If you are exploring advanced treatments for your mental health, you have probably heard about Ketamine therapy used in conjunction with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Both these treatments have been game-changers for conditions like depression and PTSD. However, do you know if they can be administered together as a treatment for greater effectiveness? If you are looking for health psychiatry services, here’s how both these treatments can be used together.
What is Ketamine Therapy?
Once known primarily as an anesthetic, Ketamine is a powerful option for treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even chronic pain. Unlike conventional antidepressants that might take weeks to kick in, ketamine can provide rapid relief, and sometimes within a few hours, by targeting the brain’s NMDA receptors. The drug can help reset dysfunctional neural circuits and offer new hope for those who haven’t responded to conventional treatments.
A Brief Overview of TMS
On the other hand, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive therapy that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. It’s particularly effective for patients with treatment-resistant depression, sending pulses into specific regions of the brain linked to mood regulation. Unlike medication, TMS directly affects brain activity and improves emotional balance without systemic side effects like weight gain or fatigue.
Reasons to Combine Ketamine and TMS
There’s no denying when both these treatments are used separately, they are highly effective, but according to recent research, combining these two can also enhance their benefits in the following ways:
- Complementary Mechanisms of Action: While ketamine can work on glutamate and NMDA receptors to reset neural circuits, TMS can stimulate areas of the brain that have become underactive in depression. With this combination, patients can get a broader, more comprehensive approach to addressing mental health conditions.
- Bolstering TMS Effectiveness: Ketamine’s fast-acting relief can help “prime” the brain and make it more receptive to the effects of TMS. By doing so, patients can get quicker and more sustained improvements, as compared to TMS or ketamine alone.
- Longer-Lasting Results: Some studies have depicted that TMS can extend the antidepressant effects of ketamine and help patients maintain their mental health gains for relatively longer periods between treatments.
What Does a Combined Treatment Look Like?
Typically, the protocol for combined treatment can vary based on the patient’s needs. Typically, ketamine is administered first in a clinical setting, either intravenously or via nasal spray. After a series of ketamine sessions, TMS can be introduced to enhance and sustain the treatment’s benefits, and each TMS session can last for around 20-40 minutes, which requires several sessions for best results. The combination of these treatments allows a more flexible and personalized treatment approach, which addresses both the swift and long-term management of systems.
Who can Benefit from this Combined Approach?
If you have been struggling with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, or PTSD and haven’t found relief from medications or talk therapy alone, combining ketamine and TMS could be worth exploring. The synergy between these treatments offers a promising option for patients who have run out of traditional options.
Scouring the web for psychiatric associates who can offer ketamine for depression along with TMS. Contact the team at Holistic Wellness & Psychiatry today!
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