All the ketamine for depression clinics are saying that benzos or Lamictal will negate the antidepressant properties of ketamine. Now I know they use benzos with ketamine in surgical settings so the patient doesn't come out of surgery tripping balls but I can't for the life of me figure out why the ketamine for depression clinics are nixing both benzos and lamictal. The Lamictal thing is explained a bit here: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/481584 although they go on to say that although perceptual abnormalities were reduced, mood elevation was increased which goes against what the clinics are recommending
But the benzo thing has me puzzled, I could only really find this case study: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0004867415590631
I must say having taken ketamine with Lamictal and also benzos (not both at the same time) the clinics are right. Benzos and Lamictal attenuate the antidepressant effect of ketamine. I would just like to get a better handle on why because I really need to take both benzos and ketamine, having tried almost every other option. This isn't a DIY thing this is medically supervised so of course I''ll bring it up next time I see my pdoc but I was hoping some of the brilliant minds here could make sense of the benzo,and lamictal contraindications. Because when I try to follow the chain of events that make ketamine do it's antidepressant thing I feel like I need to get a big piece of paper and markers and make a flowchart. It's pretty damn complex.
And to throw another curveball, it looks like the therapeutic effects are not due to NMDAR inhibition by ketamine but rather the action is elsewhere.
NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27144355
But the benzo thing has me puzzled, I could only really find this case study: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0004867415590631
I must say having taken ketamine with Lamictal and also benzos (not both at the same time) the clinics are right. Benzos and Lamictal attenuate the antidepressant effect of ketamine. I would just like to get a better handle on why because I really need to take both benzos and ketamine, having tried almost every other option. This isn't a DIY thing this is medically supervised so of course I''ll bring it up next time I see my pdoc but I was hoping some of the brilliant minds here could make sense of the benzo,and lamictal contraindications. Because when I try to follow the chain of events that make ketamine do it's antidepressant thing I feel like I need to get a big piece of paper and markers and make a flowchart. It's pretty damn complex.
And to throw another curveball, it looks like the therapeutic effects are not due to NMDAR inhibition by ketamine but rather the action is elsewhere.
NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27144355
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