Thanks to a newfound understanding of how ketamine affects the brain, researchers are making major strides in developing successful means of helping patients struggling with treatment -resistant depression and other debilitating psychiatric disorders. The FDA has now awarded two pharmaceutical companies with breakthrough status for new drug development, with both proposed treatments being based on the way ketamine works in the brain. Thanks to this new insight—for the first time in decades—new antidepressants are on the horizon. In the forefront of these fast-tracked developments are new medications from Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Allergan.
Esketamine is an intranasal drug being researched and developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals—it is an isomer of ketamine. The drug has passed all three phases of clinical trials and FDA approval is currently pending. FDA approval would mean that insurance companies would cover the medication, enabling millions more Americans to treat their depression. This would be a major step forward in depression treatment, despite the fact that some find intranasal treatment to be a less effective means of administering the drug.
Allergan is another company involved in the cutting edge development of a ketamine-based drug to treat depression. The drug, Rapastinel, has successfully completed phases I & II of clinical trials, and will be going into phase III clinical trials next year. While Rapastinel is not chemically associated with ketamine, it has a similar effect on the brain—reforming damaged neural connections.
Read More About These Game-Changing Depression Treatments
For the time being, ketamine delivered by way of IV infusions is still the gold standard for depression when it is resistant to other more conventional treatments. While some patients experience mildly uncomfortable sensory side effects such as disassociation during treatment, most side effects are mild and transient as symptoms tend to wear off within 2 hours of the infusion. Those suffering from serious depression generally report that the rapid reduction in depressive symptoms is oftentimes worth the mild transient side effects. Another advantage to ketamine infusions is that there is little to no risk of abuse when administered in a controlled setting such as a ketamine clinic. Our ketamine is not given out as a prescription, which additionally reduces the risk of abuse and completely eliminates the possibility that the drug could make its way into the wrong hands.
Contact RestoratIV Wellness
RestoratIV Wellness provides ketamine infusions for the treatment of depression and chronic pain. We serve patients in southern New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia Area, alleviating depressive symptoms rapidly and effectively. If you or a loved one are suffering from depression and feel you have no options, ketamine is a safe and effective depression treatment that works when other treatment methods fail. Take advantage of our offer for a free consultation and learn more about ketamine infusions for depression and how they could change, or save, your life.