Ketamine’s potential impact on the bladder can be real, but you shouldn’t see it from clinical IV infusion use. When administered appropriately, ketamine is a safe and effective treatment for mental health with minimal side effects.
Bladder Symptoms
Many patients come to us with concerns about developing bladder issues from ketamine treatment. These concerns do not often result from having bladder symptoms, but because of news or reports of bladder issues associated with ketamine.
What we know both anecdotally, from our decade of experience providing ketamine treatment, as well as from clinical research, is that ketamine — as it is administered in a clinical setting — is almost never the cause of urgency, bladder irritation, bladder ulcers, ketamine bladder, bladder stasis, interstitial cystitis, or bladder issues in general.
There is a syndrome called ketamine bladder syndrome that can occur with frequent and extremely heavy use of ketamine. This is caused by the concentration of metabolites of ketamine in the urine, which can be very irritating to the lining of the bladder. The longer and more often the bladder lining is exposed to these irritating metabolites, the greater the risk of developing bladder symptoms in the long haul.
However, for patients coming in for treatment, at the doses we provide, whether two to three times a week during their initial series, or every three to five weeks for maintenance, the risk of developing bladder symptoms is very low.
Ketamine leaves your system very quickly. During ketamine treatment, the bladder is not exposed to those chemicals very frequently or for very long at a time — not enough to cause bladder symptoms. Ketamine bladder is a greater risk to those who are abusing ketamine, using very high doses on a frequent basis over a long period of time, without giving their bladder a break to patch up the lining.
Discuss your concerns
Despite the low likelihood of ketamine treatment to cause bladder issues, we always encourage patients to discuss their concerns with us. We are happy to discuss your concerns, including bladder or urinary tract issues.
We once had a patient approach us with urinary symptoms she was concerned about. We encouraged this patient to reach out to her primary care doctor. After a urine dip, it turned out to be a urinary tract infection (unrelated to ketamine treatments). This patient was prescribed antibiotics and her symptoms went away. Although these symptoms were unrelated to ketamine treatment, we are glad that the patient approached us with her concerns, and that we had the opportunity to help her address them.
We are very glad to discuss any concerns you may have — before, during or after treatments.
About Us
Wells Medicine is a Houston-based practice designed to provide meaningful care for mental health. Providing targeted interventional treatments for Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other conditions, with Ketamine Treatments, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, TMS, and Nitrous-Oxide Treatments. Focused on comprehensive care and integration with Psychiatry, Psychology, and Support Services. We are evidence-based, patient-focused and mission-driven.
The content here is for informational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical decisions. For the details of your specific medical conditions and treatments consult your doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.
