Ketamine infusion treatment - anyone tried?

[tontoe]

Thank you @joeylittle and @lostforgottensoul for useful information and thoughts.
Much food for thought.

 

[tontoe]

I would carefully consider whether or not depression factors heavily and unremittingly into your PTSD. If it does not - pursuing a treatment geared at depression could backfire on you.

You are right about cross-symptomology. But depression inside of PTSD can be mild, moderate, or severe.

Well here goes the first stage *gulp*.
I feel that, for me, the depressive element of PTSD is pretty severe. I have a consultation/assessment next week with the Psychiatrist from Oxford University who is running this programme. Will be interesting to discuss with him hear his views...

 

[joeylittle]

re-opened, @tontoe

 

[tontoe]

Well. A year on and I thought I'd report back.
For me, this treatment didn't work - in fact made me feel quite a lot worse. That's not to say it doesn't/won't work for everyone, but for me it was not good.
I wish I'd heeded the wise words from forum members.
The dissociative effect of the first Ketamine infusion was absolutely overwhelming; a full blown "trip" and I wasn't at all prepared for its intensity although it did wear off after about an hour in the recovery room.
Second treatment I was prepared for and had taken headphones and iPod which helped.
After that, they moved me to oral doses I could take at home. Generally pleasant experiences while they lasted, but my sleep patterns got shot to pieces and my anxiety skyrocketed. I also began to have flashbacks. So after a couple of months I stopped.
I guess I should have realised that, given my sensitivity to meds, it might not be for me. But there was no indication at the clinic of what to expect, and no suggestion of titrating dosage. That being said, one of the other people I met there said she'd experienced hardly any effect at all, and they'd been increasing her dosage. Just goes to prove, I guess, that a one-size-fits-all approach to meds doesn't work; we're all different what seriously affects one person may have no effect on another.
Over a year on, I feel a lot worse. Therapy isn't helping and I'm reaching the end of my tether; can't relax, dissociated or depressed almost all the time, feeling crazy and starting to wonder if I actually have some sort of Personality Disorder.
Oh dear.