Ketamine has delivered improvements to treatment-resistant depression where other drugs have failed in trials.
But before that she takes a ketamine nasal spray — a drug she says helps manage her treatment-resistant depression.She said the benefits really started when the effects of the drug wore off. After years of studies with some promising outcomes, it is one of a few publicly funded clinics nationwide offering the drug.One in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime, according to the Black Dog Institute.Seeking medical advice about treatment for depression is wiser than taking Elon Musk's advice on which drugs to use.
It caught the eye of Associate Professor Shanthi Sarma, who runs the clinic Ms Neale visits for treatment.While some people did not feel relief, those who participated were 10 times more likely to see their symptoms improve. But Professor Emmerson said ketamine treatments could be scaled up once clearer protocols had been determined."I can see that happening over the next couple of years … and ultimately the way to make this more widely available is to get it covered by Medicare," he said.