Ketamine infusion therapy is a treatment approach that uses low doses of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic medication, to manage various mental health conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) . Ketamine is approved for use at high doses as an anesthetic in the operating room, but lower dose “sub-anesthetic” ketamine injections are used “off-label” to treat depression, pain, and other mental health/substance use disorders. Ketamine works by blocking the activity of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a receptor in the brain that is involved in the regulation of mood, cognition, and pain perception. Ketamine therapy is thought to have rapid-acting antidepressant effects, with many patients reporting improvements in their symptoms within hours to days after treatment.

Ketamine infusion therapy involves the administration of a single infusion or a series of infusions for the management of psychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and acute suicidality. It is not a first-line therapy for psychiatric disorders or chronic pain management and may be considered by the patient’s interdisciplinary team after failure of standard treatment. Ketamine infusion must be administered by specially trained medical personnel in a certified clinical setting because it is given intravenously and is considered a controlled substance. Most patients receive it as an outpatient and go home in a couple of hours.

Ketamine infusion therapy is primarily used to treat people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) . Clinical studies show that ketamine infusion therapy can effectively treat MDD and TRD with a success rate as high as 70% . Many patients show rapid improvement after just their first or second infusion. Ketamine infusion therapy may also be used to treat chronic pain and reduce feelings of depression, including severe depression.

As with any medical treatment, it is essential to discuss the potential risks and benefits of ketamine therapy with a healthcare professional before considering this treatment option.