Let’s face it: anxiety is exhausting. Between the constant catastrophizing, irritability and agitation, panic attacks, and physical symptoms like racing heart rate, muscle tension, fatigue, and even nausea, anxiety takes a clear mental and physical toll. For those experiencing anxiety, finding relief from their symptoms can feel nearly impossible, especially for the approximately 40% or more of people for whom antidepressants and therapy provide little to no relief. That’s where ketamine therapy comes in.
Can Ketamine Therapy Treat Anxiety?
Although many of the studies on ketamine therapy have primarily focused on depression in adults, recent studies have begun to explore ketamine’s potential to treat other mental health conditions, including anxiety. A review of these studies has shown that, even at low doses, ketamine infusion can result in a significant reduction in irritability, agitation, and panic attacks as a result of anxiety. At slightly higher doses, ketamine has demonstrated the ability to reduce both Generalized Anxiety Disorder and social anxiety symptoms for up to two weeks following a single infusion. In fact, a recent research review reports that the effects of ketamine more effectively reduce scores on anxiety self‐report measures than many common antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications–including midazolam, lithium, or valproate–alone.
There is also much to be said about how often anxiety and depression coexist and how they interact with one another. Studies suggest that between 50-60% of those diagnosed with anxiety also experience depression. Additionally, a reduction in depression symptoms often results in improvement of anxiety symptoms. This is due to both the interplay between depression-fueled thoughts and behaviors and the avoidance associated with anxiety, as well as the shared cognitive and neurobiological factors at play in both conditions. These linked factors are part of why antidepressants are typically used to address symptoms of both conditions. Studies suggest ketamine can drastically improve symptoms associated with both anxiety and depression by allowing those undergoing ketamine therapy to break free of the negative thought loops responsible for the catastrophizing and rumination at the heart of these conditions.
Ketamine Therapy in Los Angeles You Can Trust
At Westside Mind Health, we understand both the hope and unease often associated with beginning a new form of treatment––especially one that requires IV infusion or intramuscular injection. Our goal is to provide you with not only the most effective care possible, but to ensure you feel safe, confident, and comfortable with treatment every step of the way. Our intensive evaluation process is designed to grant us the ability to review your medical history and symptoms thoroughly and offers you the chance to ask any questions or express any concerns you may have. Throughout treatment, our team will check in with you to monitor your symptoms, adjusting your treatment plan as necessary. Your feedback is central to our process because no one understands your symptoms better than you.
Relief is possible. We’d like to help you find it.