Ketamine
Ketamine Treatment Services in Minnesota
Your Unique Ketamine Experience
Prior to the first infusion our provider will provide coaching on the history of ketamine, how ketamine works for mood disorders, the possible side effects of ketamine, expectations for the experience, instruct you on how to navigate the journey, and answer any additional questions. An IV will be placed, monitors will be applied, and baseline vital signs will be obtained.
During the infusion, we will monitor your vital signs and assess your comfort level throughout the process. Patients report various changes/experiences during the infusion including cool extremities, hypersensitivity to sound and smells, sensitivity to light, and a “floating” sensation to complete out of body experiences.
The journey will progress with each infusion and the level of dissociation will impact the experience and the healing process. There will be similarities with each experience, but each experience will be unique and no two infusions will ever be exactly the same.
The Infusion Process
Ketamine infusions are 40-minute treatments for anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, OCD, postpartum depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. You will need to plan for approximately two hours for your first visit and one hour for each additional visit.
In addition, we recommend not eating approximately 4 hours prior to each appointment. Clear liquids are acceptable with no restrictions before each appointment. Our team encourages adequate or extra hydration 24 hours prior to your arrival.
Upon completion of the infusion, you will need approximately 30 minutes to recover and return to a level of comfort before being discharged. All patients are restricted from driving after the infusion and are required to prearrange a ride home. Driving is restricted for 6-12 hours post-infusion.
Suggestions for a Safe Ketamine Infusion Experience
To make your experience more comfortable, we offer reclining chairs, white noise machines, blankets/weighted blankets, disposable eye masks, ear plugs, and noise canceling headphones. You deserve to feel safe and grounded during a treatment that may stir anxiety and fear.
We also have several suggestions from past patients that will help you transition into your first ketamine infusion:
1). If you are sensitive to cold, we suggest bringing a warm blanket.
2). For light sensitivity, bring sunglasses or an eye mask.
3). We recommend guided meditation, yoga or spa music, ketamine playlists, or binaural beats (you must have your own device for music or guided meditation). Jason Stephenson’s worded and instrumental guided-meditation playlists are favorites of ours.
4). We discourage listening to a familiar or specific genre of music, the goal is to find something new that the mind will not associate with specific memories or events in your life.