What Does Ketamine Therapy Feel Like Before and After?

Are you considering ketamine treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, or chronic pain? For so many patients at Klarisana, ketamine treatment has been a pivotal step in their journeys toward happiness and health.

Even though scientific researchers and mental health professionals have made promising breakthroughs in ketamine therapy studies, the treatment is still relatively new territory for a large majority of the public. One of the most common questions we receive about ketamine treatment is: “How does ketamine make you feel?” Understandably, many of our prospective patients wonder what it’s like to take ketamine in a therapeutic setting. Let’s take a closer look at what ketamine treatments feel like so you know what to expect during your treatment process at Klarisana.

What does ketamine feel like?

So, exactly what is ketamine like when used in a clinical/therapy setting?

Here is what you can expect during a therapy session:

Klarisana provides the gold standard of ketamine therapy, IM ketamine treatments (intramuscular). So, all of your ketamine treatments will be delivered via IM protocols rather than infusions.
You will be in a private room for your treatment so that you can relax.
Ketamine treatments can be a deeply relaxing experience for the large majority of patients.

During the treatment, you may experience mild effects such as:

  • Increased sensitivity to light and/or sound;
  • Feelings of “floatiness”;
  • Drowsiness;
  • Temporary changes in the perception of time, sounds, or color;
  • Minimal and temporary increases in blood pressure and heart rate can also occur but are generally well within safe limits;
  • Mild dizziness or nausea is not common but can occur for patients that often react to similar medications in this way. If you experience these symptoms, we have strategies to make you more comfortable.

After treatment, any side effects rapidly fade. Usually, patients feel completely normal after 20-30 minutes have passed.

Every patient is unique, which is why the mental health professionals at Klarisana take such great care in creating personalized treatment plans. Using your symptoms and goals as a “road map” of sorts, we’ll design a ketamine treatment plan (including the dosage, frequency, and treatment duration) that’s suited to your needs.

Patients often find that their experiences with ketamine are far different than they may have initially expected. Unfortunately, misuse of ketamine has resulted in much confusion surrounding the side effects of ketamine treatments. In reality, professionally administered ketamine therapy is specifically tailored to produce a mild, pleasant treatment experience. The dosage amount is significantly smaller than what is typically used in a recreational setting.

One of the factors that makes Klarisana one of the leading ketamine therapy providers in the U.S. is our innovative perspective on the effects of ketamine treatment. We have found that there is extensive value in both the biochemical and psychedelic effects of ketamine, which can help support patients’ wellness goals. Therefore, unlike other ketamine clinics, we do not administer additional medications to inhibit the temporary and mild psychedelic side effects.

What is ketamine therapy like?

During a ketamine treatment session, we aim to make you feel as comfortable and at ease as possible. Each patient room is designed to serve as a quiet, peaceful space where you can undergo treatments in privacy.

Klarisana clinics are equipped with SmartTVs, which you can use to watch nature videos, aquatic scapes, or your own DVD/streaming content. You can also opt to listen to music if you prefer – we recommend selecting music that puts you in a positive frame of mind.

Before your session starts, the provider will complete an evaluation and a basic physical exam. Then, they will step out of the room, and treatment will begin. The average ketamine treatment lasts about an hour.

How quickly does ketamine therapy work?

Now that you have a clearer idea of how it feels to undergo ketamine treatments, you may be wondering about potential results. That brings us to our next most frequently-asked question: How quickly do ketamine treatments work?

As you would expect, every patient has a distinct experience depending on their specific symptoms, goals, and diagnoses. However, some patients describe feeling an improvement as soon as an hour after the completion of their first treatment. Patients struggling with thoughts of self-harm may observe those feelings dissipating almost immediately. For others, ketamine treatment produces a gradual but steady improvement.

What are the side effects of ketamine treatment?

In a therapeutic setting, ketamine treatment typically produces little to no side effects for the majority of patients. Klarisana utilizes a low-dose protocol that minimizes the potential for side effects, allowing our patients to be responsive throughout the treatment session.

For patients that do experience ketamine treatment side effects, mild nausea is the most common. Before treatment, we offer anti-nausea medication if needed.

Ketamine has an excellent safety profile, and we monitor patients’ vitals for the duration of every treatment to ensure the highest standards of safety.

Redefine your future with help from Klarisana

Even if you’ve struggled to make progress with other forms of treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, or chronic pain, hope is not yet out of reach. You deserve to live a life free from the debilitating symptoms of mental illness or pain, and Klarisana is dedicated to helping you get there.

Ketamine treatments could be the key to bridging the gap between your present and a better, brighter future for your mind, body, and soul. Using scientifically-backed methodologies, Klarisana delivers cutting-edge ketamine therapy via IM protocols. At our ketamine centers in Colorado and Texas, patients receive personalized treatment plans shaped by their symptoms, goals, and needs. With our caring, compassionate, and experienced staff by your side, you can finally begin to shed the symptoms you’ve struggled with for far too long.

Learn how ketamine therapy could be the solution you’ve been searching for.

Carl J. Bonnett, MD

Dr. Carl J. Bonnett is the founder and Chief Medical Doctor at Klarisana. As a twenty-year veteran of the Army National Guard, Carl saw ketamine therapy as a valuable way to help others in mental and physical distress at Klarisana.

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