Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist and provides potent analgesia. It is used in anesthesia to induce a dissociative state. Patients appear to be awake, but are in actuality totally unaware. The question I have is: How long does the analgesia last? It certainly makes sense that in the short term it would provide pain relief, but the drugs effects are terminated. Pre-emptive analgesia has been shown to reduce postoperative pain long-term, but in patients with chronic pain I would question the effectiveness of a single large dose of Ketamine. Ketamine is also used to sedate children for minor painful procedures, to induce general anesthesia, and it is used in vet medicine. Interesting idea, but seems far-reaching to me.

I also suffer from something very similar to RSD, though my Doctor’s hesitate to attach a label. I recently received a nerve stimulator which has been amazing helping to control my pain. I am starting to get my life back, after ten years of inactivity because of the pain, I am starting to enjoy life, ride my bike, walk on the beach, and shop till my friends say enough, none of this was possible 8 months ago.

If I had not found the stimulator, I would be looking up the number to this clinic. Chronic pain affects every part of your life, the chance to reclaim any of it is worth the risk. I say good for her for taking the initiative, more patients need to take control of their own medical future. Look up treatments, question the Doctor’s, get second opinions. Doctor’s can’t know it all, there is to much information about different diseases, treatments etc. You need to become your own patient advocate. I did, and I finally was able to take control of my pain.

I am very disappointed with this report. I have had RSD since an accident in 2002. I have also tried many treatments to help reduce the pain and am going to begin to receive Ketamine Infusions here in the United States in Feb. 2009. The FDA has approved Ketamine Infusions here in the US and doctors are working to get the Ketamine Coma approved. I was at a doctor training session back in September 2007 and was able to hear from Dr. Robert Schwartzman (who will be performing my K- Infusions) who was there to educate other doctors on the available treatments of RSD. He said that Ketamine Infusions will become the standard treatment in the US in the coming years. Doctors here just need to become aware and trained in the protocol involved.

Dr. Schwartzman is the leading doctor in the United States who sends patents from the US to Germany doctors (who have had better results then Mexico) to receive the K-Coma. There are patients coming back in zero pain and have been that way for years! Dr. Schwartzman has created the K-Infusions and had them approved by the FDA. He does these infusions with other anti-hallucinate and anti-nausea medications to combat the side effects. With the Infusions, we are awake. There is a multi day protocol and some insurance companies are covering this procedure. I personally do not like taking narcotics and am always looking for others ways such as Radio Frequency Ablations and blocks. However, if a Ketamine infusions a few times a year can keep me off all medication and invasive procedures the rest of the year, I am all for it. To me this use of Ketamine is life saving. The results are simply put, amazing and I hold much hope for this procedure. I want my life back more than anything and this way is working for many. There is a long waiting list so, please have your pain doctors and neurologist contact Dr. Schwartzman and get the protocol so that we can have more available doctors and facilities around the country who can help us. It is unfortunate that some people on the street abuse Ketamine (Special K). However, if you have RSD (which is the most painful condition known to man according the McGill Pain Scale which is used internationally- worse that cancer, child birth with no medication and worse than amputation), you would know just how big of a miracle that this brings to us. Yes, Ketamine is not a cure, but it is the closest thing we have. Often invisible disabilities are poo poo’ed and shunned.

I ask each of you with no chronic pain to imagine dousing lighter fluid on your arm and setting it on fire and never being able put it out. What would you do to get out of this pain? That is what RSD’ers feels everyday. Although we do have coping mechanisms we learn and practice as we go and we look like normal people we should be given respect! According to the American Pain Foundation, there are over 90 million chronic pain patients in the US. Approximately 5 million of them have RSD. Therefore, it is not as common as other chronic pain disorders, but it does not make it fake or make us drug seeking addicts.

Please check out foundations such as the Power Of Pain Foundation (www.powerofpain.org), RSDSA (RSDS.org), and the American Pain Foundation (www.painfoundation.org) to get more information. Please open your eyes to the life we are forced to live. Until there is a true cure, Ketamine is our greatest hope. (The goal of doing a Ketamine coma or infusion is to get off the daily use of narcotics, get back to being active participants in society and regain or rebuild what we have lost). If you have any further questions, please call 480-502-5818 and I would be happy to explain more on RSD. Please help get RSD awareness to the public. There are many awareness events around the country. Please consider donating to our cause with a donation, attending Comic Pain Relief in Virginia (July 18) and Arizona (Dec 4) or attending an awareness event in your area which we can help set up. Remember the majority of doctors do not study RSD in medical school and when they do, they spend less than a day on the syndrome. However, early detection and proper treatment can put it into remission. If the public and healthcare professionals are trained on the symptoms, it can save us from having to go as far as a Ketamine infusion or coma in the first place.

The only things not mentioned is that they’ve been doing this in Europe for a while now and that there is a high risk of death from secondary infections. It can also only be a temporary relief. The pain can recur within months to a year or not.

My daughter has had RSD for 17 years–acquired following a botched knee surgery. It has been torturous at times FOR ME to SEE HER struggle and suffer so much pain! She is a brilliant lady and has held many great jobs before this happened, Supervisor in a Bank Investment Dept, News reporter and photographer for a newspaper (developing all the film), authoring newsletters for hospitals and coin collector magazines, plus all the photography/developing for them too. She was in the Police Academy, (her degree was in criminal psych and she finally switched fields to be in her “dream of her life” job–police officer) when she fell while running–stepping in a pothole, and injured her knee–resulting in knee surgery. She was 26 and she is now almost 44. She is a valiant sufferer and has tried all avenues known–spinal nerve blocks, etc., and is on high pain meds all these years. SHE WAS ECSTATIC WHEN SHE SENT ALONG THIS ARTICLE TO US–IN TEARS—THAT SOMEONE FINALLY NOTICED REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY SYNDROME AND GAVE IT SOME TIME AND SPACE. THANK YOU FFROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS, FOX NEWS.

As Gretchen pointed out above: the pain can reoccur or not be helped by these procedures for some patients. That is why the condition is known to not have a cure. It is hard to find a cure because RSD is fluid in nature and every patient presents differently (with the four main components being the common thread for us).

Any additional insult to the body after K- treatments can cause RSD to flair up again weather that is one day or 25 years later. On the positive side, there are patients who have had no pain for up to 9 years now after receiving the K-coma procedure, living here in the US. There are some others who it does not help at all. But for those of us who have not yet tried, it is a promising treatment plan. The Ketamine infusions are non-invasive. Unlike other possible treatments such as a spine stimulator which can cause major infections, RSD to spread and a large number of them have it removed after 2 years or less due to it no longer working, leads moving, infections and the like, leaving many with further complications. There are also Lidocaine Infusions, which can work if the Ketamine does not, these too are non-invasive. As far as infections go. Every surgery has a high risk of infection. Risk does not mean death. Even getting your teeth cleaned is a possible cause of infection.

I am happy that the news picked up a story on RSD. I wish they portrayed this woman in a more positive manor. I love Fox News and have it on in the background most of my days. I have to say, Fox has done other reports on RSD that were more positive through the years. I truly believe getting the awareness of RSD and our personal stories out can be done in a positive way so that we can help each other, as well as, help others get the proper treatment right away so they do not have to go through what we are experiencing. I have done a 30 min PSA that aired on three radio stations, TV interviews and have presented at multiple awareness events over the last few years. I think it is important to keep our message positive and uplifting. I too thank Fox News for their coverage and hope there is more to come from Fox as well as other media outlets.

HI MYN NAME IS JAN IVE HAD RSD FOR 11 YEARS I KNOW OF LADY THAT HAS JUST COME BACK FROM MEXICO AND HAD THE SAME KETAMINE COMA DONE ,IM SURE IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THEY COULD BE IN CONRACT WITH EACH OTHER SHE IS IN AMERICA SOMEWHRE BUT WE EMAIL OFTEN I AM FROM AUSTRALIA I USED TO RUN A SUPPORT GROUP FOR RSD AND I NO HAVING CONTACT IS THE BEST THERAPY FOR HEALING IF YOU NEED MORE INFO EMAIL ME ON JANSMITH974@HOTMAIL.COM.AU

DEST OF LUCK JAN
SMILES AND SUNSHINE

Huh… Slightly addled, but on the whole I like this post. You’ve got some fresh ideas. But please, write more lucid.

This is the first article I have read that concerns RSD. I have unfortunately have been dragged around by this bit of nastiness for over 15 years. It strips you of the daily bits of life that make it interesting and enjoyable. There are many treatments out there, some more successful than others. My advice is to find a reputable pain center and make sure that the staff there has received training in this horrible disease. More and more people in the medical community are beginning to study this and are committed to help you. Whatever path you seek to get relief – GO FOR IT. I would not wish this type of pain on my or my counties worst enemy.

Does anyone know of a doctor in the Dallas, Texas area that is giving the ketamine infusions? I am interested in the “awake technique”. I have RSD and have just read this article. So far no one has been able to help me, and it is now spreading.

Thanks.