Benefits of Ketamine for Treatment of OCD

Updated on June 25, 2020

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD for short, is a mental disorder wherein a person suffers from an excessive obsession with orderliness, cleanliness, or perfectionism. It is an anxiety disorder that can be coupled with compulsive characteristics where a person cannot control his tendencies. 

Many treatments are available to cure OCD and decrease their side effects. It often includes counseling and the use of medications. However, one of the emerging treatment processes is Ketamine treatment for OCD

Common Kinds of OCD

Impulses classified as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder comes in many forms. Some of the most common kinds of OCD include:

  • Hygiene Obsession – This impulse prompts a person to persistently clean and sanitizes themselves and their surroundings. 
  • Symmetry Obsession – This behavior makes a person have an intensive need to keep everything organized and symmetrical. 
  • Violent Impulses – This is a two-way impulse that makes a person either want to harm themselves or hurt others. Therefore, these violent impulses always lead them to seek reassurance from strangers.

Several other significant types of OCD comprise of subtypes. That is why this is the most common mental disorder affecting millions of people. And many do not recognize the early symptoms of this condition.

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine or ‘”Special K” is a type of pain reliever used by surgeons during the 1950s and 60s wars. These days, the substance has expanded its medical use as an antidepressant. These days, the substance has expanded its medical use as an antidepressant.

Medicated Ketamine mostly comes in the form of nasal sprays. However, there are three other ways people can consume the medicine. Patients can be given IV injections, its powdered form, and pills. 

Benefits of Ketamine

The use of Ketamine treatment for OCD is not as widely known as it is for anesthetics and antidepressants. However, it is slowly being prescribed by psychologists due to these advantages:

Quick and Efficient Treatment for Impulses

The main problem with obsessive-compulsive disorder is that they come in sudden sharp impulses, which makes treatment and medication unreliable. While a psychiatric treatment’s goal is to stop the symptoms of OCD for the long-term, it can be hard for a person’s impulses. The same goes for medication, where it will take minutes before the effects appear.

Nasal spray ketamine can prevent obsessive and compulsive disorders within seconds. Once impulses arise, a quick spray can alleviate unwanted obsessions and avoid the mental state from occurring.

Dosage can be adjusted

Another benefit of Ketamine is that its dosage has a correlative effect on its effectivity. The higher the dosage, the longer its effects will subsist.

As such, patients can adjust dosage accordingly. If patients still want to undergo psychiatric treatments, they can consume the prescribed short amounts of Ketamine. But for patients who wish to limit the expenses of treatment, they can ask their attending doctors to increase the dosage. 

However, it is also essential to check the limitations of your dosage. It is crucial to remember that not all medication works the same way for everyone. Several factors must be considered, including age, physical health, and a person’s genetic history. 

Nonetheless, ketamine treatment for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder is undoubtedly beneficial. This is because fighting the impulses of an OC person needs to be quick as required. Many psychiatrists recommend starting a ketamine treatment in small doses before increasing them. Recommendations always come in handy to prevent the occurrence of disastrous side effects. 

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