Ketamine and its benefits for chronic pain
If you suffer from chronic pain, you are not alone. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for months or even years. Millions of women and men in the United States suffer from chronic pain. Over 26 million individuals in the United States have recurrent back pain.
Ketamine has been used in medicine for almost 50 years, most frequently as an anesthetic during surgery. However, there has recently been renewed interest in Ketamine’s function in chronic pain therapy. As a result, physicians have begun prescribing minor dosages of this medicine to patients with chronic pain syndromes such as complicated regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and fibromyalgia(1).
How does it work for chronic pain?
Ketamine is a sedative that induces sleep and an analgesic that relieves pain. It works by inhibiting a chemical receptor called N-methyl-D-aspartate, or NMDA, in the nervous system and controls pain(2). Simultaneously, it resets many nerve cells in your spine and brain. This relationship makes it more effective for reducing other types of pain than the other medications. However, Ketamine also interacts with additional receptors, allowing for a broader range of therapeutic applications.
With Ketamine, get sound relief from your excruciating chronic pain, migraine headaches, and musculoskeletal fatigues.
Benefits of using Ketamine for chronic pain?
Ketamine mainly benefits two groups of patients with chronic pain: those with little success with other pain drugs or therapies or those scheduled for surgery. Additionally, medical professionals describe Ketamine as a highly effective pain medication for some patients, specifically those who have previously used opioids for pain and found them ineffective.
Different conditions can cause chronic pain, including spinal injury, cancer, fibromyalgia, CRPS, neuropathic pain, postherpetic neuralgia, and phantom pain(3). In all of these diseases, Ketamine has been used to treat pain. Clinical trials, on the other hand, have revealed varying outcomes. Nevertheless, numerous professional organizations, including the “American Society of Regional Anesthesia” and “Pain Medicine” have agreed that the available evidence supports Ketamine’s role in managing pain in these conditions on a weak to moderate basis(4).
Its value in pain therapy is due to its particular effect on a specific group of receptors in the spinal cord. Unfortunately, not all individuals with pain have activated these receptors. As a result, physicians should administer Ketamine cautiously, especially in patients with glaucoma, uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, severe liver illness, uncontrolled psychosis, substance misuse issues, and high intracranial pressure.
It is possible to see an improvement in your pain within a few hours of applying IV ketamine infusion therapy. However, if you notice improvement after the first 1-3 infusions, you are more likely to extend these benefits with subsequent ketamine infusions over several weeks.
Furthermore, the pain sufferer should approach the situation with an open mind. Ketamine treatment is not a panacea; it does not help for all types of pain. It must be appropriately dosed and given to the patients carefully selected by a professional.
References:
- Niesters M, Martini C, Dahan A. Ketamine for chronic pain: risks and benefits. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2014;77(2):357-67.
- WORKS HKJCP. Ketamine/esketamine: Putative mechanisms of action. 2020;19(1):32.
- Blonk MI, Koder BG, van den Bemt PM, Huygen FJJEjop. Use of oral ketamine in chronic pain management: a review. 2010;14(5):466-72.
- Hocking G, Cousins MJJA, Analgesia. Ketamine in chronic pain management: an evidence-based review. 2003;97(6):1730-9.
