Anyone using ketamine therapeutically, prescribed?

[kcon1243]

Over the last 2.5 decades, I've tried over 50 different meds, not including various combinations of said meds, and I've experienced extensive side effects. Nothing seems to make a difference with regard to my urge to kill myself. My medical team recommended ketamine so I'm giving it a go as my last hurrah. Not especially hopeful, feel like it's just delaying my inevitable death.

Did anyone find it helpful or am I just wasting my time on some wild goose chase that won't actually help me not want to die?

 

[Felodese]

What kind of ketamine treatment is it?

I've tried ketamine infusions where you get a series of infusions over a few weeks.
It gave temporary relief from my depressive symptoms, lastning about 2 months. It's the only thing that has ever lifted my depression, so to me that was a huge deal.
But I can't really say it did much for my SI.

 

[kcon1243]

What kind of ketamine treatment is it?

I've tried ketamine infusions where you get a series of infusions over a few weeks.
It gave temporary relief from my depressive symptoms, lastning about 2 months. It's the only thing that has ever lifted my depression, so to me that was a huge deal.
But I can't really say it did much for my SI.

It's ketamine microdosing via prescribed compounded lozenges. Started taking daily doses at 15mg and my provider incrementally bumped my dosage up to 100mg per day.

I've been on it for about a month now. Feel good when I take it but it wears off pretty quickly and the effects seem shortlived overall. I considered infusions but I can't afford it.

 

[evanescent_eva]

I did ketamine infusions on-and-off for several years. At the outset, it would give me up to a month of partial relief from my depression (though often less than that). By the end, it was completely useless. And by the end I was doing really ridiculous amounts of it, too - nearly 3mg/kg IV (for comparison, the most commonly studied dose protocol for treatment-resistant depression is 0.5mg/kg, and 2mg/kg can be used as anesthesia).

In the middle of that period, during a time when I wasn't getting IVs, I was prescribed nasal spray ketamine. It never did anything for me other than make me a bit dizzy. I wasn't on it very long, and I think I only ever got up to 60mg per day?

In short, I did about as much ketamine as one can legally do in my country, and I'm just as suicidal now as I was before, if not more so. I'm only one person, though, and I can only speak to my experiences. Not sure how analogous these experiences are to your experience with lozenges, though - it sounds like you've been getting daily relief from ketamine, even after a month? Could be worth seeing how long you can keep that going!

 

[Felodese]

It's ketamine microdosing via prescribed compounded lozenges. Started taking daily doses at 15mg and my provider incrementally bumped my dosage up to 100mg per day.

I've been on it for about a month now. Feel good when I take it but it wears off pretty quickly and the effects seem shortlived overall. I considered infusions but I can't afford it.

Sounds like it's much like taking a sedative when your anxiety kicks in.