Why I Tried Ketamine for My Depression

By Ava Meena

1 min read

Treating depression can be a complicated journey. Not every medication works for every person, and the process of finding the right treatment can be grueling. People with treatment-resistant depression, or those who cannot tolerate typical anti-depressants, often need to search for alternative treatments.

I found myself unable to tolerate several anti-depressants because they worsened my already severe dryness from lupus and Sjögren’s. I hit some scary lows with my depression and decided to try using low-dose ketamine.

Ketamine, depression, and lupus pain

I’m grateful that I tried ketamine, despite the cost and difficulty of access, because it’s taken me on a powerfully introspective and helpful journey over the past 4 months. It’s helped with my depression as well as my chronic migraines. It's also coincided with a significant decrease in my lupus joint pain and flare-ups, but I’m not sure yet if it’s the reason for the decrease.

Watch this video to learn more about my decision to try ketamine for depression and my experience with it so far.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Lupus.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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CommunityMember1568 Member
I got my lupus diagnosis in August 2022. I was dealing with a traumatic event in my life when i got my diagnosis. My husband had just been hit on his motorcycle at 5am and my neighbors found him at 535 unconscious on the side of the road we live on. He was ambulanced to an airstrip and flight for life to Vanderbilt in Nashville. He had to have a hemicranotomy due to a severe subdural hematoma and bleed. I was a mess, pain levels through the roof. Not sure how i made it through the whole ordeal. My husband is a walking miracle. I have been dealing with depression for years. My NP thinks my PTSD is complex. Im also having severe agoraphobia and anxiety. Im super interested in more information on low dose ketamine. Im fed up with the chronic migraines, depression and social anxiety. 
1. GabbyFormica Community Admin
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMember1568" user-id="4525261"/>, I'm so sorry for the pain you and your family have experienced! Have you already talked to your doctor about trying a low-dose ketamine treatment? Gabby (team member)
2. Ava Meena Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMember1568" user-id="4525261"/> that does sound like an incredibly traumatic event and it must be hard to process everything you and your husband went through. I'm so grateful to hear that he is doing okay. Dealing with lupus, PTSD, anxiety, depression, migraines, and more is a ton to handle. I have dealt with agoraphobia-like anxiety on and off throughout the years and I know how isolating it can be. If you want to try low dose ketamine the availability varies greatly by state. It's also quite expensive unfortunately. Some people choose ketamine infusions instead, but they are higher doses. I used a company called Mindbloom to start out with my low dose ketamine therapy, I'm not necessarily recomending them, but it was the only option in my state at the time; there are many other online companies out there. Whatever path you end up taking, I hope that you are able to find some relief for those issues. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I'm wishing you the best. Please keep us updated! -Ava, <a href='https://lupus.net' target='_blank'>lupus.net</a> team