About Chronic Migraine and Ketamine
Do you know someone who often suffers from severe headaches? These are called migraines.
Some people have them almost every day, and this condition is known as chronic migraine. Usually, these people need to visit a specialist to get treated.
One type of treatment is a medicine called ketamine. It’s often given to patients through a needle in their vein, which is known as an intravenous infusion.
But there’s a new way to take ketamine that might be easier and more convenient. It’s a nasal spray!
A Study on Nasal Ketamine Spray
In 2020, a group of researchers did a study to see if this nasal spray works for people with chronic migraines.
They looked at the experiences of 242 people who were given nasal ketamine spray at a headache center.
Of these, 169 people (who were mostly women and around 44 years old) shared their thoughts about the treatment.
Many of these people had headaches every day. Almost all of them had tried at least 3 different kinds of preventative medicines.
Some of them wanted to use the nasal spray because other medicines only helped a little. Some had tried ketamine before and liked it. Some tried a different medicine called lidocaine and it didn’t work for them.
What the People Said
People in the study reported using the spray around 6 times over 10 days each month.
About half of them said the spray was “very effective,” and almost 40% found it “somewhat effective.” Over one third said their quality of life improved a lot because of it.
When asked to compare the nasal spray to other pain relief drugs, about 43% said the nasal spray was “much better” and almost 30% said it was “somewhat better.”
Many of them reported using fewer other pain relievers when using the nasal spray.
The side effects were mainly feeling tired and having blurry vision. Some people also reported feeling confused or having vivid dreams. But these side effects didn’t last long.
Some Considerations and Conclusions
However, there are some things to consider about this study. The researchers say that the results might not apply to everyone.
This is because the study mainly involved young White women. It’s also hard to tell how much the spray helped by itself because most people were using other medicines too.
It’s also important to note that there are no official guidelines on the best dose of the spray yet. And at the time of the study, the nasal ketamine spray hadn’t been approved for treating headaches or pain.
The researchers also warned that some people might use the spray too much. This could lead to dependency, which means they might feel like they can’t manage without it.
In conclusion, the researchers think that the nasal ketamine spray could be a good option for people with chronic migraines who haven’t found relief from other treatments.
However, they say more studies are needed to confirm this. They also recommend that doctors should be careful when considering this treatment and only give it to patients who really need it.
If you care about pain, please read studies about why cholesterol-lowering drug statins can cause muscle pain, and new device to treat pain without using drugs.
For more information about wellness, please see recent studies that common painkiller ibuprofen may strongly influence your liver, and Jarlsberg cheese could help prevent bone thinning disease.
The study was published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.
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