iv ketamine with very high dissociation levels

[brokenpony]

i told the ketamine psych that i had the dissociative subtype in the consult but did not say i have a dissociative disorder and forgot to mention my somatoform dissociation and conversion disorder symptoms, which can be very bad. i just am not going to tell anyone new about the DD, it is too much, and i am looking to treat the PTSD. he said that he has treated people with PTSD dissociative subtype successfully. i’m wondering if anyone here with very significant and complex dissociation has had PTSD treated with ketamine? i am a little afraid and it is expensive but i am living a life of misery. however i am also afraid i will end up flooded with real or false memories or something in between, because people have said that they had memories resurface, and repression is already on my mind, so that worries me a little. is it just not smart if you have a DD?

 

[Krise]

I’ve done it for years and it was the best thing I’ve ever done and/or experienced for help with my depressio, anxiety and C-ptsd. The only reason I have not continued is money. It actually destroys me that I know help is out there and I cannot afford it.
If you have the financial ability and support (rides) to get the treatment, I suggest taking it. If fear of disassociating for 45 minutes is preventing you from becoming a better version of yourself, then work on your issue with fear before anything. You attract what your fear. If there is an issue with this, you’ll find an issue with almost anything. Face the fear and push through the demons. And honestly, I find the disassociation a relief from this cruel world. I’m sure what I’ve said can be picked apart in a thous ways, good and bad, but that is my honest opinion. Get the infusions.

 

[Freemartin]

I have DD with secondary structural dissociation and somatoform stuff, and I just got remitted to iv ketamine. So I guess my psych doc thinks it’s okay.

 

[brokenpony]

I have DD with secondary structural dissociation and somatoform stuff, and I just got remitted to iv ketamine. So I guess my psych doc thinks it’s okay.

thanks. it is tertiary for me and still very new. so it makes me wonder if i should maybe wait until more time has been spent untangling the situation but i also feel like it could possibly help with accelerating that

I’ve done it for years and it was the best thing I’ve ever done and/or experienced for help with my depressio, anxiety and C-ptsd. The only reason I have not continued is money. It actually destroys me that I know help is out there and I cannot afford it.
If you have the financial ability and support (rides) to get the treatment, I suggest taking it. If fear of disassociating for 45 minutes is preventing you from becoming a better version of yourself, then work on your issue with fear before anything. You attract what your fear. If there is an issue with this, you’ll find an issue with almost anything. Face the fear and push through the demons. And honestly, I find the disassociation a relief from this cruel world. I’m sure what I’ve said can be picked apart in a thous ways, good and bad, but that is my honest opinion. Get the infusions.

well, when i was a kid i also did a lot of hallucinogens and had some very bad trips and keta isn’t the same but i basically just react badly to some drugs (even weed). so i think maybe i have some fear from that well but mostly from being in a bad place with “my reality” and not wanting to make that worse.

 

[Friday]

well, when i was a kid i also did a lot of hallucinogens and had some very bad trips and keta isn’t the same but i basically just react badly to some drugs (even weed). so i think maybe i have some fear from that well but mostly from being in a bad place with “my reality” and not wanting to make that worse.

Colloquially, people who “like” hallucinogens & hypnotics usually fall into 1:2 camps… those who like opiate/opium dreams & those who like k-holes. With almost zero crossover (each camp tends to hate/loathe/despise the other).

The most common “tell” for which camp you’ll be in… is if you’re prone to depression or hyperactivity. People prone to depression tend to play well with ketamine, whilst hyperactive people tend towards opium/opiates.

K-infusions were initially directed towards treating depression, so it makes sense that they’re being used more broadly now with disorders that are comorbid with, or contain symptoms of depression. Is depression a major point in your own PTSD cocktail?

 

[brokenpony]

Colloquially, people who “like” hallucinogens & hypnotics usually fall into 1:2 camps… those who like opiate/opium dreams & those who like k-holes. With almost zero crossover (each camp tends to hate/loathe/despise the other).

The most common “tell” for which camp you’ll be in… is if you’re prone to depression or hyperactivity. People prone to depression tend to play well with ketamine, whilst hyperactive people tend towards opium/opiates.

K-infusions were initially directed towards treating depression, so it makes sense that they’re being used more broadly now with disorders that are comorbid with, or contain symptoms of depression. Is depression a major point in your own PTSD cocktail?

interesting. i feel i am kind or a mixture of both? i would say it is complicated bc i have a hard time with figuring out what exactly is wrong with me. when i am depressive i am also very restless and full of existential anxiety and this feeds the depression. the problem is more like a brain fog where i have motivation to do things but cannot connect with what i do, like blockages, emotional numbness, periods of anhedonia i try to snap out of, feeling like my access to knowledge or language is hindered, etc. i have a bipolar 2 diagnosis because of “mixed episodes” (not pure hypomania) but i am not sure if it is even true.

a big problem for me has been pushing through mental barriers to higher functioning. so i never never really matched the “can’t get out of bed” depressive image. staying in bed is bad because i get restless. i always get dressed and leave the house bc of cabin fever, but then have bad inertia at the same time, so i leave the house to sit at the cafe to “work” and accomplish nothing. a rut, i guess, where my tire is stuck and i am pressing the gas and spinning going nowhere. so i guess it is a little bit it both and the polyvagal stuff (however scientifically accurate) has been helpful bc it really feels like flight/freeze/collapse cycles i get into that look like “agitated depression,” and sometimes it feels like all those responses are happening at once, confusing me.

i LOVED LSD as a teenager until i had the bad trips whcih were possibly then-unknown PTSD related. i have not really done opiates recreationally because i have never liked feeling very sedated.

 

[Ecdysis]

Have you started the ketamine treatment @brokenpony and @Freemartin ? How is it going?

I have an intake appt coming up for a possible ketamine spray treatment.

 

[Freemartin]

Yep, I had my third dose on Mon. I go every Mon and Fri. It’s been so cool! My mood has lifted a lot. I’m feeling so much better now.
Hope you get the treatment too!

ETA: I’m on intravenous ketamine, so it’s a bit different. Anyways, cool stuff.

 

[Ecdysis]

Thanks for the feedback @Freemartin

I found out today that my first intake appointment isn't until May 31st, so I've got a longish wait to go... sigh...

And still no idea whether I'll be given the go ahead and I'm not doing well with uncertainty at the moment.

But given how ridiculously long waiting lists have gotten in general, I guess I'm grateful it's not too long a wait and I figure that seeing as I'm getting the intake appt, at least my chances are relatively good and I'm still amazed that I'll be able to get it for free through my health insurance... That's so rare here.

Heard another very positive report about ketamine treatment for depression in the news here today, so fingers crossed.

Glad the treatment is helping you Freemartin!

 

[Freemartin]

Sorry to hear about the long waiting, @Ecdysis . It’s the same here. I waited for four months in total. It’s a long wait when severely depressed!

In my intake assessment the doc said that ketamine treatment works especially well for those folks who appear kinda slow and emotionless. Like, the more zombie-like you are, the more likely you get the treatment .

I don’t know anything about the intranasal thing, but the iv. version can, so I’ve been told, cause some really unpleasant dissociation during the administration. I don’t seem to get those things, luckily. My trips are nice and peaceful.

 

[Ecdysis]

Thank you for the feedback!

How long do you think the ketamine affects you for?

I'm wondering specifically about driving... How many hours before it's safe to drive a car again?

 

[Freemartin]

Thank you for the feedback!

How long do you think the ketamine affects you for?

I'm wondering specifically about driving... How many hours before it's safe to drive a car again?

My k-doc says I shouldn’t drive until the next day. And that feels reasonable enough, I wouldn’t want to try driving the same day.

Again, I’m on iv ketamine, so dunno about intranasal stuff.