IV Ketamine

Intravenous (IV) ketamine is a cutting-edge treatment that rapidly relieves mental health disorders like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if they don’t improve with conventional medical care. The skilled team at DuPage Psychiatric Care PLLC has received specialized training and holds certificates from the Ketamine Research Institute. They also provide the highest standard of care per the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Anesthesiology guidelines. Call the office in Oak Park, Skokie, Hinsdale, and Wheaton, Illinois, or use the online booking feature to request an appointment and learn how IV ketamine can improve your mental health.

What is IV ketamine?

Ketamine is an anesthetic that has been safely used during children’s surgery for decades. When used in a lower dose than needed for surgery, ketamine is also a powerful pain reliever and an effective treatment for mental health disorders.

After your provider administers low-dose ketamine through an IV infusion, the medicine reaches your brain, where it balances a neurotransmitter that’s essential for regulating brain activity essential for memory, moods, and emotions.

What mental health conditions are treated with IV ketamine? 

Your provider may recommend IV ketamine therapy after other psychiatric medications fail to improve your symptoms. 

Mental health conditions that often improve with ketamine treatment include:

• Treatment-resistant depression
• Major depressive disorder
• Suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide
• Anxiety disorders
• Bipolar depression
• Postpartum depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Each person responds differently to medications, including ketamine. However, ketamine produces a rapid improvement in symptoms for many people. 

Symptoms improve in nearly three-fourths of patients and go into remission in half of all patients receiving IV ketamine.

What should I expect during IV ketamine therapy?

You relax in a comfortable recliner while your provider inserts the IV needle in an arm vein and starts the ketamine infusion. With an infusion, they can give you a precise dose and adjust the flow to deliver the full dose in a specific time frame.

You’re never alone when receiving IV ketamine at DuPage Psychiatric Care PLLC. Their highly trained professionals stay with you, monitoring your response, watching for potential side effects, and making necessary adjustments.

The low doses used for treating mental health disorders seldom cause side effects. However, you may have nausea, confusion, or an out-of-body experience (because ketamine is a dissociative medication).

Your treatment begins with a standard regimen of six treatments administered in 2-3 weeks. While you may experience symptom relief after the first session, this extended treatment gives most patients long-lasting results that only require occasional maintenance sessions.

Your IV infusion takes 30 minutes, then you relax and recover in the office for about two hours. You won’t be able to drive until the next day because you may feel dizzy, nauseous, or generally foggy for a short time.

Call DuPage Psychiatric Care PLLC today or use the online booking feature to connect with the team and learn if IV ketamine is the solution to your persistent symptoms.