Ketamine Anyone tried or had it done?

One of my Pain doctors has suggested I have a Ketamine infusion.

read negative things about it. It is a drug for horses so I am told and have read.

Anyone ever had it done?

Thanks
Phil

Hi Phillip,

I am the member that Susie mentioned who receives ketamine infusions for CRPS. I've been doing it now for 2 yrs, and it has literally been life changing for me. I was essentially non-functional before I started the infusions due to the severity of my pain and other systemic symptoms from the CRPS. Ketamine gave me my life back. I go for 3 days of infusions every 2 - 3 months, and it controls my symptoms pretty well. I was able to get off of all opioids, and now only take low dose naltrexone and intranasal ketamine for breakthrough pain in between infusions.

The infusions don't work for everyone or every kind of pain (CRPS is one of the things that it does tend to work well for, but it still doesn't work for all of us), and I would certainly NOT recommend them as a first line treatment (for me it was a last resort). I won't lie, they are not fun. It is 3 days of hell, with another 2-3 days of recovery afterwards. But it is worth it if it helps. Insurance coverage can also be an issue, and so the out of pocket cost can also be extensive. If you think you might be interested in pursuing ketamine infusions, it is very important to seek out an experienced doctor. Dosages and protocols have to be adjusted to each individual patient, and I would NOT recommend going to one of the commercialized "ketamine clinics" that will treat anyone and everyone who walks through the door and is willing to pay the money, and uses one blanket protocol for everyone.

Besides being a ketamine patient, I also happen to be a veterinarian. Yes, we use ketamine extensively in veterinary medicine as an anesthetic agent in horses (and many other species, as well). However, it is not a veterinary specific drug. It has also been used in human medicine for anesthesia induction over 50 years (although it is used less frequently these days), and is a very safe medication when used properly. You also have to realize that in the US, ketamine infusions are administered only as low dose infusions. You only receive a fraction of the dose that would be required for anesthesia induction, and it is administered over a long period of time (usually several hours to several days, depending on the protocol). They also use supplemental medications during the infusions to control/prevent any unfavorable side effects (which is why it is also important to go with an experienced doc). I won't say that I have no side effects, but I have never had a hallucination or dysphoric episode during a low dose ketamine infusion (which is what most people are afraid of). The infusions just make me sleepy and feel very "out of it/drugged" and they also temporarily mess with my vision and cause vertigo and sometimes nausea. But nothing more. And some people have even less side effects than I do. I usually listen to music & sleep through the majority of it -- which is typical of most ketamine patients I know.

Anyways, hope this was helpful & I hope you find some relief!

Skeye

Post Edited (skeye) : 8/22/2017 10:46:36 AM (GMT-6)

Alice:
I meant for this post to reply to the thread "Another insurance company limits pain medications to 7 days . . . ". Please read this post in context to the discussion on that thread . . . this post has no bearing on the topic of ketamine infusions.

My apologies for the confusion.

The Pain News Network e-bulletin had an article on this subject in the last edition that I received about 2 weeks ago.

I do not have the article in front of me to reference . . .

But the gist of the article was that any new or acute prescription for a short acting (instant release) narcotic/opiate would be limited in quantity to 7 days at the prescribed dose.

The new regulation applies to new narcotic prescriptions for an acute health issue.

Hypothetical example: A person goes to an urgent care clinic with a strained back. The physician decides it is appropriate to prescribe Norco, 5/325 mg 2 x a day. The urgent care clinic can prescribe no more than a 7 day supply quantity of the Norco, 14 tablets in tris example.

The rationale for the new regulation is to rein in on one aspect of prescribing that has contributed to the opiate crisis - specifically,
cases where people were prescribed ridiculously high numbers of pills/tablets for minor injuries or care. Ex. A person who is prescribed 90 tablets of Vicodin after extraction of 2 wisdom teeth.

The new regulation is aiming to rein in on acute narcotic prescriptions of excessive quantity where there are then extra/unused pills that may then sit in the bathroom cabinet and at a later date and time are then diverted by a different family member or house guest/visitor who may take one pill. . . and then another or who may sell the unused pills illicitly for cash.

The new regulation is aimed to curb illegitimate and diverted use of extra and unused instant release narcotic/opiate pills/tablets.

The new regulation does not apply to long-acting/time released opiates.

The new regulation does not apply to chronic and/or long-term and ongoing pain patients. It applies to cases where the physician is writing a script for an acute health need, a scenario which calls for a single prescription of an instant release/short-acting opiate. It limits the quantity to not exceed a 7 day supply at the dose/frequency prescribed.

I hope that this helps clarify what I know,
Karen