What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a FDA approved medication that was synthesized in 1962 and was approved for use as an anesthetic medication in 1970. It is a blocker of the cellular NMDA, a brain receptor for glutamate and has proven to play a significant role in modulating major depression, PTSD, anxiety, chronic pain syndromes, and other ailments. Ketamine is also known to have potent brain anti-inflammatory properties, as well as to stimulate neuronal growth, synaptogenesis, and neuroplasticity via BDNF. It is a Schedule III drug and should only be used and administered by a skilled licensed anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, or trained physician.

Is Ketamine safe?

Ketamine is safe when administered for anesthesia or as a treatment for depression, other mental illness, and chronic pain, by a licensed practitioner as we do at Ketamine Centers of Chicago. The doses used for depression and chronic pain are much lower than those used for anesthesia. A patients’ vital signs are monitored closely for the duration of the 45- minute infusion, which is done in comfortable private rooms by our anesthesiologist and registered nurses. Most patients feel very relaxed while they are receiving the infusion and if dissociative effects occur, they wear off within an hour or so. We carefully assess the patients’ medical history and medication list before the treatment and will consult the primary care physician or mental health professionals as needed.

Will Ketamine effectively treat depression?

Multiple clinical studies carried out at the NIH, NIMH, and institutions such as Yale over the past 15 years have shown that Ketamine infusions can treat major depression as well as treatment resistant depression (TRD) with a success rate as high as 80%. Most patients have immediate improvement after their first or second infusion. Patients with suicidal or harmful thoughts are particularly high responders to Ketamine infusions with over 80% having complete elimination of these thoughts after a single infusion. In addition to depression and suicidal ideations, Ketamine has also been shown to be effective in treating PTSD, anxiety (social & GAD), bipolar disorder, panic disorders, OCD, and chronic pain including migraines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the side effects of Ketamine?

The side effects of the low dose Ketamine infusions are minimal lasting only about an hour or two. These side effects may include mild drowsiness, nausea and increased blood pressure. We will routinely administer medication for prevention of nausea. Less common side effects include vivid dreams or agitation which can be easily controlled by adjusting dosage. Many patients don’t mind the dissociation they experience during the infusion and this feeling has been seen in studies to be beneficial to outcomes. The recovery period after infusions is roughly 30 minutes.

How does Ketamine compare to conventional antidepressant medications?

Ketamine in depressive and treatment resistant depressive populations will relieve depression in up to 80% of users. Oral antidepressant medications (i.e. SSRI's), in comparison,may only be effective in about 40% of patients and come with many undesirable side effects such as weight gain, decreased sexual drive, emotional and cognitive dulling, increased suicidal ideation, GI disturbances, and fatigue. Ketamine, on the other hand, has only minimal side effects which are gone within a few hours of the infusion. Ketamine is also effective within hours to days, whereas oral antidepressants can take up to a month or longer to take effect.

What is the treatment protocol for major depression and TRD?

Our protocol for depression is to administer six to eight 45-minute Ketamine infusions overthe course of two to three weeks and then maintain infusions as needed every 3-4 weeks to every few months. We will adjust dosing on every infusion as needed to obtain maximal clinical response and patient satisfaction.

Does insurance pay for the ketamine infusions? At this time, insurance will not pay for Ketamine infusions. We accept most major credit cards and cash. We also offer third-party patient financing programs.

Please call our office to get special pricing for your clinic or practice’s patients.

WHAT OUR PATIENTS ARE SAYING

““For 23 years I suffered with depression and now I don't...I noticed a change the day after my very first treatment of Ketamine. At work I think clearly, I’m able to concentrate without being distracted and make decisions effortlessly. The negative thoughts are gone and I am calm. Slowly, I’ve found myself wanting to do things I used to enjoy like long walks along the lake and meditating. Even the simple act of listening to music is a completely new and exhilarating experience. I look forward to spending time with the people I love and while I do, I am fully present and actively listening. I get goose bumps just thinking about how much I am loving life.” - Kathy Wrubleski

“Prior to the Ketamine treatments I lived a lifetime with constant symptoms of untreatable depression. But now I can confidently say I have never consistently felt this way in my entire life. It has been 5 weeks since my last treatment and I am still benefiting from the results of the treatments. I am sleeping through the night, no longer self-medicating, and enjoy life and experience joy daily. My family is beside themselves at the changes in my mood and interactions. My impression of Dr. Nandra is he practices medicine with compassion, intelligence, competency and a passion for his work. I am very grateful for Dr. Nandra and the IV Solutions medical team and their treatment approach. Thank you. I can say with confidence that their expertise coupled with the Ketamine treatments have been life changing.” - Jason LaHood, Psy.D.

“The Ketamine infusions have been a miracle in my quest to overcome depression. After years of countless medications and therapies, Ketamine Centers & the IV Solutions team has allowed me to make that final breakthrough into a normal, happy, productive life.” - Jim C.

“During one of my sleepless nights, I started to read about Ketamine treatments. So, cautiously optimistic but with a dose of skepticism, I went to see Dr. Nandra. I felt like he was the one doctor who knew where I was coming from; moreover, I was immediately impressed with his dedication to continually improve his patient's results by working in tandem with research doctors around the country to modify maintenance protocols, etc. To me, depression felt like a huge entangled knot that could not be undone and was permanent and omnipresent. That became the lens in which I experienced the world. While doing my mood inventory at the beginning of my fourth session, it hit me how all the little things began to add up. I realized how profound the past week had been. After 23 years, something dynamic was happening...It's been a few weeks since my last treatment. I am much more resilient. My self-esteem is much better, I'm less critical. I don't dread the future. You start to feel more like yourself, even though it may have been years since you have seen that person.” - Eric C.

“For my daughter Ketamine treatments, have allowed her to live the life she wants to lead, and is fully capable of leading without the relentlessness of depression. The relief she feels knowing that there is a treatment which works, and most importantly works quickly and effectively, has been life changing for her.” - S.P

DEPRESSION

“Robust and rapid antidepressant effects resulted from a single intravenous dose of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist; onset occurred within 2 hours post-infusion and continued to remain significant for 1 week.” A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression. -- Arch Gen Psychiatry (Aug 2006) Zarate et al

“The Ketamine group had greater improvement in the MADRS score than the midazolam group 24 hours after treatment. Ketamine demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects in an optimized study design...” Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial. – Am J Psychiatry (Oct 2013)

“An analysis of data from the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) supported previous findings that Ketamine could be an effective treatment for depression, researchers found.” FDA Data Supports Ketamine as Depression Therapy. - MedPage Today (May 2017)

PTSD/ANXIETY

“Ketamine infusion was associated with significant and rapid reduction in PTSD symptom severity, compared with midazolam, when assessed 24 hours after infusion.” Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial-- JAMA Psychiatry, 2014

“Just 1 hour after injection, ratings on both the Fear Questionnaire and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale dropped 50%....The findings suggest maintenance Ketamine may be a therapeutic alternative for that patient population, researchers concluded.” Safety and efficacy of maintenance Ketamine treatment in patients with treatment-refractory generalized anxiety and social anxiety disorders.-- Journal of Psychopharmacology, March 2018

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