Ketamine FAQs

Ketamine is approved by the FDA for use as an anesthetic and analgesic in the setting of operating rooms and emergency departments. Outpatient ketamine treatment for depression, along with PTSD, anxiety, OCD, postpartum depression, and bipolar disorder are not approved by the FDA. When it is used in this way, it is considered an “off-label” use of the medicine.

While the majority of patients will experience notable symptom relief after their first infusion, others may experience a more gradual improvement. This is a dramatic difference compared to the typical 6-8 week onset of most oral antidepressant medications. Our pain patients usually have symptom relief after their first infusion series.

Research has shown that an initial series of 6 infusions given over a two-three week period provides the greatest symptom relief for our mental health patients. You will then enter the “maintenance phase” and return for booster infusions when you feel that the effects of the ketamine are starting to wear off.

Our pain patients receive an initial series of 4 infusion days. These can be scheduled consecutively or every other day. Some of our pain patients may need a series of up to 10 consecutive days to experience the greatest relief. Once your loading doses are complete, you will then enter the “maintenance phase” and return for boosters as needed.

Every patient is unique. The duration of relief between infusions varies from person to person. Some patients will have relief for 1-2 months while others have longer lasting relief of 3-6 months. They are available as you feel they are needed. This is why ongoing mood monitoring is so important.

Ketamine infusions are extremely well tolerated. It is possible, though uncommon, to experience dizziness or mild nausea. We have IV anti-nausea medications that we can give you if you need them at any time. Hallucinations are a frequent concern, however, with the low doses used, it is extremely rare.

Unless otherwise specified by your doctor, you should continue to take your regular medications. Ketamine therapy often enables one to decrease or completely stop their oral medications. We will collaborate with your provider to guide you through any changes to your medication regimen.

If you prefer to bring someone, they are welcome, but you do not need anyone to accompany you. If you do bring someone, they are welcome to wait in the waiting room or join you in the infusion room. However, even if you arrive alone, you will still require a ride home and will not be able to drive a car for the rest of the day.

Your initial phone consultation will be free. The fee for the infusion will depend on whether you are receiving a mood or pain infusion. Mood infusions are $375 each. The fee for chronic pain infusions is determined by the length of infusion needed. We accept all payment methods, but unfortunately we do not accept insurance or Medicare. However, we are happy to provide the forms for you to submit to your insurance company. We have seen that there are a few companies that provide some amount of reimbursement. We are unfortunately unable to provide forms for Medicare reimbursement.

We provide financing options through Advanced Care Card. It is a medical treatment financing company that provides 0% interest for 14 months for medical treatments. For details please visit their website at https://advancecarecard.com/or call them directly at 1-800-432-9470.

Your phone consultation with the provider typically lasts about 20-45 minutes. We use this time to answer all your questions and concerns, determine if you are an appropriate candidate for ketamine therapy, and formulate a treatment plan for you. Your first ketamine infusion visit will last around 1.5 hours- 2 hours for mental health and 5 hours for pain infusions. Subsequent visits are usually around 90 minutes for mental health infusions. Ketamine infusions last 40 minutes for mental health and 4 hours for pain. You will need to recover from the treatment prior to leaving our office. That includes drinking some water and eating a snack to ensure that you are safe to leave with minimal complications. We do not rush any of our patients. You will remain in our care until it is safe to go home.

Ketamine works in an entirely different way compared to common antidepressant medications. It inhibits NMDA receptors in your brain and leads to increased neuronal activity and the formation of new neuronal connections. This is also why results are seen so much faster with ketamine therapy. Traditional antidepressants take a long time to start working as it takes time for new neurons to form. Ketamine, on the other hand, works by increasing communication between existing neurons.

Though ketamine has been abused when used recreationally, there is no evidence that ketamine is addictive. When given in a clinical environment with controlled administration and dosing, the risk of abuse is exceedingly low.

Possibly. It depends on what your employer tests. If you are a current patient of ours and require a drug test, we will gladly provide records of your infusions, upon your request.

Spravato is the patented nasal form of ketamine with 48% bioavailability. IV ketamine Infusions have 100% bioavailability. At our office we do not offer Spravato due to less favorable outcomes. We understand that insurance covers the medication itself many times with prior authorization, but they do not cover the monitoring fees. Because of that, the cost difference is no different to the patient. So we choose to have a better outcome for our patients with the same out of pocket expense.

For your safety, do not eat any solid foods for at least 6 hours prior to your treatment. However, you can have clear liquids (water, tea, coffee, juice, etc) up to 2 hours prior to your treatment.

No, it is not safe to drive on the day of treatment. You will need a ride home planned out beforehand by either family, a friend. We do not allow our patients to have rides home from ride sharing services.

We recommend getting your treatments on a day when you are not working. You can resume normal function the following day.