Pros and Cons of Ketamine Infusions for OCD

 

OCD is a medical condition in which individuals experience recurrent, undesired, compulsive thoughts and feelings that cause unhealthy desires to perform an action relentlessly. While many individuals face persistent thoughts or do repeated activities, you’re likely to get diagnosed with this condition if it makes living your daily life a hassle.

People suffering from OCD frequently overlook their obsessions and don’t consider them excessive but are still unable to shift their attention away from them or control these urges. Conventional OCD treatment involves oral antidepressant medications and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Unfortunately a lot of these OCD medications have unintended consequences.

Pros

As previously stated, OCD is commonly treated with a mix of therapy and antidepressant medications. These medications aren’t originally approved to treat OCD symptoms particularly, yet they have been shown to help people. Only around one third of people diagnosed with OCD show some benefits and these benefits usually take 2-3 months to manifest.

Ketamine has something better to offer. It provides immediate symptom alleviation to OCD sufferers. Obsessions can be relieved within 15 minutes of receiving ketamine infusion and can be completely gone within half an hour so. Obsessions begin to return 45–60 minutes after the infusion, but they don’t return to their baseline until the 7^th day after the session. The effects of a single ketamine therapy stayed for two weeks in one study. This is a big benefit for people who have been dealing with OCD since it provides a more rapid and effective way to manage the symptoms.

Cons

Although ketamine is showing more and more potential in treatment of mental health illness, It is still not FDA approved for these indications. Most insurances do not provide coverage for it. Some Patients can feel light headed after the infusion but it is known effect of intravenous ketamine. Patients are not recommended to drive home or make important decisions for 24 hours afterwards.

Now that you have weighed out your pros and cons, it’s time to decide if you want to opt for OCD ketamine treatment. If your answer is yes, then Ketamine Wellness Medical Practice is your savior. They also offer ketamine infusions for PTSD, intravenous ketamine infusions for depression, and ketamine treatment for migraines in NY. Schedule a free consultation with them to learn more!