Scheduled to do some ketamine intravenous drips at a nearby clinic, starting this week. It’s said to do wonders for many mental disorders, however, I am a bit cautious or wary of it.
I’m kind of concerned about the idea of entering a mental fog/haze state for 1 hour or longer where I won’t even know what I’m saying or doing. Is that what it’s like, a blackout? Or would I be capable of still thinking and knowing what’s actually going on?
I had ketamine two years ago as an anesthetic for facial microsurgery. It worked well, when others in the past did not. I did it experience any significant fog or mental haze. I remembered what went on and what I did.
I’d consider ketamine therapy for depression if it ever becomes available near me (and insurance would cover it).
I have been receiving IV ketamine treatments since December of 2019. I have been to 4 different facilities in my area (Charlotte, NC). Ketamine works very well for me. It took time to figure out the right dose and frequency and establish stability. I would be glad to answer any questions about it.
Thanks. Unfortunately it looks like oral ketamine tablets at home, prescribed, are the path I’ll have to take for now. It’s thousands of dollars cheaper and my finances are very tight…albeit weaker and less effective, I believe. Did you get dissociative/out-of-the-world effects? I know IV is a lot more powerful than oral consumption.
IV ketamine is incredibly powerful. Some people like the experience but I find it very unpleasant. It takes over my brain and gives me scary thoughts. I’m at at a practice with a great doctor and she comforts me through the worst of it. She also monitors my blood pressure, heart rate and pulse ox throughout. It raises my blood pressure so she has me take a medication about an hour before the infusion. It has changed my life completely and I feel like I’m a different person since starting ketamine. I hope you will have someone with you during the treatment. Best of luck to you.
I’d like to hear a whole lot more about how it has changed your life for the better. Before & after? Especially as against other things you may have tried in the past.
Ditto, MrsFairway, would love to hear about the transformation.
I have been on antidepressants for over 30 years. I am currently on 4 antidepressants and that still was not getting the job done. I read about ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression and decided to try it, out of desperation. It is expensive and is not covered by insurance plus I have to pay for transportation to and from because you can’t drive after because you’re woozy like after anesthesia.
Before this, I had tried adding amino acids and vitamins to the mix and they worked well for years. Then, all of a sudden, it felt like nothing was working and I was suicidal. I went to a holistic MD who knows a lot about supplements, to see if he could figure out what was out of balance, but nothing we did affected the depression.
I found a clinic doing ketamine infusions, run by an anesthesiologist. I did the initial series (can’t remember how many), and after a few, I started to feel better. That doctor also prescribed ketamine lozenges to use in between infusions. Then that clinic closed and I moved to another one. Currently, I’m getting infusions every 2 to 3 months, and this doctor does not prescribe the lozenges.
I am a different person after ketamine. Before, I was negative, cranky, anxious, panicky and sometimes mean, impulsive, impatient and a little aggressive, generally unpleasant to be around. Now I am calm, I have no anxiety, I’m patient and kind, I don’t make snap decisions. Before, my sister really didn’t want me to visit her very often because I usually shot my mouth off about something and pissed her off. Now our relationship is so much better and she looks forward to seeing me. I can also see more clearly my own responsibility for relationships that went south in the past.
Night and day. Like a miracle. YMMV.
Thanks for that thorough reply. Very interesting! All the best to you. 
Sounds great. Lots of ketamine patients on Reddit report much better moods and happier outlooks. Were you getting IV-dosed at the standard 0.5mg/kg?
Sorry I haven’t been on here in a while and didn’t see this question. Maybe I started at .5 but my current dose is much higher than that. I left one clinic because the highest dose they were comfortable with was .8 and I needed more than that. I’m not sure what my current dose is, but it’s higher than .8. That’s why it’s important to have an experienced doctor to work with. My doctor is part of a dermatology group, but her background is anesthesiology. She’s part time and ketamine is all she does. She also brings her adorable dog Lexie to work and Lexie likes to sit with the patients while they get their infusions. I could not be in a better, more nurturing place. It’s worth every penny.
Good information.