Ketamine for Chronic Pain

Ketamine is a powerful analgesic that works through NMDA receptor blockade — a completely different mechanism from opioids or NSAIDs. This makes it uniquely effective for chronic pain conditions involving central sensitization.

Ketamine infusion therapy for chronic pain typically involves longer sessions (3-4 hours) at higher doses than psychiatric protocols. Many patients achieve months of pain relief from a single treatment series of 3-5 consecutive infusions.