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A New Hope for Healing

Ketamine’s Path to Wellness For Residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota

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KETAMINE INFUSION THERAPY

At The Remedy, our ketamine infusion therapy is at the forefront of managing treatment-resistant depression in Minneapolis, MN and surrounding areas, offering new hope where traditional methods may have failed. This innovative treatment leverages ketamine’s unique ability to rapidly alleviate depressive symptoms and improve overall mental well-being, while a compassionate team supports your health and recovery.

WHAT IS KETAMINE INFUSION THERAPY?

Ketamine infusion therapy involves the administration of ketamine, a medication that’s been used as an anesthetic for the past 60 years. In recent decades, it has emerged as a powerful and potentially fast-acting treatment option for treatment–resistant depression and associated conditions like chronic anxiety, PTSD and self-harming thoughts or behaviors. Ketamine’s ability to provide rapid relief from overwhelming conditions makes it a standout choice for those in need of more immediate relief.

How Does Ketamine Infusion Therapy Work?

  • Ketamine works primarily by affecting glutamate receptors in the brain, which are crucial for the brain’s ability to adapt and form new nerve connections (neuroplasticity).
  • Ketamine affects the function of other neurotransmitter systems, like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine nerves and receptions in the brain, potentially balancing mood and emotional disturbances faster than traditional antidepressants.
  • These unique actions may help explain why patients may experience rapid and prolonged relief from depression symptoms with ketamine infusion therapy.
What To Expect — Ketamine Infusion Therapy

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KETAMINE INFUSION THERAPY?​

Beyond its rapid antidepressant effects, ketamine is being researched for its potential to protect brain cells. It may reduce brain inflammation and protect neurons from damage caused by stress hormones and other harmful substances. This neuroprotective effect could be particularly beneficial in preventing long-term damage associated with depression and other mental health disorders.

Who Can Benefit From Ketamine Infusion Therapy?

Ketamine infusion therapy is particularly effective for individuals with:

  • Treatment-Resistant Depression
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Anxiety
  • Patients who have not responded to conventional antidepressant medications

Note that, while potentially effective, ketamine infusion therapy is not suitable for everyone. It is our goal to provide individualized patient-centered care to each person we serve. We will carefully assess each individual’s physical, mental and emotional well-being before recommending ketamine infusion therapy.

Why Choose Ketamine Infusion Therapy at The Remedy in Minneapolis, MN?

At The Remedy, we’re committed to providing a healing experience as unique as the lives we touch. As Minnesota’s premier full-service psychiatric clinic, we offer a personalized treatment plan for those tired of treatment-resistant depression, that may include ketamine therapy, TMS, psychiatric medications, or other interventions.

While many clinics charge $500 or more per infusion, our ketamine infusion therapy is offered at $300 per infusion, reflecting our mission to expand access to innovative mental health care while maintaining the highest clinical standards.

We believe that expertise and empathy go hand in hand, working to provide a supportive environment that mirrors the care of top academic medical centers. Here, every individual is a partner in their path to wellness, and every treatment is a step toward a brighter, more promising tomorrow.

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What Our Patients Say

Prior to coming to the Remedy, I have been dealing with or not dealing with my depression and anxiety properly for 20 years after becoming a teen parent. I was tired of a variety of health care providers pushing me off, not listening or even gas lighting me as I floated through the system as I was put on a variety of medications that never really helped.

In the spring of 2023, I finally hit my lowest point. As I mother, I had put everyone and everything first for so long and swept my issues under the rug for so long and couldn’t pretend that it was ok any longer and I finally had hit my rock bottom. I was unable to function as years of PTSD and varies trauma had caught up to me and now I would normally be ashamed to state this out loud but the Remedy saved my life. My doctor was able to properly diagnosis me and provide medication treatment in addition to the Ketamine which provides an all-encompassing approach to my mental health.

Even though the program has been difficult in some ways, putting yourself first can be but its necessary.

– Rachel C.

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Ketamine Infusion Therapy FAQs

Ketamine was first synthesized in 1962, quickly gaining notoriety as a “dissociative anesthetic” that could be used on the battlefields of Vietnam to treat wounded soldiers without compromising their breathing or blood pressure.

Since then, ketamine’s use has become a staple in ambulances, emergency departments and operating rooms across the country. Ketamine’s safety and effectiveness profile has landed it on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, recognizing its critical role in anesthesia, emergency care and even pediatrics.

Ketamine works on several brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and receptors, including NMDA and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). Ketamine also appears to stimulate opioid receptors, which may account for its effectiveness in treating pain disorders and also provides benefits for mood disorders*.

Ketamine’s rapid effects are likely due to the formation of new brain nerve connections — receptors and synapses — that serve as vital connections between brain nerves and also neurons. Research shows that patients lacking these connections are associated with major depression and other mood disorders.

*If you are taking opioid-blocking medications such as naltrexone, it may interfere with the effectiveness of ketamine treatments. Please discuss this with your doctor.

More than 70% of people treated for depression with intravenous ketamine infusions have a significant reduction in depressive symptoms. This includes people with difficult-to-treat depression who had minimal or no response to antidepressants.

Most insurance companies will not cover ketamine. However, it is always best to check with your insurance before any treatment. At The Remedy, we do offer ketamine at a self-pay rate of $300 per infusion. 

No. As with all chronic illnesses, there is no cure for depression. But there are effective treatments, like potentially rapid and effective ketamine infusions. Many people experience weeks or months of improvement in their depressive symptoms after a ketamine infusion series, and may require periodic “booster” infusions thereafter. On average, patients have booster treatments every four weeks. Every patient has varying needs, and treatments are tailored to suit each individual.

Ketamine can be illegally obtained and misused at very high doses. It’s often referred to as “special k” and sends users into a psychedelic “k-hole.” The doses used for treating depression and pain are much lower. Using ketamine under careful supervision in a clinical setting, such as at The Remedy, creates minimal risk and offers great opportunity to fully treat depression.

No. Intranasal ketamine does not get absorbed into the body as efficiently as IV ketamine and thus has a weaker effect at the same dose as IV ketamine. Even when adjusting to a higher dose to account for the lower absorption rate, intranasal ketamine does not appear to have as robust an effect as IV ketamine infusions. In addition, compounded intranasal ketamine can have a lot of variability due to the different methods and delivery systems used by compounding pharmacies.

Unlike a conventional antidepressant, ketamine causes minimal side effects — all of which are short-term, so patients enjoy better quality relief without the additional challenges of weight gain, loss of libido, dry mouth and other undesirable side effects often associated with antidepressant medications. There are no known long-term side effects of ketamine when used in a clinical setting. (Used illicitly on the street at high doses for prolonged periods of time, there can be serious side effects, the most common of which is cystitis, severe inflammation of the bladder lining.)

While ketamine for depression has been researched thoroughly for more than 20 years, ketamine has been used for sedation and other indications at much higher doses for over 60 years and has proven itself to be a very safe medicine — so safe that it’s the preferred choice for pediatric cases.

The most common short-term ketamine side effects are:

  • Dissociation (a floaty feeling, confusion, sensory illusions)
  • Feeling tired or groggy following the infusion
  • Mild nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Mild elevations of heart rate and blood pressure (which are continuously monitored and treated as needed during your infusion)

Most ketamine treatment side effects are temporary and gradually subside following treatment. Typically, any side effects completely disappear after a full night of sleep.

If you are concerned about potential short-term side effects, you can ask one of our practitioners for tips on minimizing or preventing them. For example, antiemetics (medication for nausea and vomiting) may be helpful for IV ketamine therapy patients who are prone to nausea.

If any of the side effects of ketamine infusion therapy persist or become bothersome, or you have questions, we are always available to discuss and assist. Minor changes in other bodily systems may sometimes occur during an infusion. For instance, the blood pressure, pulse rate or heart rate may increase. These changes in vital signs usually normalize without intervention soon after an infusion is completed, if not sooner. Medication may sometimes be used to minimize or prevent these side effects.

There are very few medicines that cannot be taken in combination with ketamine. For treatment planning purposes, please contact us with any questions regarding interactions between your current medications and ketamine.