Ketamine infusion

[dontundertand]

My doc brought up Ketamine infusion as a possible treatment. Has anyone tried or know someone who has tried Ketamine infusion as a treatment for their chronic pain?

[sorrysara]

yes, thanks for this info.  i am having little success with pain meds lately.  also, have major depression that was managed well until the pain meds stopped being effective.  i've read about ketamine off label use for depression, but not for pain.  would be interested in any more info on a new thread.  thanks.

[Tuckamore]

Hello Badthyroid,

The original poster has been absent from MH since 2010. Your comment is appreciated. We are always interested in "what works." I'm glad to hear this has been a successful treatment for you.

Please next time begin a new thread with any information or question. It will obtain better responses and more visibility.

Thanks.
~Tuck

[badthyroid]

Hello, I dont know if this thread is still active, but I have had the 5 day Ketamine treatment infusions since 2009. I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. The infusions made me go into remission, meaning I have no pain what so ever now . I recommend it. Its not invasive and also its just an IV drip. Where I had mine done you are surrounded by doctors and nurses, they watch over you the entire time. I slept the whole time.

I go every year to have the boosters, ( more Ketamine ).

[mellie4]

My nurse practitioner has mentioned that they've found good benefits with the use of ketamine.  But I'm not sure of all the ways they use it.  I have a compounding cream/gel that the pain clinic had specifically made up for me.  It contains about 7 or more different ingredients/medications, one of which is ketamine.  Before that, they had me using Voltaren gel, which I did get a little relief from.  I find this new compounding cream to be more effective than the Voltaren.

I'd be interested in hearing about anyone using ketamine in any fashion.

[skmedlin27703]

I have never tried it or even known anywhere that it is available but I have read that it works well for chronic pain.... some articles described a 5-day hospital stay for treatment with 10 outpatient treatments to follow up...

[Tuckamore]

Hello and Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am so glad that you found us and posted your question on our forum.

I understand your "dontunderstand" screen-name. Ketamine was or is primarily used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, usually in combination with some sedative drug. If you have ever had surgery you have probably had ketamine. Recently it is developed some popularity in chronic pain patients. No I have not ever had it prescribed for me for my chronic pain.

It's also used in veterinary medicine for several reasons but primarily anesthesia and analgesic for small animals.

The articles I have read that state that it may also be used as an intravenous co-analgesic together with opiates to manage otherwise intractable pain, particularly if this pain is neuropathic (nerve pain).

Your pain must be extreme and not well managed by other opiates. My heart goes out to you. We all understand severe chronic pain but most of us are managed to at least some degree for the majority of time.

If you trust your doctor and beleive him to be skilled that I would certainly follow his suggestions. However that would be after I had researched the benefits, the pros and cons of this procedure. Always make an educated decision. If you have specific questions or concerns address them in detail with your physician. If you are more comfortable with a second opinion I would encourage you to seek one out.

I hope one of our members will have some first hand information to share with you. Please keep us informed. If you have this procedure done please share the results of it with us. We all learn from one another.

We are here to support you or just listen if you need to vent. We have some of the world's best listeners. :)  Take care of yourself and I'll look forward to your updates, with great interest.

Peace to You,
~Tuck