Curing the Incurable- I refuse to believe I am incurable
Much of my life right now is dedicated to finding a cure for an incurable disease. I know that seems like having hope where there is none but I refuse to believe that I cannot get my whole life back. I refuse to believe I will have to depend on Medicine to feel normal for the rest of my life (and damn it I don't even feel normal more than half the time, and I refuse that also!) I am so much more than the sum of my symptoms. According to Mayo Clinic "Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living."
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:
Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
I bolded my symptoms
Recently, I listened to a Ted Talk by Rebecca Brachman called Could a drug prevent depression and PTSD?
Previously on my MDD group I have seen people discuss Ketamine to help for unresponsiveness in Depression Meds. My knowledge of Ketamine was as the date rape drug and so it wasn't really something I was interested in pursuing, but after reading more about the studies and what they are finding I am once again feeling a little hope in the possibility of something that might be able to repair my brain.
Here is an excerpt from an article that I read this morning:
Researchers used brain scans of 30 participants who had tried the most commonly prescribed antidepressant treatment—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Celexa (*this is the drug I take), Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft—and not received relief from their depression. After a low dose of 0.5mg of ketamine, the scans showed that they had an increased number of serotonin 1B receptors.(*I am thrilled they have figured this out!)
Serotonin is a chemical your body produces that sends signals between your nerve cells, and it's been shown to contribute to mood regulation and feelings of wellbeing.
SSRIs work by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain, but if there are not enough receptors to "catch" the chemical, they often don't work as well as they could. Increasing the number of receptors allows more serotonin and another feel-good neurotransmitter, dopamine, to be released more efficiently, and this can reduce depressive symptoms.
In the research, this process happened within 24 to 72 hours after the ketamine dose for 72% of participants.
Over 17 million people or about 7% of all adults in the U.S. are dealing with depression. While the majority of those with depression receive some combination of therapy and medication, as much as 35% of people who have suffered a major depressive episode do not receive treatment. Read the Entire Article Here
I have said this several times before, I am an optimist. I still see the negative shit, but I try to focus on the positive shit! Negative, so far, MDD is incurable. Positive, 4 years ago they didn't know how Ketamine worked to help with depression but today they know it can increase the number of serotonin 1B receptors in the brain after just a low dose. This is the BIGGEST discovery in Depression since the discovery of anti-depressants. Let's celebrate that.
If you would like to read on the efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression go here.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:
Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
I bolded my symptoms
Previously on my MDD group I have seen people discuss Ketamine to help for unresponsiveness in Depression Meds. My knowledge of Ketamine was as the date rape drug and so it wasn't really something I was interested in pursuing, but after reading more about the studies and what they are finding I am once again feeling a little hope in the possibility of something that might be able to repair my brain.
Here is an excerpt from an article that I read this morning:
Researchers used brain scans of 30 participants who had tried the most commonly prescribed antidepressant treatment—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Celexa (*this is the drug I take), Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft—and not received relief from their depression. After a low dose of 0.5mg of ketamine, the scans showed that they had an increased number of serotonin 1B receptors.(*I am thrilled they have figured this out!)
Serotonin is a chemical your body produces that sends signals between your nerve cells, and it's been shown to contribute to mood regulation and feelings of wellbeing.
SSRIs work by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain, but if there are not enough receptors to "catch" the chemical, they often don't work as well as they could. Increasing the number of receptors allows more serotonin and another feel-good neurotransmitter, dopamine, to be released more efficiently, and this can reduce depressive symptoms.
In the research, this process happened within 24 to 72 hours after the ketamine dose for 72% of participants.
Over 17 million people or about 7% of all adults in the U.S. are dealing with depression. While the majority of those with depression receive some combination of therapy and medication, as much as 35% of people who have suffered a major depressive episode do not receive treatment. Read the Entire Article Here
I have said this several times before, I am an optimist. I still see the negative shit, but I try to focus on the positive shit! Negative, so far, MDD is incurable. Positive, 4 years ago they didn't know how Ketamine worked to help with depression but today they know it can increase the number of serotonin 1B receptors in the brain after just a low dose. This is the BIGGEST discovery in Depression since the discovery of anti-depressants. Let's celebrate that.
If you would like to read on the efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression go here.