Migraine is one of the most common chronic pain in the world. They are much more than painful headache. Migraines cause intense pain, nausea, and hypersensitivity. These symptoms make it impossible for 90% of people to function during an attack. Even though migraines are a common pain, there has been no cure for it. Different medications like pain relievers and lifestyle changes are the best way to manage the symptoms.
However, a new method of relief has been discovered, which is known as ketamine. Ketamine is a Schedule III drug that is commonly used in hospitals for anesthetic purposes. The drug reduces pain, increases the feeling of relaxation, and even induces some memory loss in medium doses. In higher doses, it can cause loss of consciousness making it useful during surgeries.
If you are searching for treatments using ketamine for migraine pain or any other chronic pain, you can visit the Mind Peace Clinics. They provide Ketamine infusions for the treatment of PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. You can visit their website to learn about ketamine, its treatments, and also more about the clinic and its services. They have locations spread across US cities such as Arlington, Norfolk, and Richmond.
Ketamine as a treatment for pain
Ketamine has been allowed to be used for pain control and also for anesthetic purposes. These work in high doses, but in smaller doses, it can be used to reduce symptoms of anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and other stress-related disorders. Furthermore, chronic pain related to fibromyalgia, reflex simplex dystrophy, and central sensitization syndrome can also be suppressed by ketamine.
These findings show that ketamine may also be able to treat the pain caused by migraines. Using ketamine for these conditions has not been approved by the FDA, but it is considered to be an “off-label” drug.
Relationship between ketamine and migraines
As ketamine has been used as a pain suppressor, and even as an anesthetic, it may soon be able to treat migraine symptoms. Research showed that 75% of patients experienced pain relief within three to seven days of treatment. Furthermore, a ketamine nasal spray reduced the extent of sensory disturbances during migraines.
Ketamine interacts with the NMDA receptor in the brain which blocks the structure in which our brain forms connections. The relationship between the biological effects and pain relief is not clear. Further research must be conducted to find out the actual pathway that the ketamine affects.
Some head specialists use ketamine as an “off-label” for treating migraines. However, there are still concerns regarding hallucinations and “out of body” experiences. This reason may cause the use of this drug to be inhibited.
But the drug has other qualities such as lacking in the addictive qualities like other narcotics. With more development, this drug could become an FDA-approved cure for migraine syndromes.
Conclusion
The information provided above shows the use of ketamine and the results of preliminary research on migraine-suffering patients. It can still be used by patients but health insurance companies may not pay for ketamine infusions.