Ketamine Hydrochloride Injections

Ketamine Hydrochloride Injections. Research has shown that ketamine has antidepressive properties. Ketamine is approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an anesthetic, though it is also used for the management of chronic pain management and psychiatric disorders. Ketamine has been incorporated into the treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as post-operative and chronic pain management. Ketamine infusion therapy is not a first-line therapy for psychiatric disorders and may be considered by the patient’s interdisciplinary team after failure of standard treatment.

Ketamine infusion therapy involves the administration of a single infusion or a series of infusions for the management of psychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, acute suicidality. Ketamine is a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that has traditionally been used for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia.

Likely target for ketamine is NMDA receptors in the brain. Binding to these receptors, ketamine appears to increase the amount of a neurotransmitter called glutamate in the spaces between neurons. Glutamate then activates connections in another receptor, called the AMPA receptor. Together, the initial blockade of NMDA receptors and activation of AMPA receptors lead to the release of other molecules that help neurons communicate with each other along new pathways. Known as synaptogenesis, this process likely affects mood, thought patterns, and cognition as well.

It is worthy to note that ketamine also may influence depression in other ways. For example, it might reduce signals involved in inflammation, which has been linked to mood disorders, or facilitate communication within specific areas in the brain. Most likely, ketamine works in several ways at the same time.