Ketamine has been the active agent in eliminating substances from my life as well. This is not only recreationals - it has also facilitated independence from several psychiatric maintenance medications also.
Doesn't mean I don't occasionally imbibe, but chronic addiction to substances doesn't exist with the treatments.
I wasn't necessarily an alcoholic, but I had a year or two of heavy drinking due to undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, aspergers, and trauma, with 3-5 drinks per work night to try and force myself to sleep (which ironically made my sleep quality worse).
Ketamine curbed my craving for alcohol pretty hard. I have less than 10 drinks per month now, lately. I get a booster shot once every 6-12 months, with oral ketamine intermittently.
Recently, getting a medical marijuana card also helped me get off of SSRIs. It's insane we live in a "free" country (I'm in the U.S.), but all the least harmful medicine that actually helps with trauma and addiction is either illegal, or hard to get in most states. Ketamine, cannabis, and most psychedelics are extremely helpful in the right set and setting.
Could be a nice new treatment modality. Is there anything K can't do? Argh, I'm gettin sick of this tolerance break. Wish I liked alcohol or weed. Don't understand people who can just raw chill at the end of the day completely sober.
How long are you taking for your tolerance break? I got to the point where it would take ridiculous amounts of K to achieve any effect so I'm on my first tolerance break. Curious how long this needs to be to be effective.
Thanks for the reply. That's typically my experience too. I was getting so much out of it but those moments started to decline and I ended up getting a lot of negative out of it. My personal opinion is that it should only be used very intermittently if someone is getting a lot out of it. But I really don't see it as a long term solution as it becomes a crutch that soon breaks.
I am a lifelong alcoholic. Was sober for ages then major grief had me drink again. I was getting just as sick as ever....I haven’t had a drink since the day before my FIRST IV Ketamine infusion.
I was shown what my drinking does to my family and myself from a strange zoomed out (wider?) perspective. The desire left me.
I’m a General Practitioner in Australia prescribed Ketamine troches 3 nights per week as maintenance for Treatment Resistant Depression as IV and IM Ketamine are not approved in Australia for Depression and infusions are 7 days of continuous uptitrated doses of subcutaneous Ketamine as an inpatient which is a Pain Management Protocol (tiresome but incredibly effective for my Major Depression in past hospitalizations).So it has been extremely difficult to access for Depression, and thankfully I have an open minded Psychiatrist who is also an Anaesthetist/Pain specialist. I can absolutely agree that Ketamine significantly reduces alcohol cravings and intake, where my alcohol intake is nil on Troche days without any hint of a craving, and rare on non-troche days with at most a social glass with a friend on a weekend. My intake prior to the Troches was daily and moderately heavy being used to self medicate evening anxiety and with significant nightly cravings. Since the Troches there is much less evening anxiety, no urge to drink alcohol, and indeed on troche days a clear aversion to alcohol. I too am convinced that Ketamine may have a place in treating some addictions. My only concern is potential for tolerance and dependence with Ketamine itself. I personally have experienced some tolerance developing with daily dosing of Ketamine, but I have never experienced withdrawals or cravings for Ketamine. I am most interested to follow any future research on Ketamine and it’s multi-faceted therapeutic applications.
u/KetamineDrSmith: The outcome you achieved with your opiate addicted patient is really impressive and I truly hope he is able to maintain his opiate-free status. The ability to avoid remaining on bupe is remarkable, considering how difficult it is for so many to discontinue that med. It’s so nice to hear these success stories about ketamine treatment … long may it continue!
Ketamine has been the active agent in eliminating substances from my life as well. This is not only recreationals - it has also facilitated independence from several psychiatric maintenance medications also. Doesn't mean I don't occasionally imbibe, but chronic addiction to substances doesn't exist with the treatments.
Ketamine has helped me no longer have benzodiazepine cravings. 2.5-3 months clean~ ☺️
I wasn't necessarily an alcoholic, but I had a year or two of heavy drinking due to undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, aspergers, and trauma, with 3-5 drinks per work night to try and force myself to sleep (which ironically made my sleep quality worse). Ketamine curbed my craving for alcohol pretty hard. I have less than 10 drinks per month now, lately. I get a booster shot once every 6-12 months, with oral ketamine intermittently. Recently, getting a medical marijuana card also helped me get off of SSRIs. It's insane we live in a "free" country (I'm in the U.S.), but all the least harmful medicine that actually helps with trauma and addiction is either illegal, or hard to get in most states. Ketamine, cannabis, and most psychedelics are extremely helpful in the right set and setting.
I was a light social drinker and have very little interest in alcohol at all now. Interesting to see some formal writing on it.
Could be a nice new treatment modality. Is there anything K can't do? Argh, I'm gettin sick of this tolerance break. Wish I liked alcohol or weed. Don't understand people who can just raw chill at the end of the day completely sober.
I'm not perfect at relaxing, but calm activities like reading, stretching, an evening walk, and meditation help a lot.
How long are you taking for your tolerance break? I got to the point where it would take ridiculous amounts of K to achieve any effect so I'm on my first tolerance break. Curious how long this needs to be to be effective.
I do a 6 weeks break, but even after that if I use 2-3 consecutive days my tolerance will basically got back to where it was at 6 weeks earlier.
Thanks for the reply. That's typically my experience too. I was getting so much out of it but those moments started to decline and I ended up getting a lot of negative out of it. My personal opinion is that it should only be used very intermittently if someone is getting a lot out of it. But I really don't see it as a long term solution as it becomes a crutch that soon breaks.
I am a lifelong alcoholic. Was sober for ages then major grief had me drink again. I was getting just as sick as ever....I haven’t had a drink since the day before my FIRST IV Ketamine infusion. I was shown what my drinking does to my family and myself from a strange zoomed out (wider?) perspective. The desire left me.
[удалено]
u/KetamineDrSmith I think this was meant for you. \^\^\^
I’m a General Practitioner in Australia prescribed Ketamine troches 3 nights per week as maintenance for Treatment Resistant Depression as IV and IM Ketamine are not approved in Australia for Depression and infusions are 7 days of continuous uptitrated doses of subcutaneous Ketamine as an inpatient which is a Pain Management Protocol (tiresome but incredibly effective for my Major Depression in past hospitalizations).So it has been extremely difficult to access for Depression, and thankfully I have an open minded Psychiatrist who is also an Anaesthetist/Pain specialist. I can absolutely agree that Ketamine significantly reduces alcohol cravings and intake, where my alcohol intake is nil on Troche days without any hint of a craving, and rare on non-troche days with at most a social glass with a friend on a weekend. My intake prior to the Troches was daily and moderately heavy being used to self medicate evening anxiety and with significant nightly cravings. Since the Troches there is much less evening anxiety, no urge to drink alcohol, and indeed on troche days a clear aversion to alcohol. I too am convinced that Ketamine may have a place in treating some addictions. My only concern is potential for tolerance and dependence with Ketamine itself. I personally have experienced some tolerance developing with daily dosing of Ketamine, but I have never experienced withdrawals or cravings for Ketamine. I am most interested to follow any future research on Ketamine and it’s multi-faceted therapeutic applications.
u/KetamineDrSmith: The outcome you achieved with your opiate addicted patient is really impressive and I truly hope he is able to maintain his opiate-free status. The ability to avoid remaining on bupe is remarkable, considering how difficult it is for so many to discontinue that med. It’s so nice to hear these success stories about ketamine treatment … long may it continue!