Ketamine Benefits & Risks

Many of our patients have experienced tremendous results from ketamine/esketamine.

We have administered nearly 9,000 ketamine/esketamine treatments at our mental health clinic. 

ketamine benefits and risks

Benefits of ketamine and esketamine (Spravato) for depression:

  • Fast Relief

    Ketamine/esketamine are very powerful and fast-acting treatments for depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine and esketamine may work after a single dose. These are the only depression treatments that can work within hours, making them an important option for urgent cases. 

  • More Effective Than Traditional Antidepressant Medications

    Ketamine/esketamine can provide more relief compared to traditional antidepressants that need to be taken daily for years. Ketamine/esketamine grow neurons within hours and continue to increase neuronal growth factors for 3 days after administration. When neurons grow, they respond more to the neurotransmitters that make us feel good. All other psychiatric medications increase neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine. For up to 70% of depressed patients, this is enough. However, for the 30% of patients who don’t get relief from these treatments, ketamine works on the other side of the equation to provide relief when traditional antidepressants aren’t working.

Like most powerful medications, ketamine or esketamine may cause serious side effects, including:

  • Increased blood pressure and heart rate. Ketamine or esketamine can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure that may last for about 4 hours after taking a dose. Your healthcare provider will check your blood pressure before each treatment session to ensure it is safe to start treatment. We will also monitor your vital signs during treatment and for at least 2 hours after ketamine or esketamine is given. 
  • Problems thinking clearly.
  • Bladder irritation.
  • Potential for addiction. Addiction risks increase with exposure. Once a patient responds to ketamine/esketamine, we will lower the dosage, frequency, or both, or cease treatment. We will then move to antidepressants, TMS, or VNS to maintain the antidepressant effects of the ketamine treatment.
  • Other temporary side effects of ketamine or esketamine may include dissociation, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, sedation, reduced sense of touch and sensation, anxiety, lack of energy, and feeling intoxicated/euphoric.

Ketamine results:

Ketamine Results Percentage: 70% of patients respond to ketamine/esketamine

Ketamine/esketamine has a very high success rate for those with treatment-resistant depression. 70% of patients who have not responded to other treatments will experience an immediate, short-lived response. Once patients respond to ketamine/esketamine, the antidepressant response can typically be maintained by other treatment methods such as antidepressant medications, TMS, and VNS.   

We can compare this to the 6.9% chance of response that patients had when they tried a 4th antidepressant in the STAR*D study. 

Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our mental health providers to see if ketamine is right for you.