Ketamine is different than antidepressant medications like SSRIs and SNRIs. It works by increasing neuroplasticity — in a way that is faster and more effective at treating depression.
How it works
Ketamine is unlike the SSRIs, SNRIs, and other antidepressant medications most patients have experience taking.
Traditional antidepressants work by adjusting levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, work by modifying levels of serotonin. SNRIs, or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, work by modifying levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine.
Ketamine does not adjust levels of neurotransmitters in the brain; it instead increases the number of pathways by which those neurotransmitters can travel. We believe that ketamine works through increasing BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This increases neuroplasticity and the growth of neurons and neural connections in the brain.
What this means for ketamine treatment
We believe that this alternate mechanism of action is what ketamine works faster.
With typical antidepressants, it often takes 4-8 weeks for patients to begin to notice changes in their depressive symptoms. During ketamine treatment, 70-80% of patients experience a significant decrease in their symptoms by their second or third infusion — often within one week of treatment.
Anecdotally, many of our patients also describe not just a decrease in their depressive symptoms, but feeling ‘happier’. This is quite different than typical antidepressants like SSRIs and SNRIs, where many patients describe feeling ‘blunted’ or ‘numbed’.
This difference in experience is likely also a result of ketamine’s mechanism of action — helping patients get ‘unstuck’ by increasing their mental flexibility and resilience through neuroplasticity.
About Us
Wells Medicine is a Houston-based practice designed to provide meaningful care for mental health. Providing targeted interventional treatments for Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other conditions, with Ketamine Treatments, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, TMS, and Nitrous-Oxide Treatments. Focused on comprehensive care and integration with Psychiatry, Psychology, and Support Services. We are evidence-based, patient-focused and mission-driven.
The content here is for informational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical decisions. For the details of your specific medical conditions and treatments consult your doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.
