TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Adam Blazak looked at pictures of his time in the Army, thinking back to serving during the Iraq War.
“That’s me in the barracks back at Fort Hood in Texas…” he described with a mix of emotions.
He left the military in 2011 and realized that things weren’t right when it came to his mental health.
He was diagnosed with PTSD and severe depression and is living with suicidal thoughts.
“They never would shut off and it really kind of put a hamper on trying to get things done and stuff,” Blazak said.
A little over a year ago he started using ketamine to treat his mental health issues.
“And it really set those suicidal thoughts to the side where I was able to function a lot more like what I once was able to do before,” he said.
Jennifer Montjoy, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who can prescribe ketamine said the drug can help treat mental health issues.
“For treatment resisted depression. We’re also finding that it’s been very helpful for folks with chronic unretractable post traumatic stress disorder,” Montjoy said.
She said it can be taken orally and through veins or muscles and can help lower anxiety, help people sleep better, and improve someone’s mood.
Blazak got his ketamine at the Ketamine Wellness Centers, which is owned by the company Delic, in Tucson before it closed about 2 weeks ago.
He said he found out about the closure through an email they sent him.
The email read in part, “Due to the inability of Delic to meet the financial commitments of the rapid expansion…we were forced to abruptly close all clinics and the corporate office.”
“It was a bit of shock and I was definitely scared,” Blazak commented.
He said his last treatment was about a month ago and he’s already feeling his mental health issues coming back.
The Ketamine Wellness Centers gave him a list of options but he said many aren’t covered by the V.A.
KGUN9 reporter Andrew Christiansen stopped by the Ketamine Wellness Centers and it was closed and there was no one to talk to.
Last week he also tried calling the number they gave to Blazak, but the number didn’t allow him to leave a voicemail.
He then called them again on Tuesday, but the number was out of service.
He also emailed The Ketamine Wellness Centers and Delic, but didn’t get a response back.
Blazak said the V.A. did find him a center here in Tucson, but they only give ketamine through a nasal spray.
He said that wears off between sessions so he prefers ketamine through an I.V.
However, he said the V.A. isn’t offering him any clinics with I.V. ketamine in Tucson.
Blazak rides his motorcycle as a form of therapy, and as he waits for the right kind of therapy, he’s just riding out hope the V.A. can help him.
“I hope they’re able to find a solution that is workable for them and for us veterans as well,” he said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
