of depression, but that in some cases, the patients achieved remission.
Because of the work of neuroscience researchers and psychiatrists, word spread that ketamine infusions, if administered in single doses, only gave this robust relief for days or weeks. But they found if they clustered several infusions together over a couple weeks, it overcame that short benefit life. Then they experienced benefits for several months — or even longer.
Researchers continue their work and are discovering several ways IV ketamine treatment works in the structures and systems of the brain.
For instance, there are lipid rafts in the cell membranes, and G proteins stack up on those rafts in depression, and don’t do their job. What’s their job? To enhance the transmission of signals along the pathways between synapse connections. Serotonin can help get those G’s off those lipid rafts but it can take months. However, IV ketamine gets them moving in hours or days. So the relief is fast. Really fast.
BDNF – The Secret to Building Synapses Density
IV ketamine also turns on mRNA which in turn switches DNA to “ON”. Ok…so what does that DNA do? It opens up the firehose of BDNA -brain derived neurotrophic factor — which works like a rich compost and turbo boosts the rapid growth and proliferation of synapse dendrites and dendritic spines to build a dense network of neuron connections.
The result is a waking up of sorts…signals begin to travel around the brain at light speed, spurring creative thought, energy to invest in challenges and relationships, motivation to accomplish…and hope.
A further step involves tamping down cell bursting in the lateral habenula, so you can only again enjoy. You can enjoy the fragrance of a rose or the aroma of coffee brewing in the morning, or the amazing scenery of the Grand Canyon.
It moves your brain processing of stimuli from “flat” to “stupendous!!”
But why is it that in the early 2000’s the percentage of treatment resistant patients helped by IV ketamine treatment was only 40%…then 65%…? Then as the years passed it was still fairly low? What was preventing the others from benefitting?
Ketamine Treatment near Madison CT Expertly Titrated to Improve Remission Rate
An astute psychiatrist who offers ketamine treatment sought answers to that question and others.
She found that by titrating the dose, the rate, and the length of time during each infusion, she could find the individual sweet spot for each patient. (The standard dose of 0.5mg/kg over 40 minutes x 6 infusions is the standard among most “ketamine clinics”).
So she increased the dose by tiny increments until she saw the response in a given patient that might support remission. She did the same with length of infusion and with the number of infusions.
She found the right dose for one individual at 0.95 mg/kg, and the length he needed 50 minutes…and she might decide he needed an extra 2 infusions to achieve remission. Then the right dose for another individual was something different. Eureka!
Remission is the goal she strives for.
Over the years, she found that the treatment resistant patients she treated were responding dramatically, and she continues to develop her methods to help the percentage of response and remission rise.
Her name is Lori Calabrese, M.D., at Innovative Psychiatry in South Windsor CT. Dr Calabrese was educated at Wellesley and Harvard and trained at Johns Hopkins. Her specialty since her training has been to find effective treatments that relieve the severe and unrelenting symptoms that cause her patients so much suffering.
She has also published research of her own demonstrating how IV ketamine can stop suicidal thoughts — which can help patients avoid a trip to the ER or having to be psychiatrically hospitalized. Her work is published in a open-access peer reviewed journal and has been lauded by her peers.
For more information about ketamine treatment at Innovative Psychiatry with Dr. Calabrese call 860-640-9755 or reach out to us and send us an email.