OCD Treatment

Ketamine Therapy: The Best New OCD Treatment in Spartanburg, SC

At Upstate Ketamine & Wellness Center in Spartanburg, SC, we are proud to offer the latest mental health treatment options. In addition to high safety standards and patient care, we utilize ketamine infusion therapy to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

Our mission statement at Upstate is to help bring innovative new treatment options to those in our community who need it most. Ketamine infusions have proven to be a powerful and rapid treatment for anxiety and other mental health conditions.

‍

What are the Symptom Subtypes of OCD?

Contamination Obsession with Washing and Cleaning Compulsion

Identified by obsessive notions about contamination and compulsions of extreme cleaning or washing.

Harm Obsessions with Checking Compulsions

Identified by obsessive thoughts about potential damage to yourself or others and compulsions including checking rituals to relieve your anxiety.

Hoarding

Characterized through obsessive anxieties about getting rid of items or belongings you may need one day.

Symmetry Obsessions with Ordering/Arranging/Counting Compulsions

Characterized through obsessive thoughts about symmetry and compulsions to make every little thing orderly until they are "just right."

‍

Fast & Efficient OCD Treatment

Ketamine infusions have quickly became one of the most popular OCD treatments and can also help with various other mood disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD and bipolar disorder.

Unlike many traditional medications like SSRIs which can take months to start working, ketamine therapy offers OCD patients relief quickly, with some individuals reporting relief within a few hours of their first infusion session.

‍

How Does Ketamine Help Treat OCD?

Scientists believe ketamine helps with OCD by rapidly boosting the activity of glutamate, a neurotransmitter inside the frontal cortex of the human brain, while also allowing new pathways to form in the same area.

The promptness of ketamine in yielding an antidepressant effect occurs because this drug bypasses the conventional serotonin path and goes straight to switching on glutamate.

This is remarkably different from conventional antidepressants, which initially boost serotonin activity levels in several other brain areas to affect glutamate. This process usually takes weeks, sometimes months, while ketamine produces an almost instant result and relief from anxiety symptoms.

‍

Side Effects of Ketamine Treatment for OCD

As a new treatment option for OCD, ketamine has a few minor side effects. These can include a dream-like feeling, double or blurred vision, lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting, and slight anxiety feelings after being given a dose. This treatment method is not in development because this is an FDA-approved drug utilized for “off-label” or less typical use.

An “off-label” use indicates that it is a treatment that the FDA did not initially authorize. The FDA approves prescription medications only for specific uses, but most medications at some point develop off-label uses as a result of the clinical experience that develops in time.

As a good example, the medication Prazosin’s purpose was to treat hypertension in 1976. Still, it is now also used to treat nightmares in individuals with PTSD, a use that was not initially approved.

‍

What To Expect During Your Ketamine Infusion

We strive to ensure all of our patients feel as comfortable as possible in their private rooms during treatment.

A number of our patients refer to a “dissociation” effect. This disconnection effect aids your treatment and delivers a positive response to your ketamine therapy for many patients.

This is all an ordinary component of the treatment. You will always remain in a safe atmosphere with our team to monitor you and be readily available to you during your infusion.