KETAMINE AND TMS FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER IN
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND
Bipolar depression, previously known as manic depression, is a challenging mental health condition. People who suffer with this mood disorder experience periods of mania alternating with periods of depression.
A bipolar patient may have bipolar I, bipolar II disorder, or cyclothymic disorder. These variations differ mainly in the severity and length of time of manic episodes and depressive episodes. Manic events of lesser intensity are referred to as hypomania.
Depressive symptoms and extreme mood swings can lead a person with bipolar disorder to have suicidal ideation. There is, in fact, a high rate of suicide among people who suffer with this psychiatric disorder.
Unfortunately, bipolar treatment is limited, because traditional treatment drugs used for major depressive disorder are not helpful. The antidepressant effects of SSRIs and similar drugs used to treat the depressive episodes can make manic episodes worse. In fact, antidepressants can quickly trigger a manic attack.
Doctors often prescribe a mood stabilizer, such as lithium, or an antiseizure or atypical antipsychotic drug. When the usual psych meds do not work, ketamine assisted therapy can help patients to achieve a significant positive improvement.
IS TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATON A GOOD OPTION TO TREAT BIPOLAR DISORDER?
While it has not yet been approved for treating bipolar, TMS does help with bipolar symptoms. Historically, ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy has been used to treat the depressive component.
While ECT works, it has an unacceptable risk profile. TMS is a safer option compared to ECT, since it does not send an electric current through the patient’s skull and outer brain layers.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation delivers a mild electrical current directly to the deeper brain structures where it is needed, using magnetic induction. It is safer, and often more effective, compared to electroconvulsive therapy.
Doctors are able to offer TMS as an off-label therapy for bipolar disorder. Which bipolar treatment option works best, ketamine or TMS?
Both therapies work very well. Depending on a doctor’s assessment, and the patient’s preference, A ketamine TMS clinic may choose to provide either therapy, depending on what will work best for the patient.
In some cases, combined ketamine and TMS may be the best option. It is possible to get ketamine therapy simultaneously with TMS therapy.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A MANIC EPISODE?
A patient undergoing a manic episode may experience delusions and hallucinations. They feel hyper, with an increased energy level.
While some people enjoy the feeling of the manic phase, others find it disturbing and a source of anxiety.
Unfortunately, mania can lead to poor decisions and negative outcomes. If you are manic, you may find it difficult to think clearly about the ramifications of your actions.
A manic person may take excessive risks, which can have devestating consequences. You feel happy and excited as a result of mania, but things quickly get out of control.
In one case of bipolar disorder, there was a man who would engage in disaster planning during his manic states. He would consider every possible thing that might go wrong and shop for equipment to handle the potential disaster.
Not only would he buy expensive equipment, he often purchased three of each item, planning for the potential failure of the equipment he was buying.
For example, he imagined his air conditioner failing, so he purchased several portable air conditioning units, and also a couple of large dehumidifiers, in case the AC units all failed. While he was actively manic, it was hard to reason with him that he did not have to plan his life as if he was NASA, taking a trip to the moon.
BIPOLAR DISORDER MANIFESTS IN MANY UNIQUE WAYS FOR DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS.
One common feature of the manic aspect of bipolar disorder is that it can be similar to an intense stimulant high. A person who takes methamphetamine, for example, may not sleep for days, and they will feel indestructable, filled with energy, highly focused, and they will have a sense of being creative and perceptive.
Yet, when their brains have had as much as they can take from the overstimulation, the meth user crashes into a deep depression, with feelings of hopelessness. The bipolar sufferer experiences similar ups and downs.
In fact, drug abuse can be mistaken for bipolar disorder. When a person has extreme mood fluctuations caused by substance abuse, they may exhibit similar symptoms. Alternatively, a person who has bipolar disorder may attempt to self-medicate with street drugs, developing a drug addiction.
Many bipolar sufferers turn to drugs for relief from either the manic phase or depressive phase of their condition. Substance abuse is common among people who suffer from this mood disorder.
Unfortunately, bipolar and substance abuse can be confused and misdiagnosed. Bipolar disorder also resembles other conditions, such as borderline personality disorder, further complicating the diagnosis.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER IV KETAMINE AND TMS FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER TREATMENT?
Bipolar patients are at high risk of suicide attempts, suicide death, and death from other causes. They are also at high risk for developing dangerous addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Antidepressants are not only ineffective, they can trigger a dangerous manic episode. Many bipolar patients have been misdiagnosed or improperly treated.
Now is the time to focus on medical treatments that can make a difference in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Ketamine treatment, via IV therapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation are safe and effective therapies that help bipolar patients to have fewer episodes and reduced intensity of each depressive episode and manic episode.
While there is no magic cure to make bipolar disorder go away overnight, combined ketamine and TMS, or each treatment individually, can contribute to make the condition more tolerable. Patients will appreciate progressive improvements with ongoing treatment.
Ketamine is already used as a therapy to reduce suicidal thoughts. As a bipolar depression treatment, suicidal ideations will be treated by getting to the root of the problem, as a direct treatment of bipolar disorder.
Of course, psychotherapy is critical during either ketamine or TMS treatment, or combined therapy. Patients and their families must insist on visiting a clinic that integrates effective talk therapy with all medical treatments.
KETAMINE VS TMS: WHICH THERAPY IS BEST FOR TREATMENT-RESISTANT BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Refractory bipolar disorder frustrates friends and family, as well as doctors and patients. When nothing else has helped, a bipolar patient who presents to a ketamine and TMS facility does not want to waste time figuring out which therapy will work best.
Fortunately, we know through scientific research that the two treatments together, combined TMS and ketamine, are highly effective. If possible, patients should consider combined ketamine and TMS therapy for bipolar disorder.
In some cases, patients will want to choose one therapy over the other. For example, some patients may have an allergy to ketamine, or they have had an adverse reaction in the past.
More likely, there are patients who are afraid of one treatment or the other because of misconceptions. If you are concerned about the effects of ketamine, you may opt for only TMS.
Or, if you are worried about how TMS might affect you, ketamine will be your preferred treatment option. In nearly all cases, concerns about ketamine or TMS are unfounded, but it is important that bipolar patients have a high comfort level with their therapy of choice.
After getting started with either ketamine infusion or transcranial magnetic stimulation, the patient may decide to try the other therapy, or combined TMS/ketamine. It is important that the clinic healthcare professionals work with each patient individually, helping them to feel comfortable moving forward with life-altering medical therapy.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF KETAMINE AND TMS ARE WORKING TO IMPROVE MY BIPOLAR CONDITION?
During ketamine infusion, patients may notice that they feel relaxed and freed from the stress of experiencing manic or depressive episodes. There is a dissociation of awareness and conciousness from the brain and body.
Yet, after the IV infusion therapy is over, the patient may become disheartened when they experience the ups and downs of bipolar disorder again. The effects of ketamine treatment, and TMS, are progressive with each successive treatment.
The improvements can be subtle and not easily identified at first by the patient undergoing treatment. Interestingly, it is often friends or family members who notice a change first.
They may notice that you are more relaxed, and less stressed out with either manic or depressive episodes. As your condition improves, you will find it easier to get along with the loved ones in your life.
Over time, the healthcare staff at your ketamine/TMS clinic will get to know you and they will adjust your therapy to optimize your results. Ketamine assisted therapy and TMS assisted therapy are highly effective for treating bipolar disorder, but each patient must be treated as a unique individual.
Every patient must be offered a customized treatment plan designed for their long-term success in overcoming bipolar disorder. It is possible, with talk therapy, ketamine infusion in Maryland, and TMS for people with bipolar disorder to enjoy a calm, peaceful, and stress-free life
443.940.MOOD 
927 West Street, Annapolis MD 21401