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Ketamine


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I'm sorry we've frightened you away from pills, I used Prozac after two family losses in a short amount of time and found it very helpful.  I don't suffer with chronic depression but wanted to let you know that short term, at least for me was successful.

Pamster was it hard to get off the Prozac? What dose were you on? I’m just asking because my psych wants to put me on it to go off the Welbutrin and Remeron

Joeb

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I'm sorry we've frightened you away from pills, I used Prozac after two family losses in a short amount of time and found it very helpful.  I don't suffer with chronic depression but wanted to let you know that short term, at least for me was successful.

Pamster was it hard to get off the Prozac? What dose were you on? I’m just asking because my psych wants to put me on it to go off the Welbutrin and Remeron

Joeb

 

Hi Joeb,

 

With me, its always a different story.  Yes, I was on Prozac, I believe it was 20 mgs but the problem was I stayed on it for far longer than I needed to.  I convinced myself I needed it because my mother was schizophrenic and said it was my insurance against the illness, no, it was laziness on my part.  Over the years I was switched to Lexepro ( I don't remember why) and continued on that until 14 months after my cold turkey from Klonopin.  One night I quit both Ambien and Lexepro cold turkey and shortly after that I declared myself fully healed from my Klonopin cold turkey.

 

I wasn't aware of any withdrawal symptoms from either the Ambien or the Lexepro, all I knew was that I felt wonderful, I was finally free of the horrible symptoms I'd been dealing with for 14 months.

 

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, as I said, the way I've done things is not recommended but for me it worked.  Please don't follow in my footsteps, I've been extremely lucky.

 

Pamster

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  • 3 months later...
I tried it several yrs ago. Was an interesting trip but didn't do anything to lift the depression. Lasted about 45 min then after about an hour I felt drained and sort of flu like symptoms. But everybody's different. Was very expensive, don't think any insurance covers it at this point.
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  • 1 month later...

I have used it and I think it's amazing. Very effective. Best of all, no side effects.

 

Did you use IV ketamine before you were off all of those medications or during tapering? I’m still on gabapentin that I want to get off of and lamictal. Wondering if I need to wait until I’m off everything to try.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have used it and I think it's amazing. Very effective. Best of all, no side effects.

 

Did you start infusions after tapering off all meds?

 

No I started getting infusions while still on meds. I was on 8 total medications at the start of infusions. I had such an amazing uplift in depression symptoms that I used the treatments to bolster me as I tapered off the medications. I had a psychiatrist supervising and prescribing me lower doses of medications for the taper, and admittedly he had never done it before and really didn't know what he was doing regarding tapering.

 

However, I used the ketamine to get me through getting off the 7 medications but I left the benzo for last. I rapid tapered the benzo and went through complete and utter hell and cognitive impairment and the ketamine was no longer useful during that stage. My neurotransmitters were so damaged that they couldn't receive the ketamine and do what they do.

 

As the years have progressed, I am finding ketamine useful again.

I hope that helps.

 

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  • 2 months later...
Yes, it takes the edge of depression but a lot of my sadness from the grief of losing my sense of self when I withdrew from valium. When the last of the valium left my body, that's when the memory loss, cognitive issues, extreme apathy and DP/DR set in. 
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I emailed local ketamine clinic and they charge $400 non refundable consultation,  and each treatment is $1400

 

I’m going to use 2 gels of dxm instead as they’re similar in effects if I’m correct.  I use to wake up feeling in very good mood.  So take it at night,  apparently is good for deep sleeping too from what I’ve read.

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I emailed local ketamine clinic and they charge $400 non refundable consultation,  and each treatment is $1400

 

I’m going to use 2 gels of dxm instead as they’re similar in effects if I’m correct.  I use to wake up feeling in very good mood.  So take it at night,  apparently is good for deep sleeping too from what I’ve read.

 

Wow, that's very ridiculously expensive, I don't blame you for going another route. My current ketamine clinic offers hour-long sessions for $450 USD, but longer sessions cost more. May I ask what 2 gels of DXM are? (Forgive me if you previously mentioned it).

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Yes, it takes the edge of depression but a lot of my sadness from the grief of losing my sense of self when I withdrew from valium. When the last of the valium left my body, that's when the memory loss, cognitive issues, extreme apathy and DP/DR set in.

 

Oztiger, may I ask how bad your memory loss, cognitive issues, and DP/DR is?

My rapid taper off clonazepam gave me all those symptoms and more. Totally relate.

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I emailed local ketamine clinic and they charge $400 non refundable consultation,  and each treatment is $1400

 

I’m going to use 2 gels of dxm instead as they’re similar in effects if I’m correct.  I use to wake up feeling in very good mood.  So take it at night,  apparently is good for deep sleeping too from what I’ve read.

 

Wow, that's very ridiculously expensive, I don't blame you for going another route. My current ketamine clinic offers hour-long sessions for $450 USD, but longer sessions cost more. May I ask what 2 gels of DXM are? (Forgive me if you previously mentioned it).

 

 

It’s robitutssin cough gels with dextromethorphan

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  • 3 weeks later...

Can anyone try this? I am dealing with OCD and a existential crisis and saw some horror stories on a subreddit. I am afraid of it exacerbating obsessions and the existential crisis.

 

Also, can't ketamine desensitize glutamate receptors in the long term?

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  • 4 weeks later...

I believe that having OCD and existential rumination is just a factor of the dysregulated nervous system. Your glutamate is still uneven and these thoughts are what happens. It is best to avoid stressful triggers such as subreddit for awhile until you start feeling more stable. I understand these ruminatiosn quite well, and dealt with it for years. There was even a thread on BB about it.

 

I am not aware that ketamine desensitizes glutamate receptors over the long term. I know it affects the receptors, but that these receptors reset themselves a few hours after interaction with ketamine. However, I can't find anything about long-term desensitization, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just that I can't find anything out currently. Maybe someone else knows?

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At first, they usually space you a month between treatments and they can cost about $375-600 depending on the clinic. I pay $400 per treatment and I go months now between treatments...like only when I really need it (ego 6 months or more between now). Some clinics offer discounts or help. Also they offer financing. It is not a cheap endeavor by any means...but for those of us that it helps, it has been worth it.

 

At the beginning, the clinic usually wants to do "stabilizing" treatments which include about 4 infusions scheduled a day apart to boost your mood up, and then see you a few weeks after to keep you lifted. After that, they recommend to come once a month to keep the your mods lifted but also to keep their revenue flowing because they are mostly an all-cash business. They may tell you this is the best for you, and give you the hard sell, but it really is up to you to come when you feel like it. I started doing the treatments in 2014 and I credit them with saving my life. It allowed me a new way of dealing with depression because the drugs weren't working....I didn't know anything then. I didn't know how to get off the drugs properly, but the ketamine helped through the tough stuff.

Hi

Did you mean that the ketamine helped your wd from tapering off the ADs you were on?

Joeb

 

Yes, absolutely. Ketamine helped me get off the anti-depressants. It lifted my depression, like the opening of a dark veil. It allowed me to see another way to treat my depression... and once the dark veil was lifted I knew I had to do everything different. Get off the drugs and try to live as holistically as possible. However, my rapid taper off the benzodiazepine (the last drug I tapered) was so quick, horrific and damaging that when I got a ketamine treatment (during benzo withdrawal) I felt nothing. It didn't work for me then due to the significant brain injury I sustained from benzo withdrawal. But now that I am more years out in the recovery from benzo withdrawal, it is helpful again, but its not quite the same as before benzo withdrawal. I don't know if I'm making any sense, but man, the benzo withdrawal really screwed everything up.

 

Did the Ketamine help you get off benzos?  My understanding that is too - like many psychedelics causes a glutamate rush.  Does it feel like that for you?

 

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No, the ketamine didn't help me get off benzos. It helped me fight depression as I was going off AD's and mood stabiizers but my Glutamate receptors were so damaged from my rapid withdrawal off clonzepam that ketamine did nothing for a long time, until my neurotransmitters started to heal...whcih has taken years. I am now well over 5 years off Clonazepam and found ketamine useful again.

 

I didn't really feel a glutamate rush to the best of my knowledge. When I was going through acute withdrawal and onward, I felt glutamate rushes 24/7 and it was horrendous. Ketamine didn't increase my anxiety... it had a dissociative and analgesic effect but not anxious.

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No, the ketamine didn't help me get off benzos. It helped me fight depression as I was going off AD's and mood stabiizers but my Glutamate receptors were so damaged from my rapid withdrawal off clonzepam that ketamine did nothing for a long time, until my neurotransmitters started to heal...whcih has taken years. I am now well over 5 years off Clonazepam and found ketamine useful again.

 

I didn't really feel a glutamate rush to the best of my knowledge. When I was going through acute withdrawal and onward, I felt glutamate rushes 24/7 and it was horrendous. Ketamine didn't increase my anxiety... it had a dissociative and analgesic effect but not anxious.

 

thanks for the reply TT.

I'm glad you're finding it useful again. I have heard anecdotal and also from the number of Ketamine clinics that are popping up that it can very useful for depression.

We all search for that magic bullet during w/d -- or maybe I'm just speaking for myself  :thumbsup:;)

SS

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No, the ketamine didn't help me get off benzos. It helped me fight depression as I was going off AD's and mood stabiizers but my Glutamate receptors were so damaged from my rapid withdrawal off clonzepam that ketamine did nothing for a long time, until my neurotransmitters started to heal...whcih has taken years. I am now well over 5 years off Clonazepam and found ketamine useful again.

 

I didn't really feel a glutamate rush to the best of my knowledge. When I was going through acute withdrawal and onward, I felt glutamate rushes 24/7 and it was horrendous. Ketamine didn't increase my anxiety... it had a dissociative and analgesic effect but not anxious.

 

thanks for the reply TT.

I'm glad you're finding it useful again. I have heard anecdotal and also from the number of Ketamine clinics that are popping up that it can very useful for depression.

We all search for that magic bullet during w/d -- or maybe I'm just speaking for myself  :thumbsup:;)

SS

 

My pleasure! There are many ketamine clinics popping up all over the place now, that's for sure. I have heard it is 80% percent effective in patients, and compare that to anti-depressants effectiveness and we can understand why ketamine is appealing. Plus, there are no side effects and you can use it as you wish. Esketamine is the nasal spray and I believe that is a daily thing, but infusions are on an as-needed basis. That's what I do and find it helpful. All the best to you!

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