If you’ve been looking into ketamine treatment, or are currently familiar with the space, you might have noticed there are several different methods of receiving the medicine: ketamine infusions (intramuscular or intravenous), tablets (or “troches”), or nasal spray. 

What isn’t as immediately evident is what the differences are, what the benefits may be, and why you would choose one over the other. Below is a brief history of ketamine treatment, three common methods of administering ketamine, and how each fits into the best course of therapeutic treatment.

A Brief History of Ketamine’s Medical Use

Ketamine’s first FDA-approved use was as a dissociative anesthetic and is used for this purpose in medical and surgical procedures. Ketamine is a special medicine in this class as it does not suppress respiratory rate and is a generally safe tool for anesthesia. It has also been used for years for its rapid acting analgesic (pain reducing) effects from battlefields to emergency care.

To achieve the dissociation and sedation required, doctors needed a direct and effective way to provide and regulate larger amounts of ketamine to the patients. This is where IV and IM injections of ketamine began.

At anesthetic levels, patients often come back from an experience with little to no recollection of what happened while they were sedated. During an invasive procedure this is the preferred outcome. However, when working with mental illnesses, some level of subjective or conscious experience may be preferable, particularly when ketamine’s psychedelic medicinal effects are desired.

IV/IM administration allows dosing of the medicine at amounts that can produce full dissociation and sedation. There is scientific evidence supporting the mental health benefits of dissociation, and more research is being conducted. These are typically the longest sessions, ranging anywhere from 1-3 hours, and are the most expensive, with individual sessions running around $800-1200+USD, with psychotherapy afterward as an available option.

Methods of Administering Ketamine

Ketamine infusions and injections aren’t the only method of delivery used in mental health treatments. Here’s a quick overview of the different methods one can expect when working with ketamine.

Sublingual Tablets or Troches 

Tablets or troches (pronounced “tro-keys”) are compounded tablets from a pharmacy that are absorbed into the brain/bloodstream sublingually, or held in the mouth. Dosing can vary from 10-200 milligrams (mg) per tablet on average, depending on the compounding pharmacy and the order from the clinician.

Tablets are the method utilized by Mindbloom clinicians, allowing for a greater flexibility in treatment based on the client’s response to the medication. Tablets also provide an identical delivery mechanism as IV/IM, but without the risk of infections or introducing harmful agents into the bloodstream — contributing to an increased safety profile.

A secondary benefit is there is a ceiling, an upper limit, to how much medicine an individual can absorb sublingually, making it nearly impossible to take larger doses than necessary.

IV Infusion or IM Injection 

Intravenous (IV) infusions or Intramuscular (IM) ketamine injections have similar effects. The difference is that IV is typically infused into a vein with a bag that drips the substance in while IM is injected directly into the arm with a needle (similar to a flu shot).

Nasal Spray 

Ketamine nasal sprays are a synthesized mist stored in a spray bottle that is applied according to the delivery timeline outlined by the clinician. This is the latest delivery method to gain FDA approval with the introduction of Spravato. 

The bioavailability and desired effect (sub dissociative, sub psychedelic, anesthetic) of each delivery method, which is the proportion of the compound that enters the body’s circulation, is what determines the typical dosing ranges. You can apply the highest doses (several thousand milligrams) with infusions, a mid-range with sublingual tablets (around 1000-1500mgs) and the lowest doses with nasal sprays (

Determining Which Method is Right for Your Ketamine Treatment

It’s important to distinguish the two ways in which ketamine treatments provide therapeutic value, as this will help you make a decision as to which one is right for you, and when.

The Biological Effects of Ketamine

There are the neurobiological effects and benefits when receiving ketamine. Through these effects, we would expect a general improvement in overall mood, an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),  and bolstering of neurons that have been worn down over time by the body’s physiological response to things like anxiety and depression.

The biological effects are dose-dependent, and happen regardless of an individual’s subjective experience with the medicine.

Learn more about the neuroscience of ketamine here.

The Subjective Effects of Ketamine

There are also subjective or phenomenological healing effects that ketamine can provide at medium/high doses. These effects include novel ways of thinking, disconnection from thoughts or emotions, dilation of time or space, out-of-body experiences, and more. These experiences vary between each individual and each treatment, but can be essential catalysts for deep transformation when treating mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety with ketamine.

The subjective effects have a ‘sweet spot.’ They need a certain dosage to surface, and can be overtaken by the dissociative or sedative effects at higher doses.

This ideal range for the subjective or phenomenological effects of ketamine is an important point to consider when looking at methods of treatment, and the results you want to achieve. An experienced clinician can help you make the right choice in this regard.

Ketamine’s Role as a Psychedelic Therapy Catalyst

As off-label treatments for ketamine are increasingly researched, ketamine’s subjective and psychedelic effects should be considered.

When looking at long-term, enduring benefits and personal transformation, ketamine’s psychedelic effects play an important role.

Individuals in treatments have the potential to experience more classically ‘psychedelic’ experiences: novel ways of thinking or feeling, immersion in new experiences, time or space dilation, out-of-body experiences, hallucinations, and visual imagery. 

Not to be discounted, these experiences and insights can provide the scaffolding for long-lasting changes, especially if properly integrated back into their lives. 

Which Ketamine Treatment Method is Right for Me?

By Cost

If you’re considering overall cost of treatment:

1. Infusions: Each infusion session can range from $400 to $1000-plus, often sold in 4-6 session packs.
2. Nasal Spray: Monthly nasal spray use can cost $4000-5000 based on recommended dosages. There are some insurance coverage options here to help manage costs.
3. Sublingual Tablets: Depending on the recommended dosage, these can run from $500-1500 per month. Mindbloom offers six medicinal sessions for $89/week billed monthly for three months.

Subjective or Psychedelic Benefits

If you want a compliment of biological benefits and subjective, experiential insights:

1. Infusions: Have the potential to provide a higher degree of dissociation as dissociation is dose dependent and higher doses can be provided via IV or IM.
2. Nasal Spray: Little to no dissociation.
3. Sublingual Tablets: Has the potential to produce mild to moderate levels of dissociation which is generally supportive of a deep meditative state or a trance-like state which can include some psychedelic properties.

When speaking with your clinician or provider, you can use this information to help determine the best method for your unique circumstances.

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Ketamine is currently prescribed and used to treat a number of unique medical and clinical situations: from general anesthesia for surgical procedures, to sublingual doses in the treatment of mental health conditions.

Of particular interest is ketamine’s use as an “off-label” medicine for the treatment of mental health conditions. Regarding its applications in medical and surgical procedures, it is so effective and well-supported by medical professionals that the World Health Organization designates it as an essential medicine.

Support for Ketamine’s Off-Label Efficacy

As it was originally approved as an anesthetic in medical procedures, the use of ketamine for therapeutic outcomes in the treatment of mental health conditions are classified as “off-label” use: using a medicine for something other than the original scenario it was approved for.

The existence of off-label uses for ketamine are the first indicator of its efficacy. A potential treatment must demonstrate reasonable and remarkable proof of its ability to treat other symptoms and conditions to be considered for off-label use.

Ketamine is used off-label to treat a variety of treatment-resistant mental health conditions, demonstrating particular efficacy in depression and anxiety treatments.

Ketamine’s Mental Health Use-Cases

Ketamine use in the treatment of mental health conditions is still an emerging area of research and study. More trials are underway to demonstrate the depth and breadth of ketamine’s applications and potential.

There are a few core areas of research underway:

• Ketamine as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) / treatment-resistant depression
• Ketamine as a novel treatment for general anxiety and social anxiety disorders
• Using ketamine to manage bipolar disorder (BPD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance use disorders (SUD)
• Ketamine as an early treatment for managing suicidal ideation

As more studies emerge, the results are promising: From the rapid onset of results, to long-lasting effects, ketamine as a novel treatment in the mental health space is showing to be highly effective.

Core Benefits of Ketamine Therapy for Mental Health

There are a number of features that make ketamine therapy remarkable and effective as a medicine for the mental health field.

Rapid onset and visibility of results and positive outcomes 

Unlike some traditional pharmacological interventions, which can take up to 6 weeks to begin showing positive outcomes, some clients working with ketamine therapy report seeing results within hours of their first treatment.

Long-tail endurance and durability of its outcomes 

The second core benefit is what is called the durability of the benefits — those that extend beyond just the dosing session or the immediate hours following administration.

Early research has highlighted enduring effects from a single treatment that remain noticeable weeks after the dosing session.

Addresses and heals underlying drivers of the conditions

Along with the immediate mood-regulating effects of a ketamine session, there may be longer-term neurochemical and biological benefits from ketamine.

Some of these benefits may include increasing the presence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain, which can help create new, healthy neural connections. 

The dissociative and psychedelic subjective experiences ketamine induces can provide new behavioral insights, clarity into life circumstances, and surface deep-embodied emotions or feelings. Integrating and addressing what comes up in ketamine therapy can lead to more resiliency, positive affect, and brighter futures for clients.

It fits into your life 

Convenience is an important factor that makes ketamine therapy a useful and appealing treatment option. 

The experience itself lasts around 90 minutes when using sublingual tablets, so it’s not a full-day commitment for those whose schedules don’t allow.

Because ketamine’s benefits and durability can be long-lasting, you aren’t required to take a pill every day to see benefits. 

Any side-effects are minimal and subside quickly

With programs like Mindbloom, you can receive psychedelic therapy from the comfort of your own home, monitored by a close friend or loved one, while under the guidance of experienced clinicians and highly-trained guides.

The “felt” or physiological effects last around one hour, and short term side effects such as altered sense of time, nausea, restlessness, and elevated blood pressure or heart rate typically subside shortly following the treatment experience.

With a relatively proven and promising efficacy profile for mental health treatment, coupled with the flexibility and adaptability of the treatment programs themselves, ketamine therapy can be a life-changing experience that doesn’t require you changing your life for it. It meets you where you’re at.

What Results Do Clients Commonly See?

The results summary from a 2019 study on individuals with major depressive disorder explains the potential for powerful results:

“There was a significant improvement in depression, anxiety, and the severity of illness after 2 weeks and 1 month of the last dose of ketamine. Significant improvement at 1st [hour] of the first dose was seen in depression and anxiety and not for illness severity. There were transient adverse effects observed in some patients which subsided within 1 [hour].”

In more direct terms, this indicates: 

• Significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms, and illness severity, lasting at least one month after the last dose.
• Significant improvement noticeable within the first hour of the first dose, which did not make the illness more severe.
• Some adverse effects subsided within the hour.

Ketamine can be a powerful medicine, and a breakthrough therapy for those with depression and anxiety.

Mindbloom clients who respond well to treatment report outcomes across the spectrum:

• Reduction in symptoms for anxiety and depression diagnoses.
• No longer displaying objective symptoms or meeting criteria for mental illness.
• Subjective reports of feeling completely changed or revitalized.

Here’s what one client had to say about their progress:

“I 100% recommend Mindbloom to anyone who has been stuck with anxiety, depression, or stress and wants to try something new. I’ve come to see old problems in new ways and feel like I have a better perspective on the world.” — Mattan G.

Is Ketamine an Effective Mental Health Treatment?

In short, yes! Ketamine is shown to be effective in treating those with depression and anxiety and the corresponding symptoms, and this is backed by research.

Mindbloom will continue developing and providing therapeutic experiences with ketamine. It’s shown to be fast-acting, long-lasting, safe, well-tolerated, and effective. Consult your mental health provider or take the assessment on our website to see if Mindbloom could be a fit for you.

Ketamine can be a powerful tool for mental health clinicians because of its remarkable safety profile across medical and therapeutic modalities. 

In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) lists it as an essential medicine and advocates for its widespread availability globally. However, like any medication, patients should be well-informed about ketamine’s contraindications and potential side effects, along with alternative treatments available, to determine if ketamine therapy is right for them.

Is Ketamine a Safe Drug?

Ketamine is considered safe when used in a clinical setting under the supervision of medical professionals. We strongly advise against recreational use of ketamine since the strength and quality are uncertain and widely variable (it can be cut with a handful of substances). Further, long-term damage to the body is sometimes seen among recreational users who consume at higher doses or higher frequencies than would be advised in a clinical setting. 

Why Ketamine is Considered Safe

Ketamine was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an anesthetic in the 1970’s. It has been widely used by anesthesiologists during surgeries with young children to aging seniors since. It is used in many socio-economic environments, and continues to be used because it is generally safe, well-tolerated, and effective in what it does.

A factor indicating the safety profile of ketamine as a medicine is that it is used in a variety of medical settings to treat a broad (and growing) number of symptoms and conditions.

Some of these applications include:

• Anesthesia for surgery
• Analgesia for a wide variety of painful conditions, traumas, or procedures
• Combating major depression and anxiety symptoms

Ketamine’s use in a variety of medical and therapeutic indications, with relatively positive safety outcomes, supports its safety profile in many age groups

An important note: Anesthetic dose ranges —those used in surgical procedures— are much higher than those that are used for treating mental health conditions, such as treating depression, anxiety, OCD, and other conditions. When thinking about the safety profile of ketamine at an anesthetic dose, which can be 4-8x and higher a dose used in mental health, it helps us understand how safe ketamine can be in a treatment model like Mindbloom’s.

Is Ketamine Safe for Depression and Anxiety?

With the emergence of science that has validated other therapeutic indications for ketamine treatments (depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD) more and more clinicians have begun to follow the science and treat conditions with ketamine, off-label. 

This, along with a paradigm shift in emerging mental health treatments, has helped drive ketamine from the hospital into outpatient clinics. Outpatient clinic models vary greatly and you can receive treatment from anesthesiologists, licensed clinicians, and in some settings a psychotherapist paired up with a prescriber.

Results of emerging science continue to be promising. We continue to learn about how ketamine works in the body to treat mental health conditions, and its safety profile in this context. This learning has lead to continued evolution of treatment models that aim to increase access to care (such as in-home treatments) and enhance its therapeutic potential (such as coupling up with therapy).

A true testament to the safety of ketamine is that with professional guidance, it can be taken by clients in their homes. This ensures it’s dosed properly and with proper education around developing a safe environment and mindset. Throughout these sessions, there are few, if any, adverse events that arise —demonstrating the tolerability of ketamine as a therapeutic medicine as well.

Ketamine’s Risk Profile & Contraindications

No medicine available is without risks and contraindications —symptoms or conditions that an individual may be experiencing that indicate treatment may not be suitable. This is why ketamine is a regulated medicine, used in structured procedures and administered by medical professionals. 

Ketamine does not require the use of supplementary tools or procedures such as external oxygen sources, electricity supplies, or large clinical teams — further simplifies the procedures, and this reduction in complexity serves to reduce the potential for adverse effects or events.

Some of the contraindications include:

• Uncontrolled high/low blood pressure, heart problems, glaucoma or intracranial pressure.
• Active and unstable substance use disorder
• Psychotic disorders
• Active mania

There is also potential for adverse events through the dissociative effects of ketamine, such as grogginess, drowsiness, or disorientation leading to an accident or confusion during/after use.

This is why using ketamine as prescribed, in a medical or therapeutic context with trained practitioners, is important. If done in this manner, as has been proven over the past decades, ketamine is a safe and effective medical and psychedelic therapy treatment.

One of the advantages of ketamine as a clinical and therapeutic treatment is that it can lead to desired treatment outcomes within shorter timescales — for some within 24 hours, others after weeks of therapeutic work— while maintaining the efficacy and beneficial effects of longer-acting therapeutic and psychedelic experiences.

There are two ways to address the question “how long does ketamine last?”: How long do the “felt effects” —immediate physiological effects— of the medicine persist in the short-term, and how long do its lasting antidepressant and antianxiety effects persist.

How Long Do the Short-Term, Physical Effects of Ketamine Last?

How long ketamine’s immediate physical effects last depends on multiple factors, with the key factor being method of administration. There are a number of ways ketamine can be received, and each one has its own timing for onset of effects, duration of experience, and noticeable effects after the experience.

The duration of the felt effects or “felt experience” depends primarily on the methods of administration.

Methods of Ketamine Administration

Ketamine is administered, or taken, in the following ways: intravenous (IV) infusion, intramuscular (IM) infusion, sublingual tablets, or intranasal spray. 

Treatment sessions using each of these methods are typically set for one hour, with immediate effects subsiding around one to three hours.

Intravenous (IV) infusion 

IV infusion takes the medicine directly into the bloodstream. It has a very rapid onset, and how long the felt experience lasts is dependent on the half-life of ketamine — the time it takes to be processed in the body and leave its system fully— and other psychological factors. Infusion sessions typically last one hour, but can be extended up to five hours based on clinician’s recommendation.

Intramuscular (IM) infusion 

Intramuscular infusions are administered through a syringe, which is injected into a muscle (usually the shoulder or thigh). This method’s onset typically takes 2-4 minutes, and its full duration ranges from 1-3 hours.

Sublingual Tablets or Troches

Tablets or troches (pronounced “tro-keys”) are another way of receiving the medicine. Mindbloom uses rapid dissolving tablets (RDTs), which are held in the mouth for direct oral absorption and removed after a point of maximum absorption. 

By not swallowing the medicine, the gastrointestinal tract is bypassed avoiding metabolization in the liver, which extends the duration of the experience. If not swallowed, the average onset is around 5-10 minutes, with the dissociative effects lasting for around 30-60 minutes, and a return to physical baseline around 1-3 hours after treatment. If swallowed, half-life is increased and the effects last longer, around 4-5 hours.

Intranasal (IN) Spray 

Intranasal spray options, administered through the nose, are also emerging. There are two types of ketamine-based nasal spray: S-ketamine (esketamine) and R-ketamine (arketamine), also known as “racemic” or “generic” ketamine.

This method’s onset typically takes five to ten minutes, and its full duration ranges from one to three hours.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?

As with any compound, it’s easiest to consider this in terms of the half-life of ketamine. A half-life is how long it takes for 50% of the compound to be excreted from the body.

Ketamine metabolizes quickly in the body, with a half-life of around 2.5 hours. This means that after 2.5 hours, 50% of the ketamine has been excreted from the bloodstream. For comparison, coffee has a half-life of five hours. Ketamine’s metabolites can remain in the body for almost two weeks.

Given this, after about 10-12 hours since the initial dosing, a majority of the ketamine is out of your system. This is independent of the subjective experience, which subsides after about an hour.

Overall, this is one of the advantages to work with ketamine: it’s very well tolerated across a large population, it has a fast onset and manageable total duration, and is metabolized and processed through the body quickly as well.

How Long do the Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine Last?

One of the most remarkable aspects of ketamine therapy are the benefits that an individual can experience during, after, and between each dosing session. This is called the “durability” of the experience.

After a single session, it would be reasonable to expect a general improvement in mood/outlook, and increased mental flexibility and openness lasting for about seven days. This can vary from person to person. Some effects are noticeable immediately after the session.

A 2019 study on individuals with major depressive disorder demonstrates the potential for longer-term positive effects:

“There was a significant improvement in depression, anxiety, and the severity of illness after 2 weeks and 1 month of the last dose of ketamine. Significant improvement at 1st [hour] of the first dose was seen in depression and anxiety and not for illness severity. There were transient adverse effects observed in some patients which subsided within 1 [hour].”

Given the 1-2 week window of increased openness, flexibility, and general mood brought on by a single session, another opportunity presents itself when “stacking” or adding on multiple sessions through the course of treatment.

Integration’s role in ketamine therapy’s effectiveness

It’s worth noting that ketamine as a compound alone isn’t a “magic pill.” Its short and long-term effects are meant to open an individual up to action and behavioral changes that will help them reach their full potential. Ketamine therapy as a holistic experience promotes setting and working on intentions or goals that promote personal growth. These insights gained are taken with us but the physiological effect may not last.

Mindbloom’s program includes four sessions, spaced 1-2 weeks apart. This treatment methodology is referred to as “stacking.” By continually renewing this general baseline improvement, paired with effective integration work in-between, clients report improvement and maintenance of their baseline moods for many months after completing their last session.

Overall, we can see there are acute effects from a single session that can last for weeks. If sessions are combined into a comprehensive and holistic program, the enduring effects can last for months, or provide enduring and robust baseline improvements.

How Long Do Ketamine Treatments Last?

In general, the subjective experience tends to follow a standard direct dosing arc: An initial period for the effects to come on, a period of full experience with an associated ‘peak’, and a gradual decline back towards normal waking consciousness — though with some lingering physical effects that subside 1-2 hours after the session.

Each individual will have a unique experience, and each session may slightly vary from these exact markers, though the general trend tends to remain the same. Here is a common overview of the experience:

• 0 to 15 minutes: dosing and initial effects begin to arise.
• 15 to 45 minutes: full effect onset, peak of subjective experience.
• 45 minutes to 1 hour: gradual decline back to waking consciousness.
• 1 hour +: residual effects (grogginess, mild dizziness, etc.) begin to subside.

Most treatments are designed to last roughly one hour, with a recovery window of up to three hours.

Clients should plan to have a restful day after a ketamine session, regardless of the delivery method used. It’s helpful to stay with the medicine and the experience rather than jumping back into work or stressful exercise.

If you’d like to learn more about the psychedelic therapy experience, read about how the Mindbloom journey works.

“Is Ketamine legal?” is a common, and legitimate question from those looking to explore psychedelic medicine for therapeutic treatment of their depression and anxiety.

Ketamine is legal for use by registered practitioners, and historically has a high safety profile in surgical and therapeutic use since its synthesis in the 1960’s. Its scope of treatment and potential use-cases continue to grow and develop as ketamine is studied further. 

More and more we are seeing promising areas that ketamine is uniquely suited to help with, in everything from surgical procedures to relieving treatment-resistant depression and anxiety symptoms.

Is Ketamine Legal?

Ketamine is legal for medical use in the United States and select countries across the world. 

The use of ketamine is regulated, meaning it can only be administered or prescribed by licensed clinicians with the authority and expertise to support its effective use.

When used within the context of a surgical procedure or as prescribed by a licensed clinician, it is perfectly legal to use. Any other use of this medicine outside of these guidelines is currently illegal and unregulated.

Ketamine’s FDA and DEA Scheduling

Ketamine is an FDA-approved anesthetic, and is available for “off-label” prescription by a licensed clinician.

Ketamine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical use as an anesthetic since 1970. In addition to off-label ketamine prescriptions, the FDA recently approved derivatives such as esketamine for treatment of adults with treatment-resistant depression.

“Off-label” prescription is when a medicine is used to treat another condition outside of its original medicinal intent. More on this below.

Ketamine is currently listed as a Schedule III compound under DEA guidelines. 

This means it is generally accepted to have medical value for specific purposes, and must be administered by a licensed provider to be distributed effectively.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) schedules controlled substances or compounds 1 through 5. Any compound receiving a 2, 3, 4, or 5 rating is designated as having viable medical uses, and is legal to administer so long as it is through a licensed provider to treat a specific condition.

When is Ketamine Illegal?

Ketamine is illegal when used outside of a clinically-prescribed setting.

Ketamine is known to be used as a “club drug.” It’s often referred to as special k, vitamin k, ket, kit kat, cat valium, and other street names. 

Side effects can include elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, nausea, dizziness, and other symptoms. When used unsupervised recreationally, and in high doses, users can experience extreme dissociative effects, often called a “k-hole.”

This is why it’s important for users seeking medical and therapeutic benefits of ketamine to do so under medical supervision. When using the calculated dosage, in a clinically-supervised setting, ketamine therapy is safe and well-tolerated, allowing individuals to receive the intended benefit of the treatment.

Is “Off-Label” Ketamine Legal as Well?

Ketamine is able to be prescribed “off-label”, which can, understandably, be a confusing term. A common misconception about “off-label” prescribing is that it’s potentially illegal or otherwise untrustworthy. 

Generally, when a drug or compound is approved for medical use, it is approved to treat a very specific ailment or serve a very particular purpose. Originally, ketamine was approved for use as a general anesthetic in surgeries that do not require skeletal muscle relaxation. This is the labelled use.

If the compound or medicine is prescribed and used to treat something other than the original designation, this is considered off-label use. This is a relatively common practice, with studies showing that one in five prescriptions are given off-label. Fully labeling a medicine for FDA-approved use is a time and cost-prohibitive process, and is typically sought out by pharmaceutical companies looking to apply the medicine for a specific consumer use case.

Fortunately, new science and research is emerging showing that ketamine can be highly effective in treating treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, chronic pain, and a growing list of other applications.

If prescribed for any of these use-cases, this is considered off-label use, and it is completely legal — so long as it is prescribed by a licensed practitioner for this particular use.

What are the Legal Uses of Ketamine?

Ketamine for General Anesthesia

Ketamine was originally synthesized for use as a general anesthetic in medical and surgical procedures. 

To this day it continues to be used in emergency rooms and in surgeries across the country to help manage pain and induce sedation. Due to its safety and efficacy, it has become an essential asset to the medical community, being used to treat a range of cases from young children, military members and veterans, and seniors. 

Ketamine for Depression & Anxiety

As research continued and scientific interest explored the uses of ketamine further, new applications and areas of efficacy were discovered.

Evidence from peer-reviewed, double-blind research over decades has shown that lower doses of ketamine prescribed in a clinical and therapeutic setting can provide benefits for depression and anxiety symptoms, among other mental health considerations.

Ketamine’s antidepressant and antianxiety benefits are related to enhanced neuroplasticity, or the ability of brain cells to form new connections with one another. The effects of ketamine therapy can be long-lasting, and often require shorter courses of treatment than medications like antidepressants.

Legal Ketamine-Assisted Therapy

One of the potential, and most illuminating, applications of ketamine is its use as a catalyst and treatment in managing or relieving depression and anxiety symptoms in patients actively suffering from these symptoms or who have been found to resist other possible treatments.

Therapeutic ketamine sessions, when prescribed and monitored by a licensed clinician, have the potential to facilitate incredible breakthroughs in the mental health of clients and patients who go through these treatments.

Ketamine is legal, safe, well-tolerated, and effective. This is due to decades of history in clinical and surgical environments, structures and systems in place for quality control, prescription and clinician regulations.

If you’re interested in learning how ketamine can help with anxiety and depression symptoms, take our assessment to see if you’re a candidate today.