Can You Use Ketamine To Treat Seizures?

Ketamine has emerged as a possible treatment for various conditions, including seizures. It was first used in the 1960s as a form of general anesthesia. Still, in recent years, it has shown some potential to be used as a treatment for chronic pain, treatment-resistant depression, and anxiety disorders.
This article will discuss the current research and information about ketamine as a seizure treatment. However, it is important to note that seizures should be evaluated by a medical professional.

What is ketamine, and how does it combat seizures?

Ketamine (also known as ketamine hydrochloride) is an injectable anesthetic that can be used with other anesthetics to put you to sleep during surgery, or it can be used on its own to reduce pain during procedures like fixing a dislocated joint.

Ketamine blocks the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), which sends pain signals and other messages to your brain.

Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) ¹ – also known as refractory epilepsy – is a dangerous type of seizure that must be treated with emergency anti-seizure medication.

Refractory epilepsy causes seizures that last longer than 5 minutes and/or can cause you to have multiple seizures within 5 minutes. RSE can cause brain damage or even lead to death, and standard anti-seizure drugs are ineffective in treating RSE ².

How effective is ketamine at treating refractory epilepsy?

In one study, ³ 81% of patients had at least 50% fewer seizures in the first 24 hours after starting ketamine, while 63% had no seizures. The ketamine treatment was also found to not affect cerebral blood flow, cerebral perfusion pressure, or intracranial pressure, even though increased intracranial pressure can be a side effect of ketamine use.

Intravenous (IV) ketamine infusions have some advantages over other administration methods like lozenges or nasal sprays. When delivered through an IV line, ketamine goes directly into your bloodstream, allowing it to begin working immediately. Other administration methods are not as direct and take longer to work.

However, ketamine is currently used only for treatment-resistant epilepsy, and more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of ketamine in treating seizures.

The importance of medically-guided ketamine treatment for seizures

It is very important that you only receive ketamine treatment from a licensed and trained healthcare professional. Because of its pain-reducing and mind-altering effects, like hallucinations and dissociation from reality,

Ketamine is commonly misused for recreational purposes. There have even been some cases of ketamine being used as a date rape drug. It is possible to overdose on ketamine or become addicted if you do not take it as prescribed.

Certain house-call healthcare services can administer ketamine infusions at your home. This can make getting your ketamine treatments easier and more efficient. You will not need to commute anywhere or worry about being unable to drive yourself home in case of side effects like confusion.

Another advantage of having ketamine infusions administered at home is that it can put you more at ease to be in a comfortable, familiar environment, especially if you are nervous about the procedure, have a fear of needles, or are experiencing other stressors related to your treatment.

A trained healthcare professional will arrive at your home at your appointment, put in and take out the IV for you, and stay with you during the infusion to monitor you for any side effects or complications caused by the treatment.

Conclusion

With proper medical guidance, ketamine infusions can help address refractory epilepsy symptoms. Undergoing medically-supervised ketamine treatments will protect you from abusing this drug and overdosing or having serious ketamine side effects.

Ketamine infusions work more quickly than other forms of ketamine treatment, like oral lozenges, because IV ketamine goes directly into your bloodstream. On the other hand, oral lozenges must first pass through your digestive system before they begin to take effect. It can take hours for oral medications to pass through your digestive system.

Research has shown that in some cases, seizures were stopped completely in response to ketamine treatment in patients with super refractory status epilepticus (SRSE), and other patients had at least 50% fewer seizures. Additionally, none of the study participants experienced significant side effects like increased intracranial pressure. SRSE is a severe type of epilepsy that cannot be treated with standard anti-seizure drugs. The prolonged and frequent seizures can cause brain damage or even death.

Ketamine might also treat chronic pain and psychiatric conditions like anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, you may receive an even greater benefit from ketamine treatment if you have any of these conditions besides refractory epilepsy.

Talk to your doctor today to discuss the possibility of starting ketamine infusions as a potential treatment of seizures. If you prefer, you can also ask your doctor to refer you to a house-call doctor who can administer and monitor your ketamine infusions at home.