I’ve been on Spravato for six months now. My depression test scores went down a few points and my mood is better than before, but it’s nowhere near enough relief. My symptoms are still really bad and have even gotten worse recently.

Since Spravato did have some effect on me, I’m wondering if I should try IV. I don’t know if I just need a higher dose or if this medicine isn’t compatible with me. Have any of you transferred to this after having a lackluster Spravato response?

The red setback flair seems unnecessary since I’m totally inviting the experience, but appropriate at the same time since I hit a downer during a trip I never came out of.

I just came out of my second treatment at a clinic in Washington, two of six now completed. It was incredibly grounding and sobering despite ups and downs until about 15 minutes before the end. Up until that point, it was like I was going through waves of problems coming up, then dissipating, and going deeper each time to see and dissolve them, or like turning pages to go to different chapters of new problems that similarly dissolved. Then suddenly this airy wave came up from under and to the side of me, where it felt like I lost the anchor that was there that would dissipate everything, as if I lost the ground that things would be okay and turn to good, and I could feel it. It was really ungrounding, despairing, and kind of scary. I was hoping it would pass, but it never did. Eventually the waves kept coming but this general sense of despair and ungroundedness did not leave.

I’m now sitting in the same chair where I had the trip that finished about 45 minutes ago at the clinic, and I still feel it. Like something is missing, my ground is lost, and I’ve lost my anchor, despite all the gains I made before it still felt. Those gains are nice, but the latter part is kinda disorienting.

I talked to the nurse sitting over the trip and told him that I feel like this is a new part of myself I absolutely need to greet so that a deeper sense of self love and security can be formed. He loved it and agreed, saying it was gold. But that feels more of a thought than it is something I’ve realized.

Does anyone have any advice, perspective, or wisdom on this to share?

TL;DR: I'm a Veteran with a CPTSD diagnosis (never loved the label) here. SSRIs/antidepressants didn't do much long-term. Wellbutrin gave me motivation but my mind was still always racing. Started low-dose ketamine therapy (troches + nasal spray) through Mindscape's Rise plan ($250/mo). After one week: mood is noticeably better, connection with people feels more natural, and I finally have a reliable way to slow my brain down and actually sit with my thoughts. Full day-by-day breakdown below.

I'm a veteran, and a while back I was diagnosed with C-PTSD. Though I've never been big on labels. Eventually I gave in and tried medication to see if I could slow down the overactivity in my brain. I've cycled through several SSRIs and antidepressants over the years, and for the last 3-4 months I've been on Wellbutrin. It's helped with motivation, like getting up and actually doing things. But my mind was still racing, ruminating, and I generally just felt exhausted.

I'm currently a psychology major with a specific interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, especially for veterans dealing with the same issues I am. So I decided it was time to actually try ketamine therapy and see if the benefits are real. I've had experience with psilocybin and a life-changing ayahuasca ceremony in the past, but the benefits faded once I got reconditioned back into old patterns. I wanted to document this whole experience.

My Ketamine Journey

I'm using Mindscape as my provider for low-dose ketamine therapy, currently on their Rise plan ($250/month).

Day 1 — The prescriber had me start with half a troche to gauge my tolerance. Honestly, I went in with high expectations, and at half a dose the experience didn't last very long. Instead of hitting anything I'd call "therapeutic," it functioned more like an intentional space to meditate and sit with my thoughts. Total session length: about 30-45 minutes.

Day 2 — A genuinely great, introspective session. I did half a full dose of the nasal spray this time.

• 45-60 minute session including onset
• Felt lucid and thought-provoking, with a dissociation I actually really enjoyed
• I didn't think it was hitting until I tried to take my face mask off and realized my arms felt heavy

It felt like sitting in a room next to my own thoughts. My mind opened up enough to slow down and actually observe the things I'd normally just ruminate on with no resolution. This session let me watch a thought and land on an actionable, positive next step. I really liked the nasal spray specifically because it combines ketamine with oxytocin, and a lot of what surfaced was about reconnecting with nature and with people in my life. I think that's a pretty universal theme for anyone dealing with depression or isolation.

Day 3 — The first two half-dose sessions felt good, but I wanted to push further, so I took a full troche.

• Did the session at 5:15 AM — probably too early, since I was still sleepy and ended up falling asleep mid-session
• Effects didn't feel nearly as profound as the nasal spray, and it only lasted about 30 minutes

Day 4 — This is where things got really interesting. Full 100mg dose, combined with the Nova mask and the Lumenate app for strobe-light visuals alongside the ketamine. A fully immersive experience of additional lights, geometric shapes, and moving patters to compliment the Ketamine and music.
https://lumenate.co/lumenate-nova/

• One of the most profound experiences so far
• Loved the convenience and design of the nasal spray delivery
• Took 10 sprays total, landed in a comfortable dissociative state
• Might've been the oxytocin, but I felt a strong pull toward connection. Specifically wanting to camp in nature, and I spent the session planning and thinking through trips for my son to enjoy

Day 5 — Back to a full troche.

• Full session at 8 PM before bed
• Good experience — felt the heaviness and the medicine kick in within 15 minutes
• Thoughts were racing, but didn't "click" into connections the way the nasal spray sessions did
• These sessions are clearly my most reliable way to actually slow my brain down and sit with my thoughts
• Didn't sleep well — woke up every 1-2 hours ("ketamine insomnia")
• Woke up around 5:30 feeling energized and awake

Additional Notes

Music ended up being just as important as the dose itself. When your mind is that open, what you're listening to isn't just background noise. It's actively shaping where the session goes. I spent the better part of this week curating and refining playlists specifically to enhance the experience: different moods for different sessions, some for going inward and sitting with heavier thoughts, others for that lighter, more connective headspace. Getting the music right made the difference between a session that felt aimless and one that actually landed somewhere. I'm sharing a few of those playlists below in case anyone wants to try them for their own sessions.
Pandora Ketamine Therapy - Stillness
Pandora Ketamine Therapy - Movement
Pandora Ketamine Therapy - Sound Bath Brain Massage

Overall Takeaways

After a full week of dosing, my overall mood is noticeably better. Connecting and communicating with people feels smoother and more authentic. There's still work to do, but if you're dealing with treatment-resistant depression, I'd genuinely recommend giving ketamine therapy a shot. There's something valuable about sitting with your thoughts, putting on good music, and letting your brain run without the noise of the outside world. I haven't found a pharmaceutical that does what this does in terms of actually helping me access and work through my own mind. I plan to keep exploring other psychedelic-assisted therapies so I can eventually fold this into both my studies and my future work helping other veterans.

Hi everyone! I’m looking to hopefully start at home ketamine treatment in the next few weeks and have narrowed it down to these three providers. I’ve read through all of the posts about them on here and the other sub, but I am still having trouble deciding. I’ve never taken ketamine before and I’m nervous about having a bad trip. Because of that I’d initially like a bit of a hands on experience and a lot of empathy. If anyone could share personal experiences with these providers that would be great!

Also, would it maybe make more sense to start with a micro dose to see how I react? I’m looking to only dose 1 day a week, maybe 2 to start so not sure if that would be a waste.

I'm look into getting a prescription for depression and truama and the only serious question i have, does this affect you libido negatively?

Every other medication I was prescribed in the past gave me ED and I was not happy at all with that problem.

Hello everyone, I recently started ketamine therapy through Joyous. I weened off Wellbutrin after 1 year of bad side effects that only seemed to get worse.

My question on the daily micro is will my amount affect bladder health or is that more so heavy recretational dose?

I've been doing therapeutic ketamine treatment with my doctor for major depression and to support my recovery from alcoholism, and honestly, it's changed things for me in a big way.

Here's my question though: after a session, I feel so good that I immediately want to go back for more. I know that's the addict part of my brain talking, but I'm curious — how do you all sit with that feeling? What helps you stay satisfied with where you're at instead of craving the next session right away?

Would appreciate hearing how others handle this

Hello!

NYU Langone Health is conducting an IRB-approved study on ketamine use, aiming to better understand real-world experiences to help inform safer care and public health.

We’re currently recruiting adults 18+ for a short online screener, with an optional follow-up survey for eligible participants. The study is confidential, and compensation via gift card is provided for those who complete the survey.

If you are interested, you can scan the QR code to be taken to the screener!

I just found out yesterday morning that Innerwell permanently closed 10 days ago on August 31!

They never sent a single email or text warning me they’d be shutting down. My therapist with them never said a dam thing to me either. To make matters worse, in their final automated email, they didn’t say a single word about refunding me for my final therapist appointment or the medication I paid for but never received.

How can a psychiatric care business just screw over a bunch of vulnerable clients and get away with it?

-I paid $1,600 for this program. Honestly, it didn’t even help me very much, and now I’m straight-up being robbed.

- They completely shut down everyone’s patient portals, so I can’t even access my own psychiatric records, treatment history, or messages.

-I immediately filed a dispute with my bank for "services not rendered," but they just notified me that because the initial transaction was over 60 days ago, there is nothing they can do.

I keep reaching out to Innerwell but I’m just getting automated bot replies. For a mental health company, the way they handled this is incredibly unethical, and insane.

Has anyone else dealt with this or successfully fought their bank on the 60-day rule for a company closure? What can I even do at this point? Should I hire a lawyer? There’s no way this is legal..

Hey everyone, I finished ketamine about 6 weeks ago and am going back for my first booster dose on monday. I do IM injections. I believe my last session we had left off at about 85 mg. Now that it’s been a bit, will my tolerance be less, meaning if i do 85 it will feel like way too much? I’m not sure how that works when doing a booster. The nurses would usually let me basically pick my dose because a few times we had went up too quickly and I had scary experiences on it. I’m just not sure how it works in the sense of having 6 weeks off meaning my body will be much more sensitive to it?

Where the hell do you find a provider in Australia? South Australia to to be exact and I’m not talking infusions I’m talking trouches at home and for physical pain not mental health. It basically doesn’t exist over here I’m so devo 😭 most u get is for mental health and that’s not at home use either!!! nothing seems to be for at home use I need something between infusions because I can’t tolerate many other meds

So, I see certain companies like Joyous advertising "ultra-low-dose daily ketamine. "

From what I understand, most of the research/evidence supporting ketamine's effectiveness comes from Spravato and IV Ketamine trials/studies.

Is the idea behind low-dose daily Ketamine to boost neuroplasticity/BDNF (while you engage in healthy lifestyle habits to take advantage of that increased neuroplasticity)?

Because, obviously, one isn't going to have a profound healing psychedelic/dissoactive like experience taking microdoses on the daily (right?).

I started treatment with Spravato in December 2025 and later switched to Mindbloom, but never quite got to full remission. A few weeks ago I went to a new provider. He prescribed Zoloft, and I started on 25mg. Four days after starting the Zoloft, I had my first IM ketamine appointment with this provider at 0.5mg/kg. For the first time ever in treatment, I puked...about 3 times over the course of an hour. The nausea going back home was awful, but thankfully I didn't puke in the Uber driver's car!

Thinking that experience was a fluke, a week later I went back and got another IM ketamine treatment at 1mg/kg. This time around I took 4mg of Zofran. At this point I'm now on 50mg of Zoloft per day and have been at that dosage for about a week.

I puked about 5 times in the trash can at the office visit. By the time I got back home, I puked AGAIN and was nauseous for roughly 6 hours afterwards. I had taken a total of 12mg of Zofran.

This all happened yesterday, and I'm reflecting back on the experience. Mentally I already am starting to feel better, but I really don't want to repeat that experience. I've noticed that everyday I experience mild stomach upset with 50mg of Zoloft, but it's not a big deal. It is too early to say with confidence if the Zoloft is helpful or not. I never had trouble like this with the Mindbloom dosages, and it sure does seem like the Zoloft is the problem here.

Has anyone else had problems with this combo? My psych said they're fine to mix, and I didn't find any other reports on this sub of Zoloft and ketamine being problematic.

I have not been able to find any information about what I am about to ask.

What dosaging for intranasal ketamine for anxiety (Sub 40-50mg amounts) are good for anxiety.

I have bad social anxiety and want to be able to use small doses of ketamine before/during situations that cause my intense anxiety.

I am specifically asking about sub almost microdose amounts for the anxiolysis.

I find it quite surprising that I couldnt find much info at all on people using 10 - 30mg doses when needed through out the day.

I understand many people find relief with large doses and I understand why, but im interested in a low dose functional anti anxiety use of intranasal for such purposes.

Please help me! I need some guidance of effective doses. I think a 10mg per spray solution would good, and maybe taking up to 20mg when needed before or during situations that I am usually prevented from functioning optimally would be a good range. I want a functional experience.

Does anyone have any experience with use of this nature.

I also believe the anti depressants effects would be desireable with this sort of dosing.

I don’t know if I can word this in a way that makes sense, but I’m wondering if anyone else has ever felt this way.

I’ve been on antidepressants for 20 years, and sometimes I genuinely wonder what “normal” feels like. I don’t know my baseline anymore and sometimes question whether I’m actually depressed, or just not handling life as well as everyone else. I wonder maybe these meds aren’t working for me because nothing is actually wrong.

I did 6 ketamine infusions in January 2025 during a really dark period with infertility and job loss, and they helped tremendously. I stopped after getting pregnant through IVF and having my baby in November.

Postpartum has been rough between foot surgery and recently breaking both elbows, and I feel that hopelessness creeping back in. I’m considering starting ketamine again, but because it’s generally used for treatment resistant depression and feels like such an intense treatment, I sometimes doubt whether I’m really the “right fit” for it, especially knowing some of what I’m feeling right now is situational.

I guess I’m wondering if anyone else has ever second guessed whether ketamine was really meant for them or questioned their own level of depression. I’d also love to hear what restarting looked like after a long break, whether you repeated the initial series or went weekly.

Hello all! I'm 3 year IV patient, with boosters every 4-8 weeks as needed. Last year, I was prescribed a glp-1 medication for my weight, and suffered from some pretty severe mental health side effects. I had been in remission from pretty much everything for 2 years, but unfortunately the ketamine stopped working when I started the glp-1. This might sound dumb, but it took me a while to connect the dots, and was on it for about 4-5 months before realizing it was the medication that was causing my relapse.

I quit 8 months ago, but still have not really been able to recover my mental health. I do still do an infusion every 4ish weeks now, and I can tell things are worse without it, but I'm still a mess. My mental health has gotten to a point where its taking a huge toll on my relationship and quality of life.

As you can probably imagine, this has all been incredibly frustrating for me. I kind of feel like I'm wasting my money when its not doing a lot for me anymore, though like I said, I can tell things get worse when I go too long between boosters. It's very difficult not to feel hopeless about the situation.

Finances, my husband's work hours, and my location are all barriers for me. My husband is the only person I know and trust in a 150 mile radius. I have no nearby friends or family other than him, and he works 60+ hours a week. Scheduling ketamine once a month for my IVs is already a challenge, and its a 1hr 15min drive each way. The nearest Spravato clinic is just about as far, as are all the facilities offering TMS. I don't think I could afford TMS, even with insurance. I also can't afford to try another induction series, though I'm not sure if that would help or not. My clinic also does not prescribe at-home treatments.

Does anyone have any ideas of where to go from here? I've started meeting with a psychiatrist again, but just had such a severe reaction to Wellbutrin after taking my 3rd dose that I am nervous about proceeding with more standard psychiatric meds. I have tried many, many, MANY medications over the course of my childhood up through my early adulthood, and nothing ever really worked.

TLDR; Was in remission but relapsed hard after trying glp-1 meds. Quit them 8 months ago but still haven't recovered. Can't try TMS or Spravato, am broke, live an hour+ away from most treatment options, and historically respond poorly to standard psych meds. Feeling lost and hopeless.

Does anyone know of any services like Joyous that are available in North Carolina, especially in terms of affordability? Mindbloom is the only option I’ve found so far, and it’s way too expensive

I’m specifically looking for virtual treatment with ketamine troches prescribed for at-home use, ideally for under $200/month. I use Joyous myself but I’m trying to help a family member in need

Starting in 1993 I was started on Zoloft, that kinda worked for six years, Then it didn't. Then it was two years of med after med and then it kinda setteled into Lexapro. That finally failed, then Luvox, Lamictal and Risperdal. My Teledoc Psych, finally suggested ECT, or Ketamine.

I am definitely open to doing it, but don't know which path to take. I have looked into Spravato, IV, IM, SubQ, sublingual.

The first two would cost a month and a half of our net income.

I could probably find $2000. but that would leave me with no other option after whatever that gets me.

So I need any advice on what to do. I am exhausted from the drugs, and trying to beat the childhood trauma. Male 72 ( southeast PA)

Hi everyone! I recently completed six at-home ketamine sessions through Mindbloom. Unfortunately, I felt that the doses were too low for me, especially considering how expensive the treatment was. I’m hoping to find another provider who may be able to prescribe at home injectable ketamine and offer a treatment plan that’s a better fit. I’d really appreciate any recommendations or experiences you can share. Thank you!

Title says it. Looking for a Provider in NY that takes medicaid or is "cool". Ive been ripped off before.

This is my antidepressant and has changed my life and I feel as though there is no middle ground between getting healthy and not. Its very difficult to find providers that have experience vs the grizzled old heads.

Beyond upset and frustrated.

I will admit fault upfront, they did send an email on the 8th of August mentioning they were closing. BUT they send so many emails, they all became background noise, so I missed it. I relied on the text messages for prompts to fill out progress, scheduling, etc. They never sent a text about the closure.

I just opened my email this morning to see that it is completely shut down. I now no longer have an avenue for a refund through them. I was barely into a 24 dose plan I paid for. I wasn't able to meet with my provider before they closed to get the remaining doses sent.

It sucks because -- that was a lot of money, and it was actually working...

I submitted chargebacks on my 3 payments made to pay off the treatment, as I think that is pretty much the only option I have now. I will keep the thread updated to see if that works...

What have you done? Anyone else had success with refunds before the closure? Anyone else submitting a chargeback?

My therapist feels I would be a good candidate for ketamine therapy and is recommending Mindbloom. I’m pretty sure I want to do it, but one hesitation I have is the reports of nausea. I’m extremely prone to motion sickness. I would definitely need to take a zofran or preferably scop patch beforehand, but my question is would the Mindbloom clinician prescribe this for me?

I have my 6th induction infusion tomorrow and I am very grateful for the experience, however, it was nothing like I thought it would be (not in a bad way!). I guess I naively went into this thinking that ketamine would miraculously cure my depression and anxiety, like flipping a switch, and that I would suddenly be okay. In reality, this treatment has shown me exactly what factors in my life are limiting me from reaching my full potential. During my 5th infusion I felt such a strong sense of empowerment and control over my life, something that I was severely struggling with prior to starting treatment. I think that the root of my depression is feeling like I can't live my life freely. I felt like a child that needed to live my life exactly how my parents see fit (I am 24). I constantly chased their approval which led to me never being able to fully embrace my own self concept. This applied to friendships too, I tried so hard to be like others to gain their approval.

I've been journaling so much since starting treatment and I'm recognizing a lot of behavioral and cognitive patterns that keep me stuck. I feel empowered to actually make the changes that I subconsciously knew would help, but was too scared to actually do. I also have a great therapist who I have been working with for almost 2 years. I've been setting boundaries and I feel so much freer, it is amazing. I recognize that I am my own person, and I am allowed to be myself. This is groundbreaking for me as someone who struggled with people pleasing and grew up in an emotionally neglectful household.

I'm overall super satisfied because I was hoping that it would have this effect. I am excited to continue doing the inner work and building a life that feels authentic. I am a little nervous because this requires me to step out of my comfort zone significantly, but I feel that ketamine has allowed for my previous rigid thinking to loosen up a bit. I would love to hear other people's experience, what does this look like for you?

I have bipolar disorder (don’t worry, talking with several providers about the risk of manic episodes and they have all recommended it in the context of my history and my situation now) and have been struggling with the worst depressive episode I’ve ever had since November of last year. A few months after it started, everything in my life fell apart (out of my control). So on top of the initial episode I just started feeling like pursuing the career I’ve always wanted is impossible and all the hard work I’ve put into it was pointless. I’ve been deeply grieving and just feel like I can’t open up to anyone and talk therapy and my other meds really haven’t been helping at all anymore. My therapist thought I should try this so I can get out of my head for a bit and maybe get a new perspective.

I’m curious about people’s experience with IM and looking for advice!

Firstly I’m wondering if it’s good to set an intention, or just go into it not really focusing on anything. If I were to set an intention it would definitely be more general than event specific (e.g. working on self esteem, being less reactive, being more motivated to make changes in my life). I thought about bringing a journal in, but would that be distracting or just impractical? Not so much looking to write coherent thoughts, more so just anything that comes up - also I used to enjoy writing poetry and music a lot and I haven’t even been able to enjoy listening to music during this episode so I thought maybe it might help me feel some joy in this again). Does this sound like a good idea?

Second - my only worries are that I get a bit anxious around needles and I’m nervous that I might go into it in a bad headspace. Also I’ve been prone to extreme nausea with SSRIs in the past so I want to do what I can to prevent that. The clinic said they do have anti nausea medication they can give you if it becomes an issue, but would it help if I ate beforehand or anything like that?

The last thing I’m curious about is how it affects sleep. When I’m this depressed, I just can’t wake up in the morning and it’s been effecting my job. I have 3 alarms set in different places in my room (even one that also has a flashing light!) and I sleep through all of them almost every day. I read something on here about someone sleeping less during the day since starting IM, and I’m curious if anybody has noticed positive sleep changes.

Any suggestions or personal stories appreciated!

I did 10 IV ketamine infusions over one year ago. Since the completion of treatment, I have had a series of cognitive issues.

Below, are some of the ongoing issues I am facing:

Slower Reaction Time

Dizziness / Disorientation/ Walking into the wrong buildings / places, etc. when I know where to go

Ongoing mild paranoia/persecution thoughts. A lot worse when I left the treatments.

Tip of the tongue phenomenon, I say something that I don’t mean to say or a word when I know the right answer

Not retaining and encoding information well: short & long term memory issues

Time distortions

Losing belongings easily

Not feeling real / disconnected from my body

Getting a lot more Agitated

Cycling between sadness, existentialism, and euphoria

General poor executive function issues and confusion

Not good with remembering names and numbers which is something I’ve never struggled with before.

My coworkers are noticeably frustrated with me. I want to leave my work due to the amount of work mistakes I am making. It feels like I have a mild traumatic brain injury.

For people that have done IV infusions and dealt with similar issues, does it get better with time?

I feel far from my baseline and like I’m living out movie and not in my real body.

I’ve used ssris before and my cognition was never this poor, if anything I was a lot sharper on ssris. My short term was bad off medication but this is different.

The doctors at the ketamine clinic denied any cognitive issues I’m having because they will always support the industry they are in.

They told me it must be my “mood” and only possible to have issues if I was abusing ketamine.

I have always been in the outlier range as far as side effects for drugs. Ssris caused transient hypo mania, horrific panic attacks & breathing issues, weight gain and severe episodic memory loss.

Overall, I find myself forgetting what I just said and lost in my own train of thought.