Ketamine: A New Frontier in Psychiatric Treatment

Are you struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or OCD? Have you tried medication in the past, and it either didn’t work or caused intolerable side effects? Are you open to new ideas, and ready to invest in yourself and your future happiness? If so, ketamine may be a good treatment option for you. In this post, we answer frequently asked questions about this exciting new way to go deep, understand yourself, and maximize your mental health.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a drug that has been used in anesthesia since the 1960s. It was first used in psychiatric treatment in the early 1970s, but was considered an unproven, radical treatment for many years. More recently, a growing body of research has shown that ketamine can be a safe, highly effective treatment for psychiatric conditions. Although ketamine is not technically a new drug, it is newly accepted as an evidence based treatment in mainstream psychiatric treatment.

What does ketamine treatment help with?

Ketamine can be used to treat depression (major depression, bipolar depression, and treatment resistant depression), anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and chronic pain conditions.

How does ketamine work? How is ketamine different from other antidepressant and antianxiety medications?

Most antidepressant and antianxiety medications work by changing levels of the monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Ketamine has minor effects on these neurotransmitters, but its predominant effect is on glutamate. This is why it can work even when other medications have failed.

By modifying glutamate neurotransmission, ketamine reduces damaging excitotoxicity and inflammation, and increases levels of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which increases neuroplasticity. In a nutshell, it helps your brain heal and create new neural pathways, and helps you develop new, healthier thought patterns, leading to improvement in psychiatric symptoms.

How effective is ketamine?

Ketamine is remarkably effective for the majority of patients who complete a full course of treatment. Clinical trials have shown that ketamine achieves clinically meaningful improvement in up to 70% of patients, even when they have tried multiple medications unsuccessfully in the past. When combined with ketamine assisted therapy, the effects are even better and longer lasting.

Is ketamine safe? What are the side effects?

When ketamine treatment is administered to patients age 18 and up, and monitored by trained psychiatric professionals like our providers, it is very safe.

Severe adverse effects are very rare, but include elevated blood pressure, difficulty breathing, allergic reactions, bladder problems, and psychosis. Ketamine should not be used by people who have uncontrolled hypertension, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, thyroid disease, liver disease, kidney or bladder disease, substance abuse disorders, or psychotic disorders; or a history of heart attack, stroke, or conditions that cause elevated intracranial or intraocular pressure.

Common side effects include nausea, dizziness, impaired coordination, and drowsiness. Your provider will give you instructions for what to do before and after treatment to minimize the risk of side effects.

Is ketamine addictive?

Ketamine can be addictive if used inappropriately, ie: recreational use or chronic administration. When prescribed and administered appropriately, it is not addictive.

Do I have to stop my current psychiatric medications to have ketamine treatments?

You should continue taking your current psychiatric medications while having ketamine treatments. However, after treatments are completed, some patients can reduce their dosages or even stop some of their medications.

What are ketamine treatments like at Owl & Eagle?

Our treatments are very different from what other ketamine clinics provide. Most clinics put you in a medical exam room, hook up the IV or give you an injection, and leave you alone during treatments, which can be scary.

We use sublingual ketamine lozenges, so there are no needles involved, and treatments are in a very cozy, comfortable room that looks like a living room. You will never be left alone during the treatments, your provider or therapist will be with you the entire time. If you like, we can use aromatherapy and music to create a very relaxing, spa-like environment.

We also provide ketamine assisted therapy during your treatments, which is not typically included. Most clinics either do not provide therapy at all, or they do not provide therapy concurrently with the ketamine treatments. Research has shown that ketamine assisted therapy can enhance and prolong the benefits of ketamine treatment.

Each treatment is about 2-3 hours long. Your prescribing provider will meet with you, take your vital signs, and complete some pre-treatment assessments with you. They will administer the medication and monitor you until it starts to take effect. Then your therapist will come in and provide your therapy session while you are under the influence of the ketamine, and when you start to come out of it, they will provide a half hour integration session to help you process what you experienced. Then the prescribing provider will come back in again, check your vital signs, complete post-treatment assessments, and make sure you are recovered and ready to go home.

You shouldn’t drive or do anything complicated or potentially dangerous for the rest of the day, just drink lots of water and rest. You should be ready to resume normal activities the day after each treatment.

What does ketamine feel like?

Each session is different. Sometimes people feel very floaty and relaxed, sometimes a lot of memories or thoughts come up and people want to talk a lot, and sometimes people feel like they are going on a journey or seeing different things, sort of like dreaming but while you are awake. You might also experience time or space differently, like things may seem bigger or smaller than usual, or time may seem to go by faster or slower than usual. Colors might look more intense, and things might look a little distorted. You might get a feeling of connectedness, or a sense of awe or euphoria. People often describe the experience as powerful and profound, but difficult to explain.

What if I have a bad trip or freak out, or have a medical problem?

If you start to feel anxious or agitated, the therapist will be there to help you through it. If you start to have side effects, your therapist will call your provider who can assess you and respond. In the very unlikely event of an emergency, your provider is trained to provide CPR and will call 911.

Is ketamine treatment covered by insurance?

Currently insurance companies consider ketamine to be experimental, so they don’t cover it.

How much does it cost?

Ketamine treatments typically cost about $400-800 per treatment, but they do not usually include ketamine assisted therapy. Our treatments are $550 each, and ketamine assisted therapy is included with every treatment. We recommend a course of 10 treatments, which we have found produces the best and most long-lasting results. We understand that this is a significant investment, but if your mental health and quality of life improves, it really is worth it.

To help with affordability, we offer a 10% discount for payment in full upfront, or we can set up an interest-free payment plan for up to 6 months. We want ketamine treatment to be accessible to as many people as possible.

How do I get started with ketamine treatment?

Call 303-736-9697 and ask for a ketamine consultation. We will get you set up as a patient, get some information about you and what symptoms you are experiencing, answer any questions you may have, and schedule you with a provider to do an intake visit.

What if I have an intake visit but I decide I don’t want to go through with the ketamine treatment, or ketamine is determined not to be a good treatment for me?

The intake appointment, where you can talk to a provider and make sure ketamine is right for you, is typically covered by insurance if we are in-network with your plan. If it turns out ketamine is not for you, your provider can discuss alternative treatment options with you, so you can get the help you need even if you don’t go forward with ketamine treatment.