At The Remedy, our Ketamine Infusion Therapy is at the forefront of treating, treatment-resistant depression, offering new hope where traditional methods may have failed. This innovative treatment leverages ketamine’s unique properties to rapidly alleviate depressive symptoms and improve overall mental well-being, supported by a compassionate team committed to your health and recovery.
Ketamine infusion therapy involves the administration of Ketamine, a medication originally 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 such as chronic anxiety, PTSD, and self-harming thoughts/behaviors. Its ability to provide rapid relief from these overwhelming conditions make it a standout choice for those in need of more immediate relief.
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.
Ketamine infusion therapy is particularly effective for individuals with:
Please note, while potentially very 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 individuals physical, mental, and emotional well-being before recommending Ketamine infusion therapy.
Your Path to Recovery
Choosing The Remedy for ketamine infusion therapy means stepping into a world where advanced care meets personal transformation. As Minnesota’s premier full-service psychiatric clinic, we offer an oasis of hope for those tired of treatment resistant depression, blending the healing potential of Ketamine with other interventions such as antidepressant medications, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Our commitment is to tailor a healing experience as unique as the lives we touch.
At The Remedy, expertise and empathy go hand in hand, providing a supportive environment that mirrors the esteemed 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.
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. Dr. Rebman 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.
Ketamine was first synthesized in 1962, quickly gaining notoriety as a “dissociative anesthetic” that could be used safely on the battlefields of Vietnam to treat wounded soldiers without compromising their ability to breathe and maintain good blood pressure. Since then, ketamine’s use has become a staple in ambulances, emergency departments, and operating rooms across the country. It is particularly useful for procedures in the pediatric population, given its unique properties. Ketamine’s safety and effectiveness profile is so good it’s on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. Only those medicines that are the most effective and safe make it to this list.
Ketamine works on several brain chemicals (neurotransmitters, including NMDA and BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and receptors. Ketamine also appears to be an opioid receptor agonist (stimulates opioid receptors), which may account for its effectiveness in treating pain disorders and also provides benefits for mood disorders*.
Ketamine’s rapid effects appear to be related to its ability to form new brain nerve connections (receptors and synapses, vital connections between brain nerves – and neurons). Research has shown that a lack of these connections is 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.
No. As with all chronic illnesses, we have no cure for depression, but we do have effective treatments, ketamine infusions being one of the most rapid and effective. 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, people have booster treatments every 4 weeks. Each person’s need varies, and treatment is tailored to suit yours.
Ketamine has been used at very high doses, illegally obtained for recreational use. It can be misused on the streets and is often referred to as “special k” that sends users into a psychedelic ‘k-hole.” The doses used for treating depression and pain, however, are much lower. Using ketamine in a clinical setting, such as at The Remedy, under the careful supervision of our highly trained practitioners, there is little risk and a great opportunity to have your depression fully treated.
Yes, it is used as an “off-label treatment”- a non-FDA-approved treatment. In a recent study published 2/1/2020 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a single infusion of ketamine combined with motivational enhancement therapy significantly increased the likelihood of abstinence, delayed the time to relapse, and reduced the likelihood of heavy drinking days … Infusions were well tolerated, with no participants removed from the study as a result of adverse events. Two published studies have demonstrated that ketamine is effective in treating opioid use disorder. Krupitsky et al. conducted a randomized controlled trial of 70 heroin-addicted participants in which they compared the efficacy of high-dose ketamine (2 mg/kg IM) vs. low-dose ketamine (0.2 mg/kg IM) in conjunction with psychotherapy. Abstinence rates at 1 month approached 85% in the 2 mg/kg group and were 24% at 1 year in the 2 mg/kg group. Craving was also notably reduced. They noted significantly greater reductions in heroin craving in the repeated treatment group as compared to the single treatment group (The Hefter Review of Psychedelic Research). A recent systemic review of the efficacy of ketamine infusions in treating substance use disorders published in Frontiers in Psychiatry suggests that ketamine may facilitate abstinence across multiple substances of misuse and warrants broader investigation.
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, in fact, that it’s the preferred choice for pediatric cases.
The most common short-term ketamine side effects are:
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.
Most medications can be continued. 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.
Your insurance may cover this service, but you should check with them directly on the details, co-insurance, and deductible portion you will be responsible for. There have been many recent advancements and acknowledgments in Ketamine Infusion Therapy.