Long-Covid Syndrome - treatment with Ketamine and rTMS
Long Covid / Post Covid Syndrome is a condition associated with symptoms that are present after a covid infection and persist for more than 6 months. It is also called “chronic fatigue”.
A not inconsiderable proportion of patients develop long-term consequences after a Covid-19 infection. The frequency varies between 10% and over 70% depending on the study. Symptoms such as general weakness (fatigue), depression, and smell and taste disorders are particularly common.
Typical symptoms for long covid / post covid syndrome:
- Memory and concentration problems
- Extreme fatigue, similar to the flu
- Sleep disturbances, non-restorative sleep, leg movements and twitching at night
- Exertion worsens symptoms for more than 24 hours
- Muscle and joint pain without redness or swelling
- headache
- Sore throat
- Sensitive lymph nodes on the neck/under the armpits
- Depressive moods
- Fever
- Visual disturbances
- Pronounced fatigue,
- tiredness and reduced resilience
A particularly typical feature of Long Covid is that physical exertion usually aggravates the condition, sometimes resulting in flu-like symptoms.
Many of these symptoms also appear in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). In chronic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, there are studies that indicate the effectiveness of both ketamine as well as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation . Since both methods have long been used by us to treat depression which is also often part of the post-Covid symptoms, we have conducted a study on this.
Initial results show that significant and rapid improvements in fatigue, depression and even in smell and taste disorders can be achieved in most patients.
Since both procedures show practically no relevant side effects after excluding possible contraindications, we have decided to regularly include the treatment of long-Covid patients in our therapy offer. As in our study design, we offer 6 ketamine infusions together with 20 units of rTMS over two weeks. Depending on the individual situation, this procedure can of course also be modified.
Long Covid Treatment
The young woman in the video participated in our Long Covid / post Covid study in our practice in Munich. The study is for the treatment of Post Covid Syndrome with ketamine infusions and rTMS.
After two weeks of treatment, the fatigue symptoms and the accompanying depressive moods had decreased significantly, so that she has been able to cope with her life much better since then.
The young man in this YouTube video is another of the study participants in our practice in Munich for the treatment of Post Covid Syndrome with ketamine infusions and rTMS.
After just over two weeks of treatment, he had improved from 60 to 11 on the Fatigue Severity Scale. His life is also largely back to the way it was before the Covid-19 illness.
Similar symptoms of post covid , also called chronic fatigue, also occur in other diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, fibromyalgia or certain viral infections. Treatments with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have already been successfully performed for these conditions.
We extend rtMS treatment for Long Covid Syndrome in parallel with ketamine infusions, which stimulates brain plasticity, the brain’s capacity to build new and functional connectivity. rTMS synergistically enhances the effect of ketamine therapy and provides a more sustained improvement in Long Covid symptoms. Our treatments are scientifically monitored.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), which occurs with Long Covid, differs from other fatigue conditions primarily in that physical exertion usually exacerbates the condition for more than 24 hours, and flu-like symptoms sometimes occur.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) proposes a definition of chronic fatigue syndrome that is limited to the main symptoms of the condition. According to the IOM, three of the following symptoms must be persistently present for a diagnosis to be made:
- A new onset of substantial limitation in occupational, educational, social, or personal activities lasting longer than six months and accompanied by fatigue.
- fatigue after physical exertion
- non-restorative sleep
In addition, at least one of the following two symptoms must be present:
- cognitive impairment (e.g. impaired memory, attention and information processing [slowing])
- orthostatic intolerance
Study on Long Covid
In our practices, we already successfully treat various clinical pictures such as depression and other neurological and mental illnesses with ketamine infusions in combination with rTMS and have had good experience with this form of treatment.
The rTMS treatments are performed by specialized staff and under the supervision of medical specialists.
Our studies demonstrate the efficacy of combination therapy with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and ketamine therapy in the treatment of long covid as well.
The study we conducted in our practice in Munich examined the treatment of Long Covid with the gentle and targeted procedure of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in combination with ketamine infusions.
In this procedure, the ketamine promotes brain plasticity and targets the brain region responsible for fatigue with magnetic stimulation.
Treatment with rTMS in combination with ketamine therapy is harmless and painless.
After the positive results in our studies, we now offer this treatment in our practices in Berlin and Munich and our clinic in Mallorca.
Literature:
Xingming Wang, Jianjun Yang, Kenji Hashimoto (2022) (R)-ketamine as prophylactic and therapeutic drug for neurological disorders: Beyond depression
Leorey N. Saligan et al (2019) J Affect Disord.: Disentangling the Association of Depression on the Anti-fatigue Effects of Ketamine
Sasaki Nobuyuki: The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine (2022) Brain fog associated with Long COVID and therapeutic intervention using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).
Paola Ortelli et al. (2021) Journal of Neurological Science: Neuropsychological and neurophysiological correlates of fatigue in post-acute patients with neurological manifestations of COVID-19: Insights into a challenging symptom
W Kakuda , R Momosaki , N Yamada, M Abo – Internal Medicine, 2016 : High-frequency rTMS for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome: a case series
If you are interested in Long Covid treatment with rTMS and Ketamine infusions, please feel free to contact us without obligation:
Do you have further questions?
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Whether you are interested in treatment for yourself or a relative, or if you are a referring physician and would like more information, we will be happy to answer your questions. Simply write to us or call us: 0049 89 45670607
