PTSD

Ketamine Therapy: The Best New PTSD 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 levels of safety standards and patient care, we utilize ketamine infusion therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as other mental health and chronic pain conditions.

Our goal 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 PTSD and other mental health conditions.

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What are the Symptoms of PTSD?

The effects of PTSD involve a wide range of symptoms. One of the most common symptoms people experience is disruptive flashbacks. These may involve visual hallucinations of the situation that traumatized you. Daydreaming about the event is also common, and nightmares wake you up at night. People who suffer from flashbacks describe them as so vivid that they feel like they are back in the moment that caused their trauma.

Another key symptom is avoidance. This means you may try to avoid going near a place that triggers your PTSD symptoms. If someone reminds you of the trauma, a police officer for example, you may go out of your way to avoid them. You may also refuse to talk to other people about your painful experiences, although this can block your pathway toward healing. Other symptoms of PTSD may include the following:

• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Nausea or a lack of appetite

• A sense of constantly being on edge
• Irritability or angry outbursts

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Why Ketamine for PTSD Treatment?

Ketamine infusions are quickly becoming one of the most popular treatment options for PTSD and various other mood disorders: depression, anxiety, OCD, and bipolar disorder.

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

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How Does Ketamine Help Treat PTSD?

Scientists believe that ketamine helps with PTSD 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 different brain areas to ultimately affect glutamate. This process usually takes weeks, sometimes months, while ketamine produces an almost instant result and relief from anxiety symptoms.

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Side Effects of Ketamine Treatment for PTSD

As a new treatment option for PTSD, 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 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 the FDA did not initially approve.

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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.