Ketamine was FDA approved in the 1960s. It has been used as a dissociative anesthetic and analgesic for decades. Ketamine is listed on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. Ketamine infusions have been successfully used to treat depression. When used as an antidepressant, ketamine is given at a low dosage to prevent anesthetic effects. Ketamine infusions offer new hope for those suffering depression who have tried everything else. Ketamine is a highly effective and successful drug that is able to treat some of the worst cases of depression.

Ketamine has been very successful and has been shown to offer symptom relief in over 70% of patients. ​ Traditional antidepressants have a 40% success rate, and take weeks or months to have an effect. Each patient’s body and mind is different, no two patients are alike. Everybody will experience different results after receiving ketamine infusion treatment. Some patients feel an immediate shift in their attitude and mood for the better, while others feel the fog of depression lifting gradually.  With such a high success rate, and relatively low risk, we are confident that most patients will find relief in a predicable amount of time.

As with most medications and drugs, ketamine can be abused in large doses recreationally. Ketamine is not a physically addictive substance. When used as a depression treatment, the ketamine is administered in much smaller doses. Each treatment is only administered in our clinic, and we do not send our patients home with prescriptions for ketamine.

When Ketamine is administered for depression it is done in small, safe doses. Ketamine infusions can only be administered under supervision in our clinic. Our patients are never given prescriptions for ketamine. Patients are never allowed to take and administer ketamine infusions at home.

All patients must first qualify to receive any ketamine infusion treatments. In order to qualify, each patient much complete and submit a set of patient intake forms. Some of these forms require a signature from your primary care doctor or mental health care provider.  Once completed, an initial consultation is scheduled.  During this consultation, your symptoms and medications are reviewed, any remaining questions are answered, and then you will receive the first infusion in one of the medication administration rooms.​

Sometimes, some patients experience nausea while receiving their infusion. As a result, we encourage each of our patients to avoid eating solid foods, soup, or pulpy juices six hours prior to their appointment. If the nausea persists, we are prepared to supplement your infusion with anti-nausea medication.

Please arrive to our clinic 15-minutes earlier than each scheduled appointment time.

For depression, a ketamine infusion typically lasts around 45 minutes. However, for treating chronic pain, an infusion can last for up to 4-hours depending on the severity.

During each infusion we closely monitor your heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. Although it is uncommon, at times some of our patients experience non-threatening hallucinations.  This is likely due to an increased level of epinephrine and cortisol — stress — over receiving the treatment. Therefore, we try to make each experience as relaxing and comfortable as possible.  Since each patient will remain awake and alert during their infusion, many pass the time by listening to music during their appointment.  Please feel free to bring ear buds or headphones with you to your appointment.

We ask that each patient remain at the clinic for 30 minutes following each infusion. Although most patients do not experience any side-effects after this time, we still monitor them during this time before permitting a family member or friend to take them home.  It is also not recommended to operate any heavy machinery for 24 hours following treatment.

All patients should consult their health care providers and should continue all their regular medications until they are instructed to do otherwise. Each patient’s medications are reviewed before receiving any infusions to ensure there are no potential interactions.