Ontario clinic treating depression with ketamine

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A new privately-run clinic in Ontario is offering a novel treatment for depression: the drug ketamine.

James Robertson says that visiting the clinic -- the first of its kind in Canada -- has “made all the difference in the world” in his struggles with severe depression.

So far, Robertson has received nine IV infusions of the drug at the Canadian Rapid Treatment Center of Excellence clinic, which is located in a strip mall in Mississauga, Ont., near Toronto. After trying more than two dozen other medications in vain over the years, Robertson says he is finally now putting his life back together.'THIS TREATMENT HAS GIVEN THEM HOPE'

According to the World Health Organization, more than 300 million people suffer from depression globally. In Canada, it is believed that about one quarter of cases are what has been dubbed “treatment resistant depression.” McIntyre’s clinic is the first of its kind in Canada to offer the rapid-acting drug for depression, outside of clinical trials. Such trials have shown that ketamine can be a potent antidepressant, quickly lifting the mood in about 50 per cent of patients and even stopping suicidal ideations in a matter of hours. Scientists, however, admit that they still don’t know exactly how it works, although some believe that it may help grow new cells in the parts of the brain affected by the disorder.

 

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Ketamine therapy will only be 1 sniff per week, in a controlled hospital environment, for a few weeks. No potential for abuse.

Don't K Hole... It's not fun

$750 for one IV infusion, holy crap that's severe exploitation of ppl with severe depression. There's no possible way ketamine could cost that much

If it works, great. OHIP should cover cost.

Private clinic

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