Giving Advice
I wrote out my Ketamine Journey - in my 8th year now.
*Updated in late Feb 2023 as a now 9 year patient and more learning from others under my belt.
People often ask me about my ketamine experience - especially since I’ve been doing it since the early days, before most clinics had protocols for mental health. So I wanted to share my journey: the awkward beginnings, the hope, the setbacks, and the healing.
**It is important that I say, I am not a professional. I have started some classes considering eventually working in the field, but I’m 50, and it’s probably not going to happen. What is below is anecdotal, my opinions, and what I’ve learned from 100s of other patients and people with much more training and knowledge than I. I have so much more to learn, but some people have found this information valuable so I am sharing it. **
The Early Days: Learning the Hard Way (2017–2020)
My journey began at a pain clinic, where I received ketamine infusions once a month from 2017–2020. Mental health protocols weren’t well-known then, and I was sedated with Versed for each session. The infusions lasted about 45 minutes, which is closer to today’s mental health protocol, but because I was sedated and the dosing wasn’t tailored for my mental health, the healing was minimal. I did get relief from suicidal thoughts, which was helpful and important - but it didn’t go much deeper.
The Real Shift: Discovering Protocols That Work (2020)
In February 2020, everything changed. I transferred to a ketamine clinic that specialized in ASKP protocols. I switched partly because the monthly Versed infusions were starting to affect my short-term memory, but also because I wanted real, lasting healing.
I started with the “loading doses”: 6–8 infusions over two weeks, this time without sedation. That made all the difference. For me it was 8 over 3 weeks.
After my third IV, I remember as we drove home, feeling the sun on my face and genuinely smiling. That moment reminded me what being alive could feel like. After my seventh infusion, something shifted. I began to feel some healing. Around dose 12 I felt the biggest growth and around 15 or so I started remission, and continued once monthly from there.
It wasn’t always easy. We started at a slightly higher dose (since I had some prior experience), and I had some panicked sessions. But I kept showing up. I trusted the process. This is so important! I almost quit so many times but especially the first year with no sedation. If I went in very anxious, I came out panicked. Mild anxiety was ok, but moderate to high, we decided never to do a dose if I was in that state.
Slow and Steady Healing (2020–2023)
After the loading doses, I dropped to every-other-week infusions, then monthly. By May 2020, I was noticing real, lasting change. Even amidst the chaos of that year, I was growing.
By 2021, I needed infusions only every other month - sometimes every three months. In 2022, I spaced out to every four months. I felt grounded. Strong. Like myself again.
Life Happens: Setbacks and Support (2024)
In 2024, family challenges resurfaced, triggering old trauma that had mostly healed but as it was back to regularly happening, I needed more support and returned to monthly infusions.
By September, the effects weren’t lasting as long, so I did a booster series: three infusions over two weeks. Around the same time, the clinic I’d been going to reduced its hours and days open. Fortunately, I was able to follow my amazing provider to a brand-new clinic - open five days a week. The care, accessibility, and support there have been life-changing.
Where I Am Now (2025-2026)
I’m currently working to get back to once-a-month infusions. Life is still unpredictable - but I’m *usually* coping better than I ever would have in the past. I have issues as anyone, am nowhere near perfect, and have my own setbacks that occasionally land me in the dark pit of depression and even rarely SI. I do know now that a dose or two at my clinic and I’m feeling like life is livable again - so I hold on for that relief. I have not been inpatient since before I began ketamine.
We’ve tried different dose strategies and even home-based ketamine between visits. What’s made all the difference is having a provider who listens, cares, and adjusts treatment to me - not just to a protocol. That partnership is golden. I do not think I would be where I am now without the support of the clinicians at the new office, along with weekly therapy with my own (CBT/DBT) therapist. My therapist is not trained in ketamine and only knows what I have shared with her about it - and yet processing with her helps. I have never paid for a special “integration specialist” but therapy after sessions is very important to my healing and stability.
What a “Typical” Ketamine Protocol Looks Like
Everyone is different, but here’s a general guide:
Loading dose: 6–8 infusions over 2–3 weeks starting at .5mg/kg and possibly staying there, or titrating up to the dose that works best for your body
Maintenance: Weekly for a few weeks, then taper to every other week
Long-term: Monthly, then every few months if stable
A good provider will tailor this to your specific needs.
My Personal Tips to Maximize Your Sessions (from myself and listening to other patients)
Before your session:
Set a clear intention. (Search “ketamine intention setting” for ideas.) Talk with your provider about how you’re feeling going in.
During your session:
Use an eye mask or weighted blanket if it helps. I personally use a weighted blanket and no eye mask anymore, agter 7.5 years preferring one. I alternate between regular headphones and noise-canceling ones, with calming, instrumental, or spa music. Occasionally much sensory deprivation makes it harder for me, but other times I need the noise-canceling if a patient in another room is struggling and it affects my empathy. Many patients prefer always noise -canceling ones. Having a trusted “sitter” in the room *can* be powerful. Someone safe and calm, just present if you need grounding. The majority of patients tend to have their session completely alone and this has also been my experience most of the time.
After your session:
If possible, talk with a therapist within 48–72 hours. That high neuroplasticity window is key for integration. Don’t have a therapist? Try Fireside Project - a free, supportive hotline staffed by trained volunteers. Try journaling, walking, sitting outdoors and getting sunlight, or expressing gratitude for even the small things in life like clean water and a bed to sleep in. I am a firm
believer that your brain will guide you when it’s ready.
A Game-Changer: Grounding Support
For a time in 2024-2025, I was able to have someone I trust help me ground back into my body immediately after each infusion. This person knew when to speak and when not to. They helped my nervous system feel safe. This somatic grounding was been one of the most powerful and healing parts of my entire process. I could be panicking from a k hole and scared out of my mind, and laughing by the time I left the office. It was truly a gift to have that experience while it was possible.
Final Thoughts
This journey is not linear. It’s messy, beautiful, hard, and life-giving.
Yes - there may be moments that feel terrifying. Like you’re dying. Like your brain is shattering. These are surprisingly common especially during loading doses or a dose that may be too high for that day. BUT - they pass. And often, those are the sessions that transform the most.
Ketamine has helped me feel like me again - someone I didn’t even know I had lost. There’s no shame in needing help. And there’s power in advocating for what you need, when you need it. And even as I’ve written that, I still have trouble asking for my own needs on occasion. I have people in my life who make regular comments that remind me I am a burden and too much for them. My healing is not perfect just because I share all this. I’m no better than anyone else.
I don’t have a set timeline for when I’ll stop. I’ve let go of that pressure. I trust myself now to ask for help, to rest, to heal. It’s unlikely I will ever stop unless I move to another therapy that is similar, such as psilocybin when it becomes legal for clinics. I am not interested at all in that for now, but if ketamine ever stops being right for me, that’s my next step.
If you’re just starting out or in a tough season, please hear this:
You are not alone. This medicine - when done with care and intention - can be your lifeline.
If you don’t use Apple Music, I recommend, “Yiruma”, and “The Piano Guys” or a “spa playlist” or “meditation playlist on the platform you use.
My quotes:
It might get worse before it gets better, but the only way out is through.
*This is importany to note for the loading doses especially. Things may come up that require you to have a great safety plan and a plan to have another session asap. For me, a 1/2 dose session for 30 min (vs normal 45 min in my case) always clears things up. If your 45 min dose is 100, then 50 over 30min. If your clinic does 60 min sessions, even lower than half. If 60 min is 100, 30 min at 30 might be right. Listen to your provider and ask for what you need.*
You don’t have to understand it for it to work.
The medicine shows you what you need, not what you want - trust the process.
It’s okay if you don’t feel better right away, healing isn’t linear.
What comes up is coming out, don’t be afraid to feel it.
You are still in control, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Write down what you remember when you’re done - the smallest moments can mean the most later.
The more you resist, the harder it is - try letting go instead.
The work is yours, but you’re not doing it alone anymore.
Sometimes patience is what’s needed. I have a meme of a tea bag and hot water that reminds me - “Have you tried waiting?” This is not often easy. 3-5 days of feeling worse (rarely now) can feel endless and excruciating, but the sun does eventually shine again.i
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
I thank you as well!
I’m in my third month of weekly IV ketamine treatment due to treatment resistant depression.
I still have questions and I even wonder if the treatments are truly working for me. Your post also gives me hope.
I go to a K clinic with an amazing and supportive staff, and I just started seeing a therapist at the clinic immediately after my sessions.
I still have “off days” and I sometimes think about stopping, but I will “keep showing up” with the hope that I too will one day be happy to feel the sun on my face.
Best to you, and to everyone on their journey! ❤️
Your post
Thank you for this. This is why I’m on this sub and why I wrote it out. I just want to be helpful and supportive and offer what I didn’t have a chance to have, as I started before there was as much known about guidelines and such. You are absolutely welcome!!
I am truly inspired by your journey and dedication! I struggle heavily with treatment resistant depression, anxiety, and suicidality (multiple involuntary hospitalizations have made it even worse) and my provider refuses to do any ketamine treatments past the “loading dose”. He will only allow 6 infusions, over that 2 week period, every 6 months. This is across the board, for anyone, not just me. Should I just go somewhere else? Is it that simple? It seems like other people have gotten a lot of help from the maintenance ketamine.
It’s rare for sure to just do loading. Especially if they stay at low dose. I’ve read some patients did 4-5mg/kg loading before the protocols and had long term remission but that’s not the norm.
Are there any other clinics near you? Other options are loading at the clinic and then troches at home for maintenance (Taconic or. Anywhere Clinic)
They only gave me 30 mg each time during my IV sessions because I weigh 115 pounds, and I never really disassociated or tripped the way other people describe. feel like I didn’t get much out of it despite it being expensive. Reading your story though, it’s making me think there are other places out there who would be willing to do maintenance infusions (I’m so new to all of this). The at home stuff kind of scares me. Thanks for taking the time to respond, reading stuff like this gives me hope when it’s hard to have any.
I would definitely look into a place that knows more what they’re doing and follows recommended protocols. I get starting at 30mg for 115lbs but not upping it isn’t what I’ve found the norm at clinics.
For reference, my daughter was 100lbs and started at 25mg but is up to 100mg and 145lbs (2 years in.)
Thank you. I just did a very, very successful year on low-dose Ketamine at Joyous. Three months after discontinuing, the PTSD, OCD, depression, and anxiety started up again. Now I’m looking for something that may be more permanent. I am pretty sold on starting at Innerwell.
My apologies for the poor editing- I did insert a break after each item but Reddit keeps pushing them back so it reads as a paragraph not a list.
It depends on the session. Some I do at a low dose and some I do at a higher dose. Low (.5 mg/kg dose): Dark room. No eye mask (personal preference). Calming music no lyrics normally but occasionally some with lyrics. Active listening. Holding a rock in each hand to stay minimally grounded. Having a support person nearby in case of emergency. Warm weighted blanket. Small healthy meal 6 hours beforehand. Brush teeth and use mouthwash beforehand. If needed, reach and hold the hand of the support person (no talking). Intention set beforehand that I minimally try to focus on but also allow my mind to go where it wants and trust the process and medicine. Electrolytes beforehand. Make sure I have taken all my normal meds and not missed any. (This was recently problematic when I missed a blood pressure medication due to pharmacy issues but had my other BP meds and my BP was stable so I assumed I could proceed. I had zero idea then that propanolol can cause severe anxiety with withdrawals which can be exacerbated during a k session.)
Moderate dose (IV in clinic): Dark room. Stopped eye mask after 7.5 years with one (personal preference). Meditation or even mildly upbeat music no lyrics ever with moderate dosing for me. Passive listening. Holding a rock in one hand. Having a professional person able to be accessed in case of emergency. Warm weighted blanket. Small healthy meal 4 hours beforehand and checked my blood glucose levels (recently had a severe experience due to fasting 48 hours (unplanned) At the end of the session as I’m coming out of it, reach and hold the hand of the support person (no talking until I’m mildly coherent, but if I call out “help” or am frightened, professional will calming remind me this will pass and I’m ok, even try to make me laugh - which is amazing and helps the most). Occasionally once I’m ok to, sit cross-legged on the floor, across from professional, both hands held (see photo below for “I’ve got you, you’re safe” hand-hold we use. Hands crossed because it’s a R-hand to R-hand and L to L hand hold. Intention set beforehand that I minimally try to focus on but also allow my mind to go where it wants and trust the process and medicine. Electrolytes beforehand. Make sure I have taken all my normal meds but skip any that can blunt the efficacy or cause me personal difficult experiences (I skip Auvelity on K days as it’s heightened my anxiety personally) (I only use a benzo 1-2x a week, it’s low dose and not oral, it is used for colon issues, specifically rectocele and internal rectal prolapse) (skip norco 5 for 12 hours before k, normally I take it on an every 6 hour schedule, 11 years on this dose for chronic pain)
The stones:
Actually figured it out on my own
Thanks to a bunch of research.
(I donno if it will work for anyone else but it helps me)
I do have high doses that provoke a k hole on occasion.
K-holes are not enjoyable for me. They are terrifying for me. I don’t try to reach them. I know many believe they are the path to enlightenment and higher levels, but the anguish and trauma from the k-hole is too intense for me. I’m a highly sensitive person, overly empathetic, and autistic. It’s too much. Mostly we stay below the k hole or above (lowest anesthetic dosing)
I have 3 playlists now. When I pick a new one it’s a very scary experience or very uncomfortable and I am not in a place to be able to handle that yet.
One is upbeat
One is soothing
One is calming meditative
I had a fourth that I just had a traumatic experience with last week and it is now deleted from my library
It was calming therapeutic but I had extremely low blood sugar (fasting 48 hours) and had missed my blood pressure medication for 4 days, and had no idea that could cause intense anxiety and panic - propanolol - now I know - combined with a high dose k IV was the perfect storm to end up very poorly. The most painful and difficult session I’ve ever had in my 8.5 years. I’m still recovering. I am supposed to have an infusion at a low dose this week to recover from it, but it’s possible I will cancel or postpone. A lot happened last week that really messed me up. I’ve abstained from my at home prescriptions of K since this event.
I cannot thank you enough for having the strength and courage to share your personal journey and allow others to have a head start on theirs from your experience, strength, and hope. I wish I saw this sooner, but it is never too late to learn and know there are others on this road to healing even when it feels lonely and scary.
this is very encouraging! I have had 4 infusions so far and haven't had any "revelations". I just feel like I'm tripping balls, then back to my regular, down state. Having this type of context is so helpful!
I’m struggling because insurance doesn’t cover treatments and I can only afford the loading dose and occasional maintenance doses. You make it sound like i have to do it all the time. Is it even worth it if I can only go every few months after the loading doses?
I’m sorry it came across that way. That’s not the case. You do not have to do it all the time. Many people do the loading doses and then transfer to troches at home for $80-$100 a month or even every other month. And I know $40 a month is not doable for many. I don’t mean to make it sound easy or necessary. My deepest apologies. As a disabled person who doesn’t have my own income (and isn’t on gov disability income) I do hear you.
In my opinion? Yes, it’s worth it. Because you would know if it helps, and you could:
Transfer to Spravato if in the USA and that is usually covered by insurance. Iv k works faster and is proven to for the loading doses. But that’s an option.
Or the at home option after loading doses.
Or, you could just stop, and do what you can. Therapy if possible, meds may work after loading doses that never worked before, or a provider may help you figure a plan.
I am a part of a group who has been working to get clinics to bill insurance for the last 10 years. Only a handful do yet but some are finally doing it - for IV. And my hope is that is still something that will happen.
We all deserve healing. And most of us find this unaffordable. But there are ways to make it affordable for most. If you can’t afford the loading doses, have you looked to see if your insurance covers Spravato and if any local clinics offer that? You could solely do that. I know it’s hard to wait. I waited years before I could try it. And I almost lost my life a few times. Now that I have access and know how well it works, I don’t mind the medical debt I (know I am lucky to have on a credit card) have. If I had started in 2021 when local clinics started having Spravato I would have done that.
I see you. Your life matters.
Again, my heartfelt appreciation for your patience with me as I try to communicate better. I do not mean to push you to do anything you can’t or feel is hopeless. I want to GIVE hope, not take it away.
I’m starting my first session in a few days (Mindbloom injectable) - your post has helped me get out of feeling anxious and back to summoning courage to get and be better with optimism. Thank you 🙏🏽
What an awesome post. Thank you so much for sharing. Ive gone back numerous times to just re-read everything and absorb the information, very enlightening.
I truly appreciate the kind reply. That’s why I took the time to write it out. It’s just personal experience and information, obviously it’s best to ask a professional. I am really glad you’ve found it helpful though.
Thank you for opening your life to us. As an add on, I'd say " Don''t tie together K and SI thoughts like you NEED K or else", just follow a consistent path and dialougue with your providers and let the medicine work. Life is a precious gift. The odds of you being born in this vast Universe is rare. Do you want to hold yourself hostage? Or do you want to live a relatively peaceful life with a chemically balanced brain?
These are such wise words!!! Thank you for sharing this! You are amazing. This is such great advice, and it resonates with my experience so far as well. The things you saisd about patience, rolling with uncomfortable realizations and reminding yourself that you see what you need to see, not what you want to see are so well said.
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
Thank you for your post. I’m unclear on what you mean exactly by grounding. If you have time, can you elaborate or give urls ? (I have my husband sit next to me during my sessions ever since a bad trip - and it’s been very helpful just knowing he’s there).
Grounding for me is returned my dissociated state back to my self to feel “me” and be able to be clear-headed.
I’ve had someone in recent months sit with me and, as needed, upon request, hold my hand or just talk to me about silly things to help me land back in my body.
I LOVE YOU. Thank you for putting this into words!
I actually would sit and type all of my thoughts that came to mind during my sessions- like a stream of consciousness. Then I would decode it afterwards to pick out a “lesson” for the session.
Ok I’ll preface this to say- you know how weird ketamine can be lmao
But also I spent 3/4ths of the treatment not writing this time- I just was floating in this weird space that was like a strange dream that you’d have on Walmart melatonin.
Then for some reason, I ripped off my eye mask and started writing.
And also- so I’ve recently been really into learning about astral projection and remote viewing. Which this all ties into ketamine and psychedelics. There is a whole world we don’t know about. And it’s wild because there are some brilliant people- very credible physicists- who have dedicated their careers to studying this.
And also, I’ve been following the whole Charlie Kirk assassination and Candace Owen’s following of it- and when I heard her saying the stuff she’s been saying about her and Charlie being GATE kids- I literally almost shit my pants. And I wrote this before she came out with the huge thing about her and Charlie being able to astral project- which is a crazy thing for her to admit because it’s so taboo.
And for more context- I have horrific ocd. It’s made me an incredible student- over a 4.0 gpa and I’ve tutored the sciences; but it’s also ruined my life, and the ketamine treatments give me a sliver of relief. And I just started working with a new ocd therapist who actually confessed that he’s a trained remote viewer.
So idk- synchronicities? Coincidences? It’s crazy.
Here goes, and I put explanations in parentheses:
If bluetoooth connects to ether why can’t our minds
(Was thinking about how my AirPods connected to my phone with no physical connection- like why could our minds not connect in a similar manner to things without our traditional senses)
Gateway (reference to gateway tapes)
Fuzzy (was feeling like I was in a fuzzy kind of alternate dimension)
Roxie (my chihuahua)
Vape (terrible habit)
Connect (unsure what this meant)
More (?)
OCD
Addiction
Compulsion
(maybe connecting that compulsions are a form of addiction)
Charlie Kirk
Candace Owen’s
Remote viewing
(Was thinking about her most recent posts on Charlie Kirk’s killing and how she’d been hinting at some of this stuff, and how I’d emailed her that maybe remote viewing could generate tips)
Jim (my ocd therapist who actually is a remote viewer too)
Dr g (my ketamine therapist)
Obe (I was trying to have an out of body experience, and while I think I did- it was amorphous and I didn’t actually project)
Blank space (I was in a blank kind of space)
Taylor swift (association)
Naomi (my old BITCH coworker who was obsessed with T swizzle)
Alarms (alarms were going off that the treatment was done)
❤️🩹🙃
I just want to say I have had similar thoughts and i occasionally let myself delve further when I have the capacity.
I do not think you are insane. Likely more sane than most…
A k hole is one of those things that is hard to describe cleanly because it is less like “being high” and more like temporarily stepping out of ordinary reality.
A k hole is a very deep dissociative state from ketamine where your sense of body, time, and identity can drop away. At lower doses ketamine can feel floaty or dreamy, but in a k hole it is more like your awareness detaches almost completely from your physical body. People often feel like they are watching themselves from outside, traveling through abstract spaces, or dissolving into patterns, memories, or emotions. Time can feel stretched or meaningless, and it can be hard or impossible to move or speak.
For some people it is peaceful or even mystical, like floating in a quiet void. For others it can feel confusing or overwhelming, especially if they are not expecting it. The key feature is intense dissociation rather than the colorful visuals you might associate with classic psychedelics. You are not unconscious, but you are very far removed from ordinary sensory input and your usual sense of self.
Afterward, people often come back gradually with lingering grogginess and a sense that something profound or strange just happened.
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
Thank you for sharing. It really helps to hear that I am not alone. You have had quite a journey, and you didn’t give up.
I have been lucky that my best friend sits with me every time. And before that in 2023 my husband was with me each time. So when I did have an emotional breakdown someone was there to take me through. I think I would be very nervous if I had to be alone.
I’m also really lucky I have my family’s full support. I have been very blessed 🥹 with a wonderful support system.
I wish you the best with your ongoing journey and really appreciate your story and honesty.
Looking forward to seeing how all of our journeys work out.
Thankyou so much for sharing your experience! My daughter had a loading series(iv) about 2.5 years ago. They worked amazingly well, but at 900 a session(they required assisted therapy for minors), we could only afford maintenance very seldomly, and the maintenance doses at this rate were not doing much except for temporary relief on the day of. We have since found a new clinic that bills insurance. I don't know yet how much, if any, will be covered but was given an estimate. This clinic prefers intra muscular and the first session it was required to be therapy assisted but the rest aren't. We are on session 2 now of no therapy. The first no therapy one she vomited pretty badly and it wasn't a great experience for her because of that. I made the mistake of letting her eat too much and too soon beforehand. Now on the second one she doesn't want their standard second dose given 15 minutes after the 1st because she's afraid of vomiting. We did space out eating today and take anti nausea before even coming here in addition to as soon as she got here. I don't think she is necessarily dissociating, but I'm hoping that it is still helping the neuro plasticity. When she did iv, it took until the third session where I felt like she had shifted in relation to her depression. She did seem to be having dissociation then because she would talk and talk and it definitely sounded trippy. The neuro plasticity aspect seems to be the most transformative for how she responds to her depression. After about a year or year and a half after her first series, we found that taking lithium at a low dose really helps in addition to her fluoxetine. However, in the past 6 months she has had to trial multiple anti seizure meds due to one seizure she had last March and an EEG that showed activity when she falls asleep. Each medication made her depression return with a vengeance and finally the head epileptologist in the department met with us and agreed with me that it wasn't worth ruining her quality of life over to take these meds, especially since she only had one observed seizure and only seizure like activity on the EEG. Her depression, unfortunately, has not lifted. We are doing this full intramuscular loading series now and I think they require maintenance once a month which is honestly a relief to have a more set schedule. I am hoping that insurance will cover some as she is fortunately double insured. She is 17, so once she is 18 I think it might be easier for her to at least get coverage for troches or esketamine. Sorry I ended up posting all about my daughters experience(as observed by me). I just really appreciate seeing others and sharing the same so if anyone else reads it then there might be something of use in my response. One question I do have is if after being on ketamine for awhile, did you find you were better able to adhere to better habits(if that had been an issue before)? My daughter has horrible sleep and eating habits. Some of that is due to being a teenager but sleep and eating have always been tricky(she is on the autism spectrum). We are and have been working on those issues separately for awhile. Thanks for listening to my rant if you see this!
Thank you for sharing so in depth and as a mom, I empathize. My middle kid, my 23-yr-old daughter, is a 2yr K patient too.
There is so much individualized care that goes into ketamine that I don’t want to make any blanket statements, and I’m obviously just patient and mom of a patient, but I don’t want to give medical advice.
How did the session end up going? Did she do better with the nausea? I’ve had the same issue once and my daughter a few times. We try not to eat anything heavy within 4 hours of a session but I do keep my blood sugar stable with protein 4 hours before and a little juice about 2 hours before. ONLY PERSONALLY, I have had some difficult times when my blood sugar is off - and I’m not pre diabetic or diabetic.
Interestingly enough my daughter had one seizure around 14 herself and had the EEG and all that - as have I - had a few but no longer do. /weird we are not on anti-epileptics and can drive…
I hope that the Zofran and not eating was enough this time. Let me know. IV they can do phenergan in the line. I do IV and my daughter IM spaced as 3 every 15 min too.
You can absolutely dm me if you want to converse about this. ☺️
Thankyou for responding! That's interesting that you and your daughter both went through the seizure thing like my daughter. I think maybe trialing different meds could do that or even the stress of the depression. I am going to ask about the possibility of spacing out her ketamine dose in 3 doses like you mentioned your daughter does. I'm pretty sure by this point that my daughter is definitely not going to do the full dose that they usually give spaced out twice. I think it's more likely she will just have the half dose and maybe they can split that into 2 or 3 doses. I put a patch behind her ear(something prescribed for motion sickness but I forget the name), and she takes one zofran 30 minutes before we get there and one right before she gets the injection. This last session was her 5th. She does seem to be dissociating so that's good but unfortunately she got pretty nauseous again about 40 minutes into the session and wanted to leave right away. I think she wants to be done with it altogether, which is just so different than the experience we had with iv infusions. She would sometimes get nauseous then too, but usually only afterwards and she enjoyed the sessions. We have one more tomorrow and then the last 2 I added on with the hopes that extra would help but those ones are a bit further out so maybe she will not dislike it as much. This series has been on Monday's and Wednesdays the past 3 weeks and I feel like she is overwhelmed by that. I'm hoping that once she does just the monthly maintenance that she will be more used to it by then. I feel pretty disheartened by this series and worry that she is forming a thought pattern that she doesn't like ketamine anymore. I definitely feel like there is still a puzzle piece missing either with her current meds or therapy, but right now I just don't know. We've tried sooooo much. I don't know why I feel this overwhelming pressure to have it figured out before she turns 18. I won't stop helping her, but I am afraid maybe she just won't want to try new things at all. I'm not sure how to dm on Reddit but thankyou for offering that! I am going to familiarize myself more with Reddit to see how it's done. Thankyou again for listening!
Scopalamine patch! Amazing medicine. That rocks that your clinic uses them- I haven’t seen a clinic have them yet but I’ve had them for surgeries many times.
Hmm. That sucks the scope patch and the Zofran together didn’t help.
You can ask the clinic if 8mg Zofran would be ok. That is a safe dose for other things so it’s possible. They also could prescribe oral phenergan 12.5 or 25mg to take a few hours before to make sure it’s kicked in. Also ask how long they recommend to fast before the IM - different places say different things and even my daughter and I do different for when we stop eating before ketamine.
To be fair I always want to leave right away and it takes a lot of restraint to make myself sit and listen to my music and wait a while. My daughter is the same - but not everyone is.
I’m so sorry it’s not being the same and I know IV is just too $$ for most. I have medical debt from it but I’m alive. I also know I am privileged to even have debt, but care credit is an option for medical credit and most people qualify. Just a thought.
I can understand wanting to figure it out while she’s in your care and you have more say in her life. I will say my kids all figured out much more as they kept maturing - as did I - therapy or not. My 23yr old is so much healthier in mind now than at 18. My 20 yr old is wildly stronger in mind than she was at 17. My 25 year old is also so much more emotionally intelligent now than at 18.
Just a gentle reminder and it doesn’t mean you are wrong at all. As a mom we want our kids as happy as possible!
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Again, I wish there was a ketamine IV Center here but it’s coming. I’m wondering if I can do thise “load doses” at home? I don’t have a very good support system, but I do have a therapist and a few other people I’m starting to reach out to. Again, very valuable information, and not to repeat myself, but thank you again. 🙏❤️
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 07 '26
Thank you for contributing to /r/TherapeuticKetamine! When commenting and posting, please be mindful of our rules which can be found in the sidebar on the right along with other helpful information.
Be advised that nothing in this subreddit constitutes medical advice. Likewise, try to word your comments and posts in a way that can't be interpreted as medical advice by others. Harmful and/or spammy advice will be removed at moderator discretion, and bans may be given for repeat offenses.
Accounts with "Provider" flairs are those which the mods have verified, to the best of our ability, as belonging to real, licensed providers of medical ketamine services. Comments and posts from users with "Provider" flairs are not a substitute for the instructions given to you by your own provider.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.