Getting Started with Ketamine Therapy
1. Find out if Ketamine therapy is right for you
Take our interactive quiz and find out if you're a candidate for Ketamine treatments. Book a consultation appointment with our provider.
2. Speak with our provider
Our provider will obtain a medical history and discuss what to expect during your treatment. Schedule an appointment for your treatment sessions once we complete your consultation.
3. Embark on the path to your greatest self
Begin your Ketamine infusions! Ideally, treatments should be weekly for highest remission rates. However, even a single treatment has shown significant benefit.
Your First Ketamine Experience
Preparation
Our caring medical team is here to guide you through your first experience, ensuring both your mind and body are fully prepared. Feel free to ask any questions you have! We’re here through every step of your journey.
Your First Experience
The onset of IV Ketamine is approximately 3-4 minutes. Initial sensations may include feelings of soaring over scenic landscapes, floating in a sea of water, or viewing the world below like a bird in the sky. As the infusion ends, patients gradually return to their bodies. The half-life of Ketamine is approximately 3 hours, and most patients return to their baseline within 3-4 hours.
Build Your Foundation
After your treatment, you may feel dissociation, drowsiness, and increased blood pressure. Remember, the therapeutic effects of Ketamine manifest more substantially in the days following infusion. During this period, engage in positive behaviors and therapies to assist with the neuroplasticity benefits of your treatment.
Continuing The Journey
Personalized Plan
Our clinic provides personalized ketamine treatment based on weight-adjusted dosing. We offer both intramuscular and intravenous administration routes. Patients can choose between receiving treatment at our clinic or in the comfort of their home. Subsequent treatments will be tailored based on individual responses.
Post-experience Sessions
After your infusion, we offer a quick optional one-on-one session to evaluate your experience. Talk it out! We want to hear about your epiphanies.
Weekly Check-ins
Our work doesn’t stop after we complete your infusion. We check in with our patients every week to assess the efficacy of the infusion and track the progress of your treatment. We offer medications for any side effects you’re experiencing including Zofran for nausea. If you’ve completed your treatment regimen, we offer Ketamine booster treatments to help you recover from any decline in your condition.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Targets Key Brain Chemical: Ketamine works by targeting a key chemical in the brain called glutamate, which affects memory and learning
- Promotes Brain Cell Growth: It's also thought to affect brain cell growth and function. This can help change negative thought patterns that contribute to depression
- Boosts Brain Function: By giving a boost to the glutamatergic system (the system that glutamate is part of), it may help people struggling with depression to feel like their brain is working more harmoniously
- Fast-Acting: Unlike standard antidepressants which generally take several weeks to provide relief, ketamine can provide rapid relief of depression symptoms, lasting for days to weeks
- Intravenous (IV): This is the most common and preferred method, especially in anesthesia and emergency settings. It allows for rapid onset of action and precise control over dosing
- Intramuscular (IM): This is an alternative when IV access is difficult or impractical. It offers relatively rapid absorption and onset of action.
- Check-Up: Doctors make sure you're safe to receive ketamine and explain the process to you.
- Getting Ready: A needle is put into a vein, usually in your arm, and your heart rate and blood pressure are watched closely.
- Ketamine Preparation: The ketamine is prepared and watered down if needed, then given through a machine that controls how fast it goes into your body.
- During the Treatment: You're watched for any signs of sleepiness, feeling like you're not connected to reality, or bad reactions. The speed of the treatment or dose can be changed if needed.
- After the Treatment: Once the treatment is done, you're watched until you're fully awake and your heart rate and blood pressure are stable.
- Going Home: Doctors check for any remaining effects, give you instructions for going home, and schedule any follow-up visits if needed.
- How They Work: - Ketamine: It works on a chemical in your brain called glutamate. It can provide relief quickly, often within hours to days - Antidepressants (like SSRIs and SNRIs): They work by increasing levels of certain chemicals in your brain. But they usually take several weeks to start working.
- Effectiveness: - Ketamine: It has shown remarkable results, especially for people whose depression hasn't improved with other treatments. It can provide rapid relief, and improvements in mood have been observed in clinical trials. - Antidepressants: They are effective for many people, but the response rates may vary. Some people may need to try different types to find the most suitable one.
- Speed of Relief: - Ketamine: It's known for its fast action, which is valuable for those in immediate distress. - Antidepressants: They generally take several weeks to provide relief.
- Out-of-Body Experience: Some patients have described feeling like they're having an out-of-body experience.
- Altered Perception of Time: Others have said that time seems to move differently, perhaps more quickly or more slowly.
- Changed Reality Perception: Some people mention that their perception of reality is altered. For example, people might look unusually tall or the sound of their voice might seem different.
- Sense of Calm and Relaxation: Many people compare taking ketamine for depression to a psychedelic "trip". While the experience is different for everyone, many people feel a sense of overwhelming calm and relaxation.
- Immediate Relief: Ketamine can provide rapid relief from depression symptoms, often within hours to days. This is a significant advantage over traditional antidepressants, which can take weeks to start working.
- Long-Term Relief: The relief from depression symptoms can last for days to weeks after treatment. Regular infusions have shown response rates as high as 70%
- Potential for Long-Term Brain Health: Some researchers believe that ketamine may help reverse damage to brain cell connections caused by chronic stress. This could potentially protect against depression relapse.