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PTSD Therapy
We Can Help Break the Cycle
1212 Hendersonville Rd | Asheville | NC 28803
2768 Georgia Rd | Franklin | NC 28734
Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Intrusion: When thoughts are often repeated and involuntary. One may experience flashbacks, and these may be so vivid it is as if they are re-living the experience.
- Avoidance: Simply stated one will do anything to avoid the traumatic event. This may include people and places. Often, they are unwilling to talk about what happened and how they feel.
- Alterations in cognition and mood: Inability to remember the traumatic event. Feelings of paranoia are common and often distort reality. Feelings of detachment and estrangement from others, and unable to experience anything positive in life.
- Alterations in arousal and reactivity: Exhibits reactive symptoms to include irritable and angry outburst, and reckless behavior. Difficulty with concentrating or sleeping.
Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?
PTSD Diagnosis & Distress
To have a medical diagnosis of PTSD one must have the one of the above symptoms for at least a month and the symptoms are causing enough distress that the individual is having difficulty functioning daily. Many individuals develop these symptoms within three months of the traumatic event, but the symptoms may appear later and could possibly last for months to years. PTSD is often accompanied by depression, memory difficulties, substance abuse, and other physical problems.
PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of adults each year in the United States. It is estimated that 1 out of 11 people will suffer from PTSD sometime in their life. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD.
People with PTSD will have disturbing and sometimes intense thoughts or feelings related to their traumatic event. Some have nightmares and flashbacks while others may have sadness to anger. Some may detach themselves or estrange themselves from people in their lives. Often people with PTSD will avoid situations or people who remind them of the traumatic event. They often have intense responses to something ordinary such as a loud noise or a simple touch.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, working by blunting sensory perception.
- Ketamine has been used since 1960 in medical and veterinary medicine for pain relief and sedation.
- The drug works by disrupting glutamate, a neurotransmitter utilized for learning, memory, emotion and pain recognition. Glutamate aids with diminishing stress responses and helps with the prevention of forming traumatic memories.
- Ketamine has promising results with alleviating the symptoms of PTSD, general anxiety disorder (GAD) and other anxiety disorders.
- After an IV dose of Ketamine, one usually experiences less anxiety within an hour of the treatment and this may last up to a week following a single treatment.
- Ketamine can be administered on a maintenance schedule after one completes an infusion regime. Eighteen out of twenty patients with GAD report improvement with work and social endeavors during this maintenance period. Some patients have experienced relief from their symptoms up to 14 weeks.
- Ketamine studies have shown rapid effectiveness in reducing the severity of PTSD symptoms.
- Ketamine is thought to be effective in targeting the memories of a traumatic event. This allows the brain to basically rid itself of the trauma rather than retaining it. It is the retention of the trauma that leads to dysfunctional thought and behavior.
PTSD Treatment
Not everyone develops PTSD after a traumatic event and not everyone diagnosed with PTSD needs psychiatric treatment. For some individuals the symptoms wax and wain over time. Those with disabling symptoms may need professional help to recover. It is important to understand that the trauma may lead to severe distress and that this distress is not the person’s fault and that PTSD is treatable. Expediated treatment leads to recovery sooner.
Antidepressants such as SSRI’s and SNRI’s are commonly used to treat the symptoms of PTSD. They can be used alone or with other combinations to include psychotherapy or other treatments. When these treatments fail, Ketamine may be the only treatment of choice.
Southern Ketamine Clinics
1212 Hendersonville Rd | Asheville | NC 28803
828-407-6631
Southern Ketamine Clinics
2768 Georgia Rd | Franklin | NC 28734
828-407-6631