This is the beginning of a series of posts chronicling my experience with IV ketamine for depression. Starting something new, something very different from the numerous antidepressants I’ve gone through in the last few years is overwhelming. I’d like to document my experience as a way for me to process it through writing, as well as to provide a first-person account of what this might look like for others who are considering ketamine for depression. The use of ketamine to combat treatment-resistant depression is effective for many, many people. So, whether it works for me or not, I’ll try to use The Ketamine Chronicles to be as honest as possible.

Why Use IV Ketamine for Depression?

Several months ago, my psychiatric nurse practitioner suggested that I look into IV ketamine infusions as a potential new avenue in the search for something that will work against my treatment-resistant depression. Every antidepressant I’ve thrown at it has had little to no impact, and I’ve effectively become chronically suicidal. I said “ok, sure,” and then pretended that conversation had never happened. Weeks passed, then months passed, and as I got closer to the present and could no longer ignore my reality, ketamine seemed more and more like the next logical step. Nothing I’ve tried has given me much relief, and my depression has steadily worsened.

Luckily for me, my lovely mother is an avid Googler. By the time I was ready to go down the ketamine treatment path, she had bookmarked and downloaded every resource and testimonial in a three-page radius of a “depression ketamine” Google search. When I came home from a difficult appointment and told her that I’d decided to schedule a consultation at a clinic, she said, “Great. I’ll send you the website of the one near us that I think is best. You can start filling out their forms.”

As an aside, let me point out that my mom is so wonderful. She did hours of research and planning but respected my right to choose my treatments enough to wait for me to make the decision before piling it on. Thanks, Mom

How Does Ketamine Treat Depression?

OK, so what is ketamine for treatment-resistant depression? In brief, ketamine is an anesthetic that, when used in very low doses in a clinical setting, has been shown to dramatically improve symptoms in participants with treatment-resistant depression. Chronic depression that doesn’t respond to traditional antidepressants is associated with significant alterations in brain structure and function, as well as deficits in BDNF, a marker of neuroplasticity. Evidence suggests that ketamine facilitates the repair of those damaged areas by increasing the levels of BDNF.

Wrestling with Depression Treatment Decisions

At this point, my depression is severe, and it has been for a long time. I probably met the criteria for what would make me a candidate for IV ketamine treatments a long time ago. So, why did I wait so long to do this? For one thing, a ketamine infusion is a procedure, a word packed with health-anxiety overtones. For another, moving from antidepressant pills to a treatment administered by an anesthesiologist feels like a big deal. It forces me to confront the fact that my depression is really serious; if I don’t up my game from antidepressants, I could die. That’s scary. What’s even more scary is that for a long time, that’s exactly what I’ve wanted. I’ve had thoughts of suicide in varying degrees for years now, and at this point, the thought of dying doesn’t shock me at all.

Right now, despite having an appointment already booked for tomorrow, I’m on the fence. I know that it sounds absolutely bonkers that I would still be considering suicide, even when faced with a very promising treatment that I have access to. But, that’s depression. It’s an illness that you can’t reason your way out of because the illness itself affects the way that you think.

Finding Hope for Better Days

I have never known what it’s like to be a young adult without depression symptoms. When I think about the possibilities that life holds, my mind can only conjure up images tinted by depression. I can imagine having a job that I like, but my mental image of it includes the constant fatigue and loss of focus that my depression brings. “Feeling Better” no longer holds much meaning for me because I no longer remember what it feels like to Feel Better. So, when I think about how other treatments have affected me (minimally), it makes trying another one seem… not worth it. I can’t fathom what life would be like without depression, but then again, depression makes my imagination dull and limited.

In one more day, I’ll have had my first IV ketamine infusion for depression. I’m trying to keep an open mind, to admit that maybe life with fewer symptoms is better than I can imagine, and to allow myself to have a little bit of hope. Although I don’t have much faith, I’ll have to take a leap.