Migraines

What are Migraines?

Migraine headaches are painful, throbbing headaches that usually develop on one side of the head and are often associated with hypersensitivity and nausea, among other symptoms. Many patients experience migraine attacks that are triggered by stress, imbalances in brain chemicals, food additives, hormonal changes, certain medications, and alcohol consumption. Each migraine attack can last from couple of hours to couple of days if left untreated.

Each year, American workers miss over 113 million workdays due to migraines making the chronic illness the sixth most debilitating in the world.

Conventional Therapies for Migraines

Trigger prevention is one of most effective ways to avoid migraine headaches.Conventional therapies for migraine include:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)such as Advil, Motrin
• Ergot alkaloids, such as DHE
• Triptans
• Narcotic medications
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator device (TMS)
• Cold packs
• Accupuncture
• Cold packs
• Medications for elevated blood pressure
• Anti-epileptic medications
• Vitamin B12 supplementation
• Yoga
• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)
• Botox (FDA approved for use in adults who areage 18 and older)

Why Choose Ketamine?

Despite the high worldwide prevalence and numerous effective treatments available, still some people experience refractory migraines, notorious to treat with all these conventional therapies.

Several promising studies reveal ketamine infusions can provide relief from a migraine attack by reducing a pain score significantly. A recent study showed that three-fourth of patients reported significant pain relief from between three and seven days of ketamine treatment. Another study showed that outpatient ketamine therapy decreases pain scores in half across five groups of patients with migraine headaches.

How Does Ketamine Work

Although we don’t know the exact mechanism, we know that ketamine acts on a specific type of receptor in the brain called the NMDA receptor and that blocking it changes the way the brain forms connections. Research is ongoing in NY but preliminary data suggest that patients with refractory migraine have good reason to be hopeful with the migraine ketamine treatment. Besides, ketamine infusions for migraines also lack the same addictive qualities as opiates.

Why Choose Ketamine Wellness Medical Practice?

• Each infusion is administered and supervised by our highly experienced ketamine specialists. Our practice follows NIMH protocol but as one size does not fit all, each patient receives the safest and most effective personalized ketamine infusion protocol. 
• We do understand that most patients and their family members likely have a busy schedule. To make sure ketamine sessions don't interfere with their work schedule, our practice does offer sessions in the evening and over the weekends.
• We focus on our patients to get better without worrying about committing to six sessions. Patient only pay for the session they receive.
• Provider signed documentation is available on the day of infusion if patient prefers to file the insurance claim for each ketamine session individually.
• Once our ketamine specialist approves the ketamine therapy, every effort is made to schedule new patients within a week.
• We are proud to say that we have not seen any major adverse reactions in any of our patients. 
• Recently, we have seen uptrend in partial insurance reimbursements to our patients. Our superbill provides all the necessary information that most insurances require to process the claims.

If you or someone you know is suffering from this disorder, you may be able to experience rapid relief. Please contact us now for a consultation to see if you would be an ideal candidate for ketamine infusions.