Ketamine and Pain Management

Dena Bradford
May 27
2 min read

How Ketamine Works In the field of Pain Medicine | Ketamine for Pain Management

Ketamine is one of the oldest medications around.

It has potent psychoactive effects including hallucination and sedation. Because of the sedative effects, ketamine is widely used as an anesthetic in medical setting.

Psychiatrists also use ketamine to treat severe depression that has not responded to other treatments. More recently, it has gained recognition for its ability to manage chronic pain and support mental health.

In pain management, ketamine works by targeting receptors in the brain that influence pain perception, helping to reset pain signals and provide relief. For many, it offers hope when other treatments haven’t worked.

Ketamine can be used to treat chronic pain conditions involving central sensitization–an increased sensitivity across the senses. This includes CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome), EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), trigeminal neuralgia, and fibromyalgia.

Ketamine’s ability to improve chronic pain symptoms lies in how it interacts with the nervous system. One of its primary effects is on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain. These receptors play a significant role in transmitting pain signals and in the development of central sensitization, a phenomenon where the nervous system becomes overly reactive to pain stimuli.

Because of its unique pharmacology, ketamine is offered to patients as IV infusions. Ketamine acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist, meaning it blocks these receptors. By doing so, it interrupts the pain pathways in the brain and spinal cord, effectively reducing the perception of pain.

Beyond this, ketamine stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters, such as glutamate, which can help reset pain circuits that may have become stuck in a cycle of chronic pain. This mechanism not only alleviates pain in the short term but also has the potential to improve pain processing over time.

What’s more, ketamine’s effects on the nervous system are believed to promote neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to adapt and form new, healthier connections—offering hope for longer-lasting relief.