Frequently Asked Questions

Current studies show Ketamine administration can have profound anti-depressant effects with patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder including Postpartum Depression.  In addition, Ketamine treatment has positive effects with other psychiatric disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Suicidal Ideation.  Furthermore, Ketamine therapy can treat Fibromyalgia, migraines, and even certain pain syndromes.

Ketamine treatment helps repair and regulate areas in the brain and body responsible for transmitting and receiving certain neurotransmitters. Ketamine blocks the NMDA receptor which can help with pain relief and mood stabilization, making it an ideal treatment option for patient’s suffering from mood disorders and chronic pain.

Approximately 70-75% of patients will have a positive response to Ketamine infusion therapy.

The results vary depending on the amount of infusions received. The effects of a single infusion last from a couple of days to approximately 1-2 weeks.  A series of 6 infusions over a 2-week period can last from weeks to months. Typically, when the effects begin to wear off, a single “booster” infusion can restore the effects.

Ketamine is an extremely safe drug.  As physicians and anesthesia providers we administer Ketamine on a regular basis.

There are not any documented long-term side effects with Ketamine infusions.  However, patients will most often feel tired after receiving the infusion. At times patients will experience a mild temporary headache and or nausea. If so, anti-nausea medication and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or Tylenol will be given orally. These side effects only last for a few hours.

Patients with severe cardiac history or pulmonary problems, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled high blood pressure, increased intracranial pressure, glaucoma, active psychotic hallucinations/delusions, substance abuse, current manic phase of bipolar disorder. MAOI medications are not compatible with Ketamine infusions and effectiveness of treatment may be decreased with benzodiazepines, opioid pain medications, and high doses of Lamictal.

Before your first treatment, you fill out a short depression and anxiety forms that serve as the baseline for treatment. We will follow up after each infusion and adjust the treatment accordingly.  Everyone is different and the onset of effects vary. It is possible to notice effects immediately after the treatment, 2-4 hours after treatment, or up to 24 hours after treatment. Typically effects are noticed in the 2-4 hour post-treatment period.

Each patient and treatment regimen is different.  Some patients will experience long term relief after one series of infusion.  Ketamine infusion therapy is the only effective treatment for resistant symptoms.  For these patients, an individualized maintenance program will be implemented in which the patient will return for single booster infusions on an intermittent basis.

Typical antidepressants take weeks to months to work.  There are many of these types of drugs and the only reliable way to determine if it the medication is effective and well-tolerated is by trial and error.  Thus, a patient may wait weeks for the drug to work only to find out it does not. In addition, these medications have common side effects such as weight gain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal disturbances, and emotional blunting.  The side effects of Ketamine infusions are only during the infusion period. Even though Ketamine infusion is a new, effective treatment option, not all patients will respond to the treatment.

Current studies do not demonstrate the potential for addiction or abuse when administered in a controlled and monitored environment.