The FDA’s recent approval of a ketamine nasal spray has marked a new chapter in the treatment of depression. It is the first new type of medication approved for depression in decades, and testing has indicated its potential to be revolutionary. At the moment, treatment centers are limited. However, you can already find a number of ketamine clinics in San Francisco today.
Ketamine Clinic San Francisco: Highlights
- Mental illnesses such as depression have physical, in addition to mental, causes
- Antidepressants have long proven useful for treating depression, although they take a while to work and have side effects
- Over the last few years, ketamine has been tested for its potential for immediate antidepressant effects, even for those with treatment-resistant depression
- Ketamine clinics have been operating in spite of federal censure, but in 2019 the FDA approved ketamine-like nasal spray, opening the door for legal treatment at medical centers, the cost of which can be claimed under certain insurance policies
- Now, in progressive cities like San Francisco, ketamine clinics are gaining in popularity, with many long-suffering individuals finally getting the help they need
Where Can I Find a Ketamine Clinic in San Francisco?
Ketamine clinics in San Francisco are growing in popularity and are now easier to find, due to their legal legitimacy. Some ketamine clinics have existed for years, operating prior to ketamine’s FDA approval at the risk to their practitioners licenses. There are also a range of ketamine clinics that have opened up in San Francisco over the past few months.
The most popular and well-known clinics are run by Actify Neurotherapies. Actify has nine locations in addition to its San Francisco center.
New Pathways also runs a number of ketamine clinics in San Francisco, and has already helped many people with treatment-resistant depression.
Why Use a Ketamine Clinic in San Francisco?
You may well be wondering why you would use a ketamine clinic in San Francisco rather than using traditional antidepressants. After all, its use has only recently been legitimised, and many insurance companies still won’t pay for it.
However, there are excellent reasons to use a ketamine clinic, and they have lifesaving potential.
Treatment-Resistant Depression
Depression is one of the most widely reported illnesses throughout the United States and the world. It affects hundreds of millions of people and accounts for many fatalities by suicide. Nonetheless, treatment is still limited, in spite of over a century of modern psychiatry.
While most people respond to traditional antidepressants, along with therapy and alternative treatments, not everyone does. Treatment-resistant depression is well-documented. It is extremely distressing for those suffering, as well as their loved ones.
What complicates matters is that it can take over two weeks for a traditional antidepressant to start working. Therefore, an individual with treatment-resistant depression may spend months trying various medications which just don’t help them.
What Makes Ketamine Different?
Ketamine treatment for depression is different for a number of reasons. For one thing, its effects are felt almost immediately, with patients reporting significant results on the same day as their very first session.
But more importantly, ketamine has worked even for people with treatment-resistant depression, for whom traditional antidepressants have done little or nothing at all.
Furthermore, ketamine treatments are only administered twice to four times a month for a limited period, in comparison to the indefinite daily doses required with traditional antidepressants.
How Effective is Ketamine?
The first major study for ketamine treatment for depression was conducted by scientists at Yale in 2000 and found positive results. Since then, over seventy-five further studies have been conducted. In that time, many people have successfully gotten treatment at ketamine centers in San Francisco and throughout the US, in spite of the fact that it was not yet approved by the FDA.
In 2019, the FDA concluded that there was enough evidence to approve the administering of ketamine for depression.
What Does a Ketamine Clinic Do?
A ketamine clinic administers doses of ketamine to patients with depression, either through intravenous routes or via a ketamine nasal spray. Patients book regular sessions, usually two weeks apart, which provide immediate and significant relief.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Ketamine infusion therapy is administered via intravenous drip. The patient sits with the drip inserted for about forty-five minutes, during which they experience mild anaesthesia, as well as antidepressant effects. Ketamine has dissociative effects, and during the session patients may feel disconnected from everyday life.
Ketamine Nasal Spray (Esketamine)
The treatment approved by the FDA consists of ketamine administered via nasal spray. This spray is not technically ketamine, but a related chemical known as esketamine. This is because ketamine could not be patented by pharmaceutical companies due to its previous use as an anaesthetic. Esketamine, however, has been patented and can be marketed for more of a profit.
Medical Monitoring
Patients can only receive ketamine treatment at a San Francisco clinic, and cannot administer it on their own. They need to be monitored by licensed medical professionals. This monitoring occurs during the sessions themselves, and throughout the period during which the individual is receiving treatment, in the same way a psychiatrist would typically monitor patients taking antidepressants.
What does Ketamine Therapy Feel Like?
During ketamine therapy, patients feel mild anaesthetic effects as well as a sense of dissociation. This refers to a sensation of disconnect from their normal state of being and physical experience. They feel drowsy and relaxed, and may experience anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects during the sessions themselves.
What Else Can Ketamine Help With?
Ketamine can also help with other mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Ketamine and Anxiety
Ketamine has been shown to have anti-anxiety effects, even for those whose anxiety has been treatment-resistant. This includes relief from general anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and panic disorder, as well as particular phobias.
Ketamine and PTSD
Ketamine has also shown promise in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can be tough to treat, and has the potential to cause serious harm when other treatments fail. Ketamine has been used successfully with patients with PTSD, and is available for people suffering from the disorder.
Why Are Ketamine Clinics Growing in Popularity?
Due to its recent FDA approval, ketamine clinics in San Francisco are growing in popularity. People with depression, and in particular treatment-resistant depression, are finding hope in this novel treatment. It is particularly exciting as the first significant antidepressant of an entirely new class in decades.
Ketamine clinics in San Francisco offer tremendous promise. They are becoming more accessible and efficient, and are now attracting more licensed professionals who no longer have to fear losing their licenses. If you’re suffering from treatment-resistant depression, you can find ketamine treatment in San Francisco today.
I am a Bilingual (Spanish) Psychiatrist with a mixture of strong clinical skills including Emergency Psychiatry, Consultation Liaison, Forensic Psychiatry, Telepsychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry training in treatment of the elderly. I have training in EMR records thus very comfortable in working with computers. I served the difficult to treat patients in challenging environments in outpatient and inpatient settings
