What is a Ketamine Infusion? 
 
A ketamine infusion is a therapeutic procedure where a low dose of ketamine, a medication originally used as an anesthetic, is administered intravenously. This treatment is carried out by experienced providers under clinical guidelines and with appropriate monitoring to ensure safety and efficacy. The infusion process typically lasts between 40 to 60 minutes and is performed in an out-patient clinical setting. Ketamine has emerged as a breakthrough therapy for those suffering from severe depression, including treatment-resistant symptoms, as well as other mood disorders. It has also been shown to be effective for various chronic pain syndromes, like CRPS. Research on the use of ketamine for mental health began over two decades ago and has accelerated significantly in the last 10 years, providing a new hope for rapid symptom relief and improved quality of life. Unlike traditional treatments, ketamine can offer immediate benefits, making it a great option for those who have not found relief with other therapies. Some people see benefits immediately following their first treatment – especially those suffering with acute symptoms such as persistent suicidal ideation. Many people see benefits that build over multiple treatments, and many report measurable improvements after just a few treatments. We often see patients for an initial series of 6 treatments over a few weeks followed by maintenance treatments every 3 to 5 weeks thereafter to sustain the results.
 
How Does It Work?
 
For mood: As with many drugs, the exact mechanisms of action are not perfectly understood, but there is significant research on this topic and compelling models. Ketamine acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist and this is thought to be one of its principal areas of action with respect to mood disorders and blocking rumination in the default mode network. Ketamine also acts on other pathways which may explain its myriad effects in the central and peripheral nervous system, including: the mTOR pathway, the AMPA receptor pathway, and even the opioid receptors in the brain.

For pain: Ketamine has been proven to work for neurological pain conditions such CRPS and other conditions originating in or related to the nerves themselves and not caused by ongoing physical damage. Ketamine works on chronic pain through many actions, including down-regulating the mu opioid receptors, decreasing central sensitization, it is a potent anti-inflammatory, and it may decrease our subjective experience of pain.

With the caveat that the exact action is not fully understood, our best working model for how we understand ketamine seems to work is this:
* Ketamine encourages neural growth and connectivity
* The increased neural activity likely helps affected neurons, including the brain, to function more optimally
* The increased neural activity probably also allows for neuroplasticity – where a patient is better able to make new connections, allowing a patient’s neural activity to overcome unhealthy recursive patterns: This may help a depressed patient to reduce or get away from recursive negative thoughts. It may help a patient with OCD to take advantage of aversion therapy. It may help a substance abuse patient to more readily establish healthy thoughts and routines outside of their addictive behaviors. It may help a pain patient to get out of a pain feedback loop.

Benefits of Ketamine Infusions

* Immediate Impact: Patients often report a significant reduction in depressive symptoms within hours after the first infusion.
* Minimally Invasive: The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, making it a convenient option with minimal recovery time.
* Enhanced Well-being: By alleviating symptoms of depression and chronic pain, ketamine infusions can greatly enhance patients’ overall quality of life.
* Innovative Treatment: Positioned at the forefront of psychiatric and pain management treatments, ketamine offers new hope to individuals where other treatments have failed.
* Broad-Spectrum Utility: Besides its effectiveness in treating depression and chronic pain, ketamine has also been studied for its potential benefits in other psychiatric and neurological conditions including anxiety, PTSD, OCD and even alcoholism and other substance abuse.
 
Risks and Side Effects

Like any medical procedure, ketamine infusions come with potential risks and side effects. Most are temporary and may include:

Common: Feelings of dizziness during and shortly after the infusion. Patients often describe this as ‘feeling floaty.’

Less Common: Nausea and mild hallucinogenic effects, which typically resolve soon after the treatment. Patients sometimes describe ‘seeing colors’ or similar transitory effects. Elevated blood pressure and heart rate.

We monitor for these effects and side-effects during the infusions to immediately manage any risks or discomfort.

While ketamine is considered a safe drug in medical clinics or hospitals, it is still a very serious drug and should be used in appropriate settings with appropriate safeguards in place. Ketamine should be provided by professionals trained in its use and with emergency equipment, medications and contingency plans in place. Ketamine should not be used in a home setting. It is even important to review the qualifications of clinical providers who provide treatments.
 
Alternatives to Ketamine Infusions

For patients considering alternative treatments, options may include conventional antidepressants, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Each alternative has its own set of benefits and considerations, and the best choice will depend on individual patient needs and medical history.

Ketamine has few contraindications and does not conflict with or prohibit the use of most other treatments or therapies. It is often appropriate to pursue some other treatments while receiving ketamine treatments. In fact, it can be especially helpful to pursue psychotherapy while receiving ketamine infusion therapies and we even offer Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy for this very purpose.
 
Research

There is a large and growing body of research on ketamine infusion treatments. A good starting point is our research page, which includes analysis of our own clinical data from the infusions we have provided.

Recent research supports additional use and efficacy:

New studies show that ketamine is effective in treating treatment-resistant anxiety, even in a population that has both treatment-resistant anxiety and treatment-resistant depression, which is generally understood to be more difficult to treat due to more severe symptoms and higher probability of relapse.

Recent studies have reinforced ketamine’s capacity to rapidly reduce symptoms of suicidality. For patients with sucidial ideation or thoughts, 78 percent showed gradual or rapid improvement of symptoms following intravenous (IV) ketamine treatment.