Ketamine for PTSD in Chevy Chase, Maryland 

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These days, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) has become synonymous with soldiers—and it is unfair. Here, the brave men and women of our United States Armed Forces courageously give their life to service, only to find that they also gave something else away—their happiness and well-being. Certainly, PTSD affects more than soldiers returning home from war. PTSD does not discriminate and anyone who has suffered a traumatic experience is susceptible.

Currently, there are specialized groups focused on creating awareness about PSTD, and sadly, military veterans both comprise a large number of our nations PTSD sufferers, and historically have not been able to get the help they need. This effort, while beneficial in creating awareness, has also led to a societal correlation between soldiers and PTSD.  The reality is that our society has failed in adequately supporting our US Military Officers returning home from war, and we have failed by perpetuating the stigmas surrounding mental health illness. It is not fair and we want you to know that you are not alone. You deserve to be open about how you feel and you deserve to be able to seek adequate treatment for your illness.

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PTSD does not Discriminate

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PTSD is an illness that anyone can develop after experiencing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. You have probably already learned that the response to a traumatic situation has to with your body’s “fight-or-flight” response. This response is simply your body’s way of defending you against danger and it is natural. Most of the time, you can recover from a traumatic situation with time and perhaps even with counseling. Where PTSD really takes hold is when a person repeatedly experiences shocking, scary, or dangerous events where adrenaline is high and “fight-or-flight” mode is on all the time. This prolonged exposure is believed to alter the mind and body’s ability to respond normally to day-to-day situations. Repeated exposure to trauma leads sufferers to re-experience the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event as well as flashbacks, and nightmares to the point that it feels normal. Sufferers also experience emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma as well as increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.

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Soldiers in war are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity events for months and even years at a time. But they are not the only people susceptible to PTSD. Other common sufferers include sexual abuse and domestic violence victims, healthcare workers, spouses and family of military veterans, accident victims, and more.

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Signs and Symptoms

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The signs and symptoms of PTSD can reveal themselves in many ways, however, there are several key indicators that sufferers experience some combination of to include:

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• Bad dreams

• Being easily startled

• Distorted feelings like guilt or blame

• Feeling tense or “on edge”

• Frightening thoughts

• Having angry outbursts

• Having difficulty sleeping

• Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
   

Seeking Treatment is the Right Thing to Do

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Men in particularly have a difficult time acknowledging and accepting their illness. Due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, PTSD stings the pride because mental illness is perceived as weakness. But the truth is, it takes courage to seek treatment. It takes even more courage to be okay with what others might think. Even more so, it takes courage to be okay with yourself and admit you need help. It is no different than an alcoholic who seeks treatment and becomes empowered enough to admit to others that they are an alcoholic. That takes courage. When enough people come together through courage, change happens. Mindsets change. Stigmas change.

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Ketamine for the Treatment of PTSD in Chevy Chase

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There is a report we really like that follows up on previous ketamine research. The article, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry titled “Ketamine for PTSD: Well, Isn’t That Special” (clever name, eh?) is a follow up report on an important trial of repeated intravenous ketamine administration for patients with PTSD. The initial study covered a single-dose ketamine for PTSD (11) and made a “compelling argument that repeated dosing of ketamine may eventually have a role to play in the battle against PTSD.” The follow-up study “demonstrated clear superiority of six intravenous infusions of ketamine compared with midazolam (a psychoactive control) over 2 weeks, with two-thirds of patients considered responders to ketamine compared with one-fifth of those receiving midazolam.” According to the report, “In a rarity for mental health studies, the trial was stopped early (with 30 patients enrolled, rather than the preplanned 40 patients) when an interim analysis revealed that ketamine had an insurmountable lead over midazolam. While response (defined as 30% reduction in symptoms) does not represent remission and durability was still limited with a median time to relapse of 27.5 days, these are nonetheless both rapid and robust effects, suggesting that intravenous (and perhaps other delivery methods for) ketamine has tremendous potential as a treatment for PTSD.”

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In recent years, ketamine is also proving an effective intervention for suicidal ideation where patient risk is high, particularly in relation to PTSD patients. While ketamine is still considered an off-label treatment, more and more research is mounting supporting its effectiveness for the treatment of PTSD, particularly for patients that do not respond to traditional treatments.

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To find out if ketamine is right for you today, schedule a consultation with us. We offer affordable ketamine solutions and our doctors have vast experience with Walter Reed patients and a deep understanding of the suffering related to PTSD.