Specialist in Tampa, FL
Occipital Neuralgia is a type of nerve pain that occurs when the occipital nerves, located at the back of the head and neck, become irritated or inflamed. This condition often causes a throbbing or sharp pain at the base of the skull, radiating to the scalp, and may also involve tingling, numbness, or sensitivity to light. Common triggers include head or neck injuries, muscle tension, or other conditions that put pressure on these nerves.
To learn more about Occipital Neuralgia and possible procedures that can help relieve your pain, contact Tampa Pain MD to schedule a consultation.
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“Dr. Kalava is great. I haven’t had the hopeful feeling of pain relief in many years but today he has given me that back. I am an Occipital Neuralgia patient who has had many failed surgeries, nerve ablations and more. The empty feeling that you are out of options and you are always going to be stuck in pain is something that chronic pain survivors understand. That is why I am so grateful to the doctor here. He has not only seen others with my problem, but he has multiple options to try that are all cutting edge and have great potential to help my situation. He was professional, kind, and having that kind of conversation with a doctor is not always easy to come by. I haven’t been to doctors in Saint Pete, Tampa, Gainesville and even San Francisco for my problem, and I would say this doctor’s bed side manner was one of the best.” – Caroline
Ketamine is an anesthetic medication. It is a schedule 3 dissociative anesthetic, which has shown promising antidepressant effects that are both rapid and robust. It has been safely used for years as the ideal anesthetic in hospital and medical settings. When used under medical supervision, studies have shown ketamine infusions to have significant effects in healing treatment-resistant depression. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines because of its safety and efficacy for anesthesia.
More recently, ketamine has been discovered as a safe and effective treatment for depression, and randomized controlled trials have shown rapid improvement in mood as well as reduction in suicidality compared to people who receive a placebo or another drug. Ketamine has the ability to go to work right away, unlike most antidepressants, which take weeks, sometimes months, to provide relief.
Ketamine infusion therapy is an IV procedure performed in-office by Dr. Kalava. Dr. Kalava & his associates will monitor your response and level of consciousness throughout the infusion.
Please contact our office to discuss Ketamine Infusion Therapy, and see if it is right for you.
The most important factors when choosing a ketamine provider are the doctor’s experience and commitment to providing safe, compassionate care. Dr. Kalava is the nation’s leading practitioner of ketamine infusion therapy and is a recognized expert in the field of anesthesiology.
[Scientific articles on Ketamine published by Dr. Kalava: Article 1 & Article 2 ]
Every patient is unique and deserves special care. Whether determining dose, infusion duration, the number of initial infusions, or the interval between return visits, we make individual assessments and structure ketamine treatments to match each patient’s response and unique needs.
Low dose ketamine is administered by Dr. Kalava, who is a Double Board Certified, Mayo Clinic fellowship trained Anesthesiologist. Ketamine, as we know, is an anesthetic and is best administered under the constant vigilance of a qualified anesthesiologist.
Depending on the medical condition being treated, IV ketamine can be administered over 1 minute, 40 minutes, one hour, or 4 hours. The actual type of treatment will be discussed with you during your initial consultation. The number of infusions and duration of ketamine therapy varies and is individualized. An average of 6-8 treatments are required for a good clinical response.
Mild psychotomimetic (confusion, hallucinations) effects, increase in heart rate, blood pressure, mild headache, and nausea are possible in some patients and are usually well tolerated.
