Treatment For Chronic Cancer Pain
Chronic, refractory pain is among the most devastating complications that results from cancer — more than 90 percent of patients with advanced stages of cancer report uncontrolled pain. Inadequate pain control in cancer patients can result from a wide range of reasons, from disease progression to intolerance to traditional types of pain medications.
Florida Mind Health Center, a ketamine treatment center in Gainesville, FL, offers treatment for individuals who suffer from chronic pain due to cancer and cancer treatment. Contact us for more information about the benefits of ketamine therapy for mood conditions and chronic pain.
What Is Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Ketamine is a type of pain relief and anesthetic medication that is widely recognized among pain management professionals as a non-invasive, effective, and safe treatment option for chronic pain in cancer patients both during and after cancer treatment. The ketamine infusion targets and slows the transmission of pain messages from pain-sensing nerves in the body to the brain. This may reduce pain levels and promote a feeling of relaxation in the patient. Ketamine therapy, or ketamine infusion therapy, is administered intravenously for optimal treatment results. Both the duration of treatment and the dosage prescribed during therapy typically varies from patient to patient, but most treatment sessions last approximately 4–6 hours.
What Causes Cancer Pain?
Cancer pain can range in severity from mild to extreme and has a number of causes. The most prevalent causes of chronic cancer pain include the progression of the disease or as a result of medical testing and cancer treatment. The degree of pain experienced largely depends upon the type and location of the cancer, the severity of the disease, and whether cancer treatments have resulted in damage to the body. Cancer pain is typically categorized either as acute pain or chronic pain.
Acute pain ranges from mild to severe and is characterized by sudden pain that occurs and dissipates within in a relatively brief amount of time. Chronic pain also ranges from mild to severe and either persists or progresses in severity over an extended period of time. Inadequate pain relief for cancer patients is common among those who suffer from chronic pain, whether due to intolerance of cancer pain medication, the progression of the disease, or cancer treatment side effects.
Pain From Cancer Treatment
Common cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, account for a significant percentage of chronic cancer pain, including the following types of pain.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain, or nerve pain, occurs when cancer treatment results in nerve damage and can be characterized by burning, sharp and shooting pain. This type of pain may also be caused by pressure on the nerves or spinal cord. Nerve pain may result from radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, among other types of cancer treatments.
Phantom Pain
Phantom pain occurs in a part of the body that has been removed and is a type of pain commonly experienced by cancer patients who have lost a body part. For example, a patient may experience pain within the breast area following the removal of the breasts (mastectomy).
Pain From Cancer
Pain may also result from a tumor pressing on bones, nerves, organs, or other parts of the body. Common bone pain occurs when cancer spreads to the bones or as a side effect of cancer medications prescribed to prevent the reduction of white blood cells following cancer treatments.
Benefits Of Ketamine Infusion Therapy For Cancer Patients
When administered by a ketamine clinic, ketamine treatment is an effective adjuvant analgesic which can provide adequate pain relief while decreasing the necessity for the use of traditional cancer pain relief medications, such as opioids. Ketamine treatment from Florida Mind Health Center is fast acting, safe, and poses no long-term side effects.
Fast-Acting Cancer Pain Management
Individuals who suffer from chronic cancer pain feel the effects of ketamine therapy shortly after the start of intravenous (IV) ketamine cancer pain treatment. Patients experience a marked improvement to the severity and duration of chronic cancer pain within days of treatment.
Non-Invasive & Safe Pain Relief
This form of cancer pain relief is among the safety anesthetic options, as it poses little-to-no impact on circulatory and respiratory systems when compared with traditional cancer pain medications and anesthetic drugs — ketamine is both safe and effective.
No Long-Term Side Effects
Subanesthetic doses of ketamine for pain in cancer patients poses a lower risk of side effects, such as delirium, hallucinations, and dysphoria, which are common side effects of morphine and other types of pain relief medication.
Who Is A Candidate For Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
The best way to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for ketamine pain management for cancer patients is to contact Florida Mind Health Center. However, you may be a candidate for ketamine infusion therapy if you experience negative side effects from other pain medications; experience an inadequate degree of relief from other pain medications; and you have pain — following and/or during cancer treatment — that is difficult to control. Contact our ketamine treatment center today to schedule an appointment for treatment.