Chronic pain affects over 51 million Americans, and out of those individuals, 17.1 million experience high-impact chronic pain.
High-impact chronic pain is a term used to describe persistent pain that significantly interferes with daily activities and quality of life. This type of pain often lasts for six months or more and makes it difficult or impossible for you to perform basic tasks such as working, attending school, or managing household responsibilities.
Dr. Hadi Estakhri and his team believe that ketamine therapy may hold the key to relieving your pain. That’s why the Allied Psychiatry & Mental Health team offers two kinds of ketamine therapy — intravenous (IV) ketamine therapy and a nasal spray called Spravato® — here in Newport Beach, California.
Read on as our team shares how ketamine therapy can help with chronic pain.
Ketamine is an FDA-approved dissociative anesthetic that has been used in medical settings since the 1960s. Unlike standard painkillers, ketamine targets the billions of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in your brain.
These receptors are involved in transmitting pain signals and central sensitization, a condition in which your nervous system becomes overly reactive. So, when ketamine blocks your NMDA receptors, it helps to reduce pain perception and alleviate chronic pain.
It also modulates neurotransmitters like glutamate (a neurotransmitter that can amplify pain) by blocking your NMDA receptors. This blockade can disrupt the cycle of excessive glutamate activity associated with chronic pain.
With all this in mind, ketamine helps reset how your brain perceives pain. This is why ketamine can offer pain relief even when other treatments fail.
Ketamine can help with chronic pain in two major ways:
If you’ve tried other treatments without success, ketamine might work because it addresses chronic pain at the neurological level.
Ketamine helps reduce the sensitivity of pain pathways and may even repair damaged neural connections. This approach can make ketamine particularly effective for conditions like neuropathy, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome.
Ketamine therapy doesn’t just reduce your physical pain; it can also improve your mental health. This is a huge benefit of ketamine to those with chronic pain because chronic pain often leads to depression and anxiety.
The American Psychiatric Association estimates that as many as 45% of people with chronic pain have depression. About 69.4% of people with co-occurring anxiety, depression, and chronic pain reported that all of their symptoms combined impact their work.
The good news for all chronic pain sufferers with anxiety and/or depression is that ketamine’s effects on your brain chemistry can help improve your mood.
During a ketamine session, you receive the medication either through an IV or nasal spray — both of which are administered under the careful supervision of Dr. Estakhri.
The process is comfortable, and you can relax in our safe environment while the treatment takes effect. Sessions are typically short, and many people notice significant pain relief after just a few treatments. Some people see improvements within minutes.
During your consultation, Dr. Estakhri takes your medical history, reviews your symptoms, and discusses any mental health concerns you may have. If ketamine is right for you, Dr. Estakhri reviews your options — either IV therapy or nasal spray.
If ketamine is right for you, Dr. Estakhri will explain the process to you and outline your treatment plan and preparation steps. You’ll also need a friend or family member to drive you home from your treatment.
To find out if this therapy could help your chronic pain, schedule a consultation with Dr. Estakhri today by calling our office at 949-945-0927, or book an appointment online anytime.
