Ketamine can help treat reduce symptoms of OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

What is OCD?

OCD can best be described as ruminations on intrusive thoughts that can lead to compulsive
behaviors, depression and anxiety. It can be debilitating, affecting every aspect of a patient’s
daily activities, impacting quality of life and relationships.
Up until recently, patients’ only option was treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs).
However, in the last several years ketamine has been tested as an option for OCD.

Can ketamine help?

Results from animal and human studies examining the efficacy of ketamine for OCD are
extremely promising. 1-5 In a recent rodent study, researchers found that just 2 injections of the
medication in their mouse model proved effective in allaying OCD-like behavior, and that low
dose ketamine was adequate to reach this effect. 1 But, does this translate to humans.
The answer lies in the results from several recent studies. 2-5 It has been shown that repeated
ketamine infusions over time can impact the symptoms of OCD, with significant improvements
on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive (YBOC) scale, a standard measurement of OCD
symptoms. Although the mechanisms underlying ketamine’s effects on OCD symptoms remain
somewhat elusive, it is believed to be a glutamate driven activity causing downstream neural
responses related to synapse generation. 1,4 Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory
neurotransmitter in the human brain, with multiple important functions, one of which is
building new synapses and supporting memory consolidation.

Why Avesta?

At Avesta Ketamine and Wellness, we have treated over 1,000 patients with over 10,000
infusions suffering from a variety of mental health and chronic pain disorders. Relevant to OCD,
we have treated numerous patients with the diagnosis of OCD successfully. If you are suffering
from OCD, have tried other modalities without success, you are not alone and there is hope for
improvement. Contact us today to learn more.

References

1. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020 Mar;237(3):627-638. Ketamine induces immediate and
   delayed alterations of OCD-like behavior. Summer L Thompson, Amanda C Welch, Julia
   Lourinets , Stephanie C Dulawa. doi: 10.1007/s00213-019-05397-8. Epub 2020 Jan 11.
2. Asian J Psychiatry. 2020 Aug:52:102183. Clinical utility of repeated intravenous ketamine
   treatment for resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder Lavanya P Sharma   , Abel
   Thamby  1 , Srinivas Balachander  1 , C Narayanaswamy Janardhanan  1 , T S Jaisoorya  1 ,  Shyam
   Sundar Arumugham  1 , Y C Janardhan Reddy  2 doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102183. Epub 2020
   May 30.
3. JAMA. 2017 Apr 4;317(13):1358-1367. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Advances in
   Diagnosis and Treatment. Matthew E Hirschtritt, Michael H Bloch, Carol A Mathews
   doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.2200.
4. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2023:64:289-305. Enhancing Fear Extinction: Pharmacological
   Approaches. Olga Y Ponomareva, Robert J Fenster, Kerry J Ressler. doi:
   10.1007/7854_2023_443.
5. Brain Sci. 2021 Jun 27;11(7):856. Therapeutic Potentials of Ketamine and Esketamine in
   Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Eating Disorders
   (ED): A Review of the Current Literature. Giovanni Martinotti, Stefania Chiappini, Mauro
   Pettorruso, Alessio Mosca, Andrea Miuli, Francesco Di Carlo, Giacomo D’Andrea, Roberta
   Collevecchio, Ilenia Di Muzio, Stefano L Sensi, Massimo Di Giannantonio doi:
   10.3390/brainsci11070856.