Chronic pain affects 1 in 3 Americans, yet many find little relief with traditional treatments. Ketamine offers a safe, fast-acting alternative resetting pain pathways without the risks of opioids.
Ketamine for Chronic Pain Conditions
Ketamine, first synthesized in 1962 and FDA-approved in 1970, is a dissociative anesthetic and analgosedative, meaning it provides both pain relief and sedation.
While traditionally used by anesthesiologists, ketamine’s role in treating chronic pain has expanded in recent years, particularly as a response to the opioid epidemic.
According to the Institute of Medicine, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. are affected by chronic pain, underscoring the need for effective alternatives to opioid therapy.
How Does Ketamine Relieve Pain?
Pain is a complex experience that involves both physical and psychological components. Chronic pain often leads to central sensitization, where pain signals are amplified in the spinal cord.
Ketamine works by blocking NMDA receptors, which helps prevent the amplification of these pain signals, effectively resetting the pain pathways in the brain and providing relief.
Ketamine presents a low addiction potential when compared to opioids, even more so when administered in a controlled environment with guidance from healthcare professionals
Ketamine for Chronic Pain Conditions
Ketamine, first synthesized in 1962 and FDA-approved in 1970, is a dissociative anesthetic and analgosedative, meaning it provides both pain relief and sedation. While traditionally used by anesthesiologists, ketamine’s role in treating chronic pain has expanded in recent years, particularly as a response to the opioid epidemic.
According to the Institute of Medicine, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. are affected by chronic pain, underscoring the need for effective alternatives to opioid therapy.
How Does Ketamine Relieve Pain?
Pain is a complex experience that involves both physical and psychological components. Chronic pain often leads to central sensitization, where pain signals are amplified in the spinal cord. Ketamine works by blocking NMDA receptors, which helps prevent the amplification of these pain signals, effectively resetting the pain pathways in the brain and providing relief.
Ketamine presents a low addiction potential when compared to opioids, even more so when administered in a controlled environment with guidance from healthcare professionals
Ketamine:
A Safe, Effective Alternative
With proper oversight, ketamine can be a transformative treatment for select patients struggling with chronic pain. It offers a patient-centered approach to pain relief, improving quality of life without the risk of opioid dependence.
Interested in learning more?
Ketamine:
A Safe, Effective Alternative
With proper oversight, ketamine can be a transformative treatment for select patients struggling with chronic pain. It offers a patient-centered approach to pain relief, improving quality of life without the risk of opioid dependence.
Interested in learning more?
Ketamine Works by blocking NMDA receptors
For Chronic Pain
Interrupt pain signals in the central nervous system.
Reduces central sensitization, a key driver of chronic pain, by calming overactive nerve responses.
Delivers rapid pain relief with low addiction risk, offering a safer alternative to opioids.
Ketamine Works by blocking NMDA receptors
For Chronic Pain
Interrupt pain signals in the central nervous system.
Reduces central sensitization, a key driver of chronic pain, by calming overactive nerve responses.
Delivers rapid pain relief with low addiction risk, offering a safer alternative to opioids.
Our Core Services
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
- Ketamine infusion therapy involves the administration of ketamine in a controlled medical setting.
- We use a tailored approach to treatment depending on your condition and medical history. See FAQs or contact us for more information
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
- Combining ketamine treatment with psychotherapy has the potential to significantly enhance its benefits for mental health and chronic pain conditions compared to ketamine alone.
Why Choose Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Compared to other routes of ketamine administration, IV ketamine therapy offers fast-acting relief, with the added benefit of predictable, controlled delivery and the ability to adjust dosing rapidly and easily.
IV Infusion
Maximum bioavailability for full therapeutic effect.
Intramuscular Injection
While rapidly absorbed with high bioavailability, can result in a more intense, less gradual experience, making precise dosing more challenging.
Nasal Spray (Spravato)®
Only about 50% bioavailability, leading to less predictable effects.
REFERENCES
Orhurhu V, Orhurhu MS, Bhatia A, Cohen SP. Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Anesth Analg. 2019 Jul;129(1):241-254. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004185. PMID: 31082965. Noppers, I., Niesters, M., Aarts, L., Smith, T., Sarton, E., & Dahan, A. (2011). Ketamine for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain. Pain, 152(3), 566–575. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21482474/
Jackson, K., Ashby, M. A., Martin, P., Murphy, D., & Clark, R. J. (2020). Efficacy and safety of ketamine in cancer pain: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Pain Medicine, 14(10), 1505–1513. https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/14/10/1505/1833346
Bell, R. F., Eccleston, C., Kalso, E. A., & Carr, D. B. (2013). Ketamine for neuropathic pain: A systematic review. The Journal of Pain, 14(9), 864–874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2013.06.002
American Society of Regional Anesthesia. (2022, July 29). Ketamine infusion therapy and its role in chronic pain. ASRA Newsletter. https://asra.com/news-publications/asra-newsletter/newsletter-item/asra-news/2022/07/29/ketamine-infusion-therapy-and-its-role-in-chronic-pain
Campbell R, Lobo MK. A short burst of reward curbs the addictiveness of ketamine. Nature. 2022 Aug;608(7922):271-272. doi: 10.1038/d41586-022-01948-w. PMID: 35896660; PMCID: PMC10342185.