Migraine sufferers may have a new pain treatment option in Ketamine – based on research completed at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Patients underwent ketamine infusion therapy to treat intractable migraine headaches. Sixty-one patients received the inpatient treatment and the study concluded that 75% of the patients experienced overall improvement in the migraine intensity during the three- to seven- day course of treatment.
This is exciting news for migraine sufferers – especially those patients whose chronic migraines do not respond to treatment, or have failed other types of pain relief therapy. With 12% of the population suffering from migraine headaches and experiencing recurrent attacks of moderate to severe pain, Ketamine infusions may now be a promising treatment for reducing the severity and intensity of migraine pain.
According to Eric Schwenk, M.D., director of orthopedic anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, “Our study focused only on short-term relief, but it is encouraging that this treatment might have the potential to help patients long-term. Our work provides the basis for future, prospective studies that involve larger numbers of patients.”
Ketamine was commonly used to induce general anesthesia and in recent years has become an effective treatment for depression, as well as a successful pain management therapy. Dr. Mark Newman and Virginia Ketamine Therapy offer infusions for patients suffering with chronic pain symptoms due to diseases such as Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). Pain is often neuropathic and felt in the arms, legs, hands, and feet — ranging in severity from mild to debilitating. In the absence of an FDA-approved medication for diseases such as CRPS, pain management physicians have found that ketamine offers relief without harsh or adverse side effects or risk of addiction.
Virginia Ketamine Therapy welcomes the opportunity to treat you or someone you love who is suffering the debilitating effects of migraine headaches. Ketamine therapy is administered in a controlled environment in a series of sessions over five consecutive days. Following this initial therapy patients are evaluated to determine the need for continued treatment.
Contact Dr. Newman and Virginia Ketamine Therapy for more information on finding relief from chronic pain and migraine headaches.