Ketamine is a strong recreational substance that can cause a variety of disorienting, potentially dangerous effects. It is also a carefully studied medication that may offer a wealth of mental health benefits. One common question about ketamine’s use in mental health treatment is, does ketamine therapy get you high?
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What Is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a powerful synthetic drug that is classified as a dissociative anesthetic. Its effects can include sedation, diminished sensitivity to pain, short-term memory loss, and a sense of detachment from your body, mind, and surroundings. It can also cause mild hallucinations.
Ketamine was developed in the early 1960s and first used by Belgian veterinarians. By the late 1960s, after testing confirmed its suitability for humans, medical doctors in Europe began to use it to alleviate severe pain and to sedate patients prior to surgery.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ketamine in 1970, and the medication saw widespread use by military medical personnel during the Vietnam War.
Throughout the 1970s researchers explored ketamine’s potential benefits as a mental health medication. However, these efforts stalled, in part because of concerns about adverse effects and the rise of recreational ketamine abuse.
Ketamine is still used today as both a medical and veterinary anesthetic. Research into its mental health benefits garnered renewed interest in the early 200s, and the medication has shown considerable promise in this area.
What Does Ketamine Therapy Treat?
In the United States today, ketamine’s FDA approval is limited to its use as an anesthetic. In 2019, the FDA approved a ketamine variant called esketamine to treat adults with major depressive disorder whose symptoms had not responded to other medications.
Many doctors also use ketamine on an off-label basis to treat people who have a range of mental and behavioral health concerns, including:
- Anxiety disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Eating disorders
- Substance use disorder (addictions)
Does Ketamine Therapy Get You High?
Ketamine abuse can cause an intense, disorienting high. People who take large doses for recreational purposes may experience auditory and visual hallucinations, depersonalization, and derealization.
But what does this mean for people who receive ketamine from a doctor to treat a legitimate mental health concern? Does ketamine therapy get you high?
When you take part in ketamine therapy with a reputable provider, you should not experience the type of high that is associated with ketamine abuse.
During some ketamine therapy sessions, you may experience elevated mood, a sense of serene euphoria, and perhaps even the feeling that you are floating or have become slightly detached from your surroundings.
Depending on which type of ketamine therapy you receive, you may be advised not to drive or engage in other complex activities for a period of time, as the medication can impair your coordination and perception for a while after the session is over.
However, these sensations should not be as intense or disorienting as what would occur if you engaged in recreational ketamine abuse.
To quickly summarize:
- Can ketamine abuse get you high? Yes, it can.
- Does ketamine therapy get you high? No, at least not in the way that recreational drug abuse can.
Before you participate in your first ketamine therapy session, your doctor should review the medication’s benefits and potential adverse effects with you. They or a member of their staff should monitor you at all times during the session, so that they can take appropriate measures if you begin to experience any troublesome side effects.
How Does Ketamine Therapy Work?
Ketamine therapy can be provided three ways: In a nasal spray, by injection, or orally.
Spravato Treatment
Spravato treatment is the only type of ketamine-related therapy that has earned FDA approval for mental health purposes. It is authorized for people who have treatment-resistant depression, and it should be used in conjunction with traditional antidepressant.
Spravato therapy uses esketamine, which is a ketamine variant. The medication is delivered via a nasal spray. When you take part in a Spravato session, you will self-administer the medication. To accomplish this, you will place the tip of a small application device in your nostril and press a plunger to release the medication. You will do this twice, once in each nostril.
A standard regimen of Spravato therapy is eight weeks. You will usually participate in two sessions per week for four weeks, followed by one session per week for the next four weeks. Every session will take place in a doctor’s office or other approved treatment environment. Spravato is not available for take-home use.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Ketamine infusion therapy delivers the drug via intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) injection.
During a ketamine infusion therapy session, you will recline in a comfortable chair while a nurse inserts a small needle into your arm. This needle will be attached to a thin tube that is connected to a bag containing a ketamine solution. The solution will slowly flow through the tube and into your bloodstream.
An infusions session usually takes about an hour, though with prep time and an observation period after, you will likely be at the treatment center for about two hours. You will usually be advised not to drive or operate heavy machinery for at least 24 hours after your session.
A typical course of ketamine infusion therapy is six to eight sessions spread over a few weeks. The exact number of session you participate in may vary depending on a variety of personal factors.
Oral Ketamine Therapy
Oral ketamine therapy involves taking the medication by mouth, either as a tablet or via liquid that is placed under the tongue.
Research indicates that oral ketamine therapy can be an effective treatment for depression, though this approach takes longer to produce beneficial effects. Also, the improvements that are associated with oral ketamine therapy aren’t as substantial as what patients experience when they receive ketamine via injection.
Learn More About Ketamine Therapy in Atlanta
Atlanta Integrative Psychiatry offers a dynamic array of innovative, evidence-based services, including Spravato treatment, to help adults who have been living with the symptoms of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and a host of other mental health concerns.
To learn more about Spravato treatment at our outpatient center in Atlanta, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Appointments page or call us today.
