Ketamine Medical Clinic Sees Growing Interest From Those Battling Depression
MIAMI – More people suffering from depression, chronic pain, PTSD or suicidal tendencies are finding relief through a drug originally developed in the 1960s as a anesthetic.
Ketamine continues to grow in popularity as an option for alleviating depression and other maladies. Clinics that administer the drug have opened around the country, including the Ketamine Medical Clinic in Miami (www.ketaminemedicalclinic.com).
“Some researchers have called ketamine the most important discovery in half a century," says Aimee Cabo Nikolov, administrator of the clinic, which is a division of the Neurosciences Medical Clinic.
“Combined with other therapies, such as TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and psychotherapy, this is a totally new approach to successful treatment.”
Nikolov, who has a background in nursing, operates the clinic with her husband, Boris, and a team of medical professionals. She says recent research suggests that ketamine can provide powerful relief – even to people whose depression has repeatedly failed to respond to other medications and to those who are suicidal.
It’s only fairly recently that ketamine became popular as a drug for battling such troubling mental-health conditions as PTSD and depression. Originally, ketamine was developed as an anesthetic in the early 1960s, but it wasn’t long before people began using it as a recreational drug that was known on the streets as Special K.
It’s still used as an anesthetic, but over time some in the medical profession began to realize it could be used to treat depression and PTSD.
Nikolov says that patients at the Ketamine Medical Clinic receive treatment that is individualized for their specific situation. Generally, though, that means six to eight initial ketamine infusions two times a week. That’s followed by boosters, which can be one infusion every two to six weeks.
“Our medical team assesses each patient with the goal of creating a custom recovery plan for that person,” Nikolov says. “We follow protocols for ketamine therapy that help them have a smooth recovery and access to an improved life.”
About Aimee Cabo Nikolov
Aimee Cabo Nikolov is administrator of the Ketamine Medical Clinic in Miami (www.ketaminemedicalclinic.com). She is also president and owner of IMIC Inc., a medical research company. Nikolov has a bachelor of science degree in nursing and is also the author of Love is the Answer, God is the Cure. She and her husband, Dr. Boris Nikolov, have three children, Danielle, Sean and Michelle.
