Ketamine FAQs in Green Bay

Absolutely. Ketamine has been used safely for decades in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and in the military around the world. At AVIVA, we have extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of ketamine and know how to carefully administer it. For our mental health patients, the dose is low and given as a slow infusion so you remain awake. For our pain infusions, we are giving a high dose and patients are typically not communicative during the infusion.

As we are expert anesthesia providers, you can trust that you are in qualified hands. We vigilantly monitor your infusions and know how to manage the extremely rare event of a complication. When administered by a highly trained anesthesia provider, ketamine therapy is a safe and effective treatment for mood disorders and chronic pain.

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 is not approved by the FDA for depression, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, postpartum depression, or bipolar disorder. When it is used in this way, it is considered an “off-label” use of the medicine.

Ketamine therapy has shown to be effective for people suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, and drug and alcohol withdrawal.

A meta-analysis of multiple research studies has demonstrated that 70% or more of treatment-resistant patients will experience significant symptom relief after receiving the initial round of six low-dose infusions for mental health. This is a drastic improvement compared to the 40% success rate of traditional antidepressant medications. However, even with such a high success rate, it is important to note that ketamine therapy does not work for everyone.

Ketamine has been shown to be extremely effective in providing relief of chronic nerve pain. It is a potent analgesic but has a different mechanism of action compared to opioids. Ketamine therapy can help patients to significantly decrease their opioid requirements, while some patients will no longer require opioids at all.

Yes, we have seen great results using ketamine therapy for all of these conditions. However, just as with treatment for depression, we can not guarantee that it will work for everyone.

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 period of two to three weeks provides the greatest symptom relief for our mental health patients.

Our pain patients receive an initial series of 4 consecutive infusion days. 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, which is why it is important to monitor each patient’s mood after treatment.

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, but because we administer ketamine in very small doses, this side effect 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.

You will need to have a trusted friend or family member drive you to and from your infusion.  If you would like, they can join you in your room until your infusion begins.  They are then welcome to wait in the waiting area or in their car during your infusion.

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 $395 for each infusion. Chronic Pain infusions are $1000 for each infusion. 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 for an additional $50 fee. 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 Advance Care Card or Cherry.

Advanced Care Card 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.

Cherry is a financing option that provides 0% interest financing for 3 or 6 months if your credit score is over 700.  There are also longer payment options for higher interest rates.  There is no hard hit on your credit for applying and you will know within minutes if/how much you are approved for.  For Cherry, visit https://pay.withcherry.com/avivainfusions.

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 before your visit. We do not allow our patients to receive 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.