New Hope for Fibromyalgia Pain: Ketamine Infusions

When something is described as a chronic pain condition that leads to widespread musculoskeletal discomfort, fatigue, and cognitive impairment, you know the condition is all-encompassing. 

Such is the world of those who suffer from fibromyalgia, which affects between 2% and 3% of the general population in the United States (up to 10 million people). Making matters worse, since we don't know the exact cause of fibromyalgia, there is no cure.

As specialists in pain management, the team here at Apex Pain Specialists, including Dr. Naveen Reddy and Dr. Maziar Massrour, is always on the lookout for new and impactful fibromyalgia treatments, and ketamine infusion therapy is one we’re really excited about. Here’s a look at how many fibromyalgia patients are finding new hope in the form of ketamine.

Treating fibromyalgia and the pain patterns

We already mentioned that the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. What we do know is that the condition affects women far more than men: up to 90% of people with fibromyalgia are women. We also know that most people with fibromyalgia experience flare-ups with periods of relative quiet in between.

Since we can’t treat an underlying problem, this leaves us to manage symptoms as best as possible. So, fibromyalgia has historically been treated with:

• Pain medications
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Light exercise
• Stress management (flare-ups are often tied to stress)
• Antidepressants

The problem is that the longer the disease continues, the more the pain pathways in your nervous system fire up. As a result, pain management medications become less effective and antidepressants can stop working.

Enter ketamine for fibromyalgia

Ketamine isn’t a new drug, it’s been used as a powerful analgesic for decades. What’s new is that emerging research is showing that ketamine can have a positive effect on neurotransmitters in the brain.

One study points out that the same neurotransmitters that control pain in your brain also regulate other areas, such as:

• Sleep
• Energy
• Emotional regulation
• Cognition

As you can see, these are all areas that can come under fire when you have fibromyalgia. 

With ketamine, we can alter the neurotransmitter activity in your brain, encouraging these brain chemicals to establish healthier neural pathways.

So, not only can ketamine quickly relieve your pain during a fibro flare-up, we can also improve the neurotransmitter activity in your brain to improve mood regulation, among other things. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. 

Ketamine infusion therapy

With ketamine therapy, we deliver ketamine via intravenous infusion that directly into your bloodstream. 

Most of our patients experience rapid relief during the treatment and immediately afterward thanks to the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of ketamine. Many people also experience immediate mood elevation.

With regular ketamine infusions, these results are reinforced as we continue to encourage healthier neurotransmitter activity.

So, if you’re frustrated in your struggle to find solutions for your fibromyalgia, why not give ketamine a try? To learn more or to schedule your ketamine evaluation, we invite you to call our office in Chandler, Arizona, today at 480-820-7246. You can also book an appointment online.