Around 39 million individuals in America suffer from migraines. Migraines can cause debilitating pain that can bring your life to a screeching halt. This discomfort can severely affect your social life, work and sleep. Migraines can last a few hours to several days, significantly interrupting your daily work. If you are struggling with Charlotte migraines resistant to other medications, consider ketamine infusion therapy. According to research studies, ketamine can offer some relief to patients with ineffective medications. Read on for more details about using ketamine for migraines.
What Is a Migraine?
A migraine refers to an intense headache that causes severe throbbing and pain. This type of headache often affects one side of the head. While there is no actual cause for migraines, genetics play a significant role in several risk factors. Additionally, women have a higher probability than men of experiencing migraines due to hormonal changes. Smoking and high-stress levels also play a big role. Vomiting, nausea, light sensitivity, fatigue, or facial pain are the common symptoms of migraines. Any of the symptoms can leave you feeling helpless and frustrated.
How Does Ketamine Treat Migraine
Ketamine is FDA-approved and commonly used as an anesthetic drug for its soothing effects on the nervous system. It has also been used in treating signs of depression and other painful chronic conditions, including migraines. To relieve migraines, ketamine blocks neurotransmitters from reaching the n-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDA receptors). These receptors are situated throughout your brain and spinal cord and play a significant role in the development of pain. Because the neurotransmitters cannot bind, the pain signal cannot be sent, and you feel substantially reduced pain severity. Other than reducing pain, ketamine also decreases your inflammation signals and is non-addictive in low doses.
Who Is the Right Candidate for Ketamine Therapy?
Ketamine infusion therapy as a migraine treatment involves the administration of low ketamine doses through a constant and slow intravenous drip. However, you probably wonder whether you are the right candidate for ketamine infusion. The best candidate for the treatment is one who is experiencing pain that other treatment options have proven ineffective in relieving it. Also, if you have heart disease, uncontrolled thyroid disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, bipolar disorder, or active substance abuse, ketamine treatment might not be right for you.
Does Ketamine Therapy Have Side Effects?
You probably wonder about the side effects of ketamine. Like other drugs, there is always a risk of experiencing one or more side effects from ketamine. After getting ketamine infusion, you might experience side effects such as nausea, drowsiness, hallucinations, agitation, amnesia, or slurred speech. The ketamine dose for treating migraines is, however, small, and not everybody experiences the negative effects. However, it is essential to be aware of the possible side effects of any drug administered.
Ultimately, don’t struggle with migraines when ketamine offers a perfect treatment. Ketamine has been proven to relieve even your worst migraines effectively. Because ketamine blocks your pain signals, it can be a fast and effective treatment for people who have not found an effective treatment for migraines. Also, ketamine therapies can help patients with anxiety, depression, PTSD, fibromyalgia, and more.
