Although a referral is not required, we encourage and welcome open communication with other members of your healthcare team with your consent. We carefully assess your medical and psychiatric history, including current and past medications and therapies.
We recommend fasting for three hours before therapy, as some patients have reported experiencing nausea with a full stomach. However, we encourage you to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.
Research suggests that ketamine, when used as a sole treatment, can achieve response rates exceeding 70% in certain cases. Integrating psychotherapy with ketamine therapy is believed to enhance and extend these outcomes. At our clinic, we have observed an 82% response rate, and our protocol includes ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. This achievement is particularly significant for patients who have not found relief with traditional antidepressants. A notable aspect of ketamine therapy is its rapid efficacy in reducing depression symptoms, sometimes within hours of administration.
Certainly. If having friends or family present during treatment makes you more comfortable, then, by all means, feel free to invite them. Additionally, please arrange for someone other than yourself to provide transportation for your journey back home.
We encourage you to continue your current means of therapy, especially if they provide benefits to you. We anticipate that your current medications and therapy may work even better after ketamine. It is not uncommon for patients to taper doses or completely discontinue their medications after a series of ketamine infusions. However, please note that discontinuing medications such as antidepressants should be done under close monitoring and guidance from your prescribing physician or provider.
We also offer intramuscular (IM) ketamine. IM ketamine is effective, safe, and an option for people who have an aversion to an IV.
Therapy is broken down into an induction phase and a maintenance phase. The induction phase consists of six infusions over a course of 2-6 weeks, while the maintenance phase is offered as needed following induction which typically involves returning once a month, once every other month, or even longer depending on your needs and state of mind. We offer a package of six infusions typically over a course of 2-6 weeks. We can tailor infusions to fit your schedule. For example, we can offer one infusion per week for six weeks or two infusions every week for 3 weeks, etc. We individualize therapy protocols based on your response and your schedule, although we encourage multiple sessions over a short period of time.
Standard IV infusions are 40 minutes, although patients may stay for up to 90 minutes to allow for effects to wear off. Onset is 4 minutes, duration about 40 minutes, and expect 2-3 hours for the effects to dissipate. Intramuscular injection effects are immediate since the entire dose of ketamine is given at one time. These patients may leave when they choose although we encourage staying at least 40 minutes after injection.
We do not prescribe oral ketamine or any other form of ketamine for at-home use. For more detailed information on why we follow this policy, please follow this link - https://www.innerbloomketamine.com/blog/be-very-cautious-of-at-home-ketamine-therapy
No. Driving or operating heavy machinery can be dangerous as the effects of the medication can last hours after treatment has stopped. Patients require a ride home after therapy.
Common experiences include the sensation of floating or the sensation of watching yourself over your physical body. As a dissociative anesthetic, you may experience the so called “out of body” feeling with separation of mind and body. If you experience undesired or unpleasant sensations, the infusion can be stopped if treatment is given intravenously. However, this is not the case for oral, nasal, or intramuscular routes of administration. In this case, one must wait for the effects to wear off. A health care provider is closely monitoring you and can help if anything becomes uncomfortable such as nausea or anxiety. Additionally, our golden retriever, Eli, is usually available during your infusion for love and support.
Some experience side effects like nausea or fatigue during or after therapy, however, this is typically at higher doses. One can expect a mild elevation of blood pressure and heart rate during therapy, hence the importance of close monitoring and careful screening of patient’s medical history prior to treatment. We do have medications to treat anxiety, nausea, and changes in heart rate or blood pressure.
Treatment resistance occurs in approximately 15–20% of patients. If you do not experience improvement in mood after the treatment series, we encourage you to stop.
Currently, IV ketamine is not covered by insurance. However, we anticipate that this may change as awareness grows regarding the applications, efficacy, and safety of ketamine. We have the capability to generate superbills, essentially invoices that include specific procedure and diagnosis codes. Following the completion of your infusion, upon your request, we can provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company. Depending on your insurance provider, you may be reimbursed for a percentage or potentially the entire cost of your treatment.
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, pain, addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum depression, fibromyalgia, and bipolar depression.
Ketamine is administered at a sub-anesthetic dosage, with an initial dose of 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight. The dosage may be modified or increased during subsequent infusions, or it can be maintained at the same level based on your diagnosis and response.
Ketamine therapy will not be offered to individuals with uncontrolled hypertension, unstable heart disease, significant active substance abuse, pregnancy, glaucoma, psychosis, schizophrenia, type 1 bipolar disorder, or severe liver disease
Please continue to take your medication as directed. We will thoroughly review all of your medications to ensure there are no interactions. It's important to note that if you are using benzodiazepines or Lamictal, ketamine may not be as effective, and adjustments or increases in ketamine dosage may be required.