ketamine therapy

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Believe in WE, and free yourself from anxiety, PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.

Ketamine is a Schedule III medication that has been used as an anesthetic since the 1960s. In recent years, it has grown in favor as an “off-label” medication for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and anxiety.

Ketamine therapy has been shown to offer profound and transformational results that often occur after the first dose of the multi-treatment process.

The Ketamine Molecule is shown to promote the Certus Psychiatry now offers Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine therapy is helping patients break free from depression, OCD, ADHD, anxiety and more

According to several research studies, use of Ketamine to treat depression, PTSD, and anxiety can be effective for 60-80% of individuals. While Ketamine’s benefits typically last for several weeks, some patients remain symptom-free for months.

What is Ketamine Therapy?

Unlike standard treatments that focus on increasing brain chemicals to improve the patient’s mood, early research indicates that Ketamine repairs neuron synapses and increases the level of glutamate in the brain. This results in more rapid improvement than what may be experienced with more common medication and therapy treatments. In science-speak, Ketamine helps normalize neuronal connections, repair atrophied neurons, and form new neural pathways that help in improving the symptoms caused by depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Ketamine works by enhancing the function of certain receptors that regulate how the brain processes thoughts and emotions.

Evidence shows that Ketamine is safe for use in people within a wide age range. It is administered in our offices under care provider supervision to ensure our patients’ safety and prevent medication abuse.

Talk to your Certus Care Provider about insurance options for receiving treatment.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy at Certus

Certus Care Providers have studied the effects of Ketamine on a select group of patients who have not responded well to traditional treatments. The results have been astounding! From Dr. Kohl: “The patients I have treated with Ketamine often have long-lost hope that they would be able to overcome their mental illnesses. I’m very excited about the results with patients who have undergone Ketamine treatment.”

Will Ketamine work for me?

Like any mental health treatment, there are no guarantees that Ketamine will work for everybody. However, studies completed at multiple large and reputable academic institutions have shown excellent outcomes for patients who have not experienced good results with standard therapies.

This treatment is more than just medicine. It is a positive change for your life, but those changes require guidance. We know how to counsel you and will take the time to guide you to prevent any of the pitfalls while recovering from your mood disorder.

The first step is scheduling an appointment with your Certus care provider. Bring your questions, and let’s see if you are a good candidate for Ketamine treatment.

The Ketamine Treatment Process

The prescribing and administering of Ketamine is done under the close supervision of your Certus Care Provider.

  • We prescribe and administer both oral and IM Ketamine, so you don’t have to worry about being connected to an IV like most Ketamine clinics. The oral and IM forms of Ketamine is also significantly more affordable than IV solutions.
  • Ketamine treatments are administered once weekly for an initial six sessions, dependent on the progress in therapy and symptom reduction. 
  • Once the Ketamine is taken, you may begin to feel the effects quickly and may include dissociative effects that are often described as relaxing and pleasant and tend to last from 60 to 90 minutes.
  • You need to allow up to two hours for each treatment and have someone drive you home after treatment.
  • Some patients report improvement in their symptoms after the first treatment, while others may need the entire course of treatment to realize maximum results.

Possible Side Effects

  • During the treatment process, some patients experience elevated blood pressure.
  • Feeling dizzy, getting a sensation of floating or flying, and blurred vision are sometimes reported.
  • Hallucinations, while rare, may occur when the medication takes full effect.
  • A limited number of patients report experiencing chest pain, tremors, worry, flashbacks, disorientation, and lightheadedness.
  • Most side effects dissipate quickly once the full effects of the Ketamine wind down.

Experience Matters

At Certus Psychiatry & Integrated Care, we have experienced incredible results in treating many patients with treatment-resistance conditions, like depression, with Ketamine Therapy.

If you have researched Ketamine Therapy as an option, you’ve undoubtedly come across different methods for getting this type of treatment. However, we want to caution you that not all Ketamine Therapy options are the same.

What makes Certus’ Ketamine Therapy unique?

Most Ketamine Therapy Clinics administer Ketamine through an IV. When we prescribe this therapy, we administer the medication through IM and orally. Each patient is given a prescribed dose based on their weight, age, and other factors, and a local Compound Pharmacist crafts each dose for each patient.

As trained mental health care professionals, we are:

  • Better equipped to monitor our patients to help them understand the intention of the experience, and to guide them through any dissociative experiences they may have during the treatment process.
  • Qualified to monitor your vital signs and manage any side effects that may arise.
  • Experienced at helping patients better process (integrate) their medication experience to realize better results.
  • As mental health experts, we believe we help our patients realize better results because we understand their conditions, the treatments they have already have had, and the results they are wanting to achieve.
  • In addition, we are keenly aware of what medications patients are taking that could interfere with Ketamine’s effectiveness.

We believe many standalone Ketamine Therapy clinics are not staffed by mental healthcare professionals. At-home options are potentially dangerous because they do not necessarily offer the mental health support you may need during the Ketamine Therapy treatment process.

Certus Psychiatry Telehealth

Check the credentials of businesses offering Ketamine Therapy

Many places promoting Ketamine Therapy are not managed by mental health care providers but rather by anesthesiologists. While they are fully capable of administering Ketamine, they may lack the mental health credentials and experience to help you realize the best results. 

The dangers of at-home Ketamine Therapy

Telemedicine came into its own during the COVID pandemic, and it became a valuable tool for medical care providers to diagnose and treat patients, but not without certain risks. Monitoring patients’ conditions and treatment “over the phone,” can be challenging, if not impossible. When a medication or treatment is prescribed, a face-to-face meeting with a care provider provides invaluable information to the care provider, greatly reduces potential risks, and helps patients realize better, safer results.

In the case of Ketamine Therapy being done at home, where the patient is in an altered state and asked to monitor their own blood pressure and be expected to understand what is happening to them in the process is careless and unsafe, in our opinion. In addition, the risk of a patient misusing or abusing the medication in their possession could create even more difficult challenges for the patient.

Discover what’s best for you

At Certus Psychiatry, most of the patients we have treated with Ketamine Therapy have realized incredible results.

If you are considering it, we encourage you to get all the facts. Research the dangers of at-home ketamine therapy, and how ketamine therapy works, and make sure this treatment and the way you receive delivers the best results. We hope your research includes scheduling an appointment with one of our care providers!

If you find yourself in crisis and in need of immediate treatment,
please seek assistance at a local hospital emergency department, or call 9-1-1.

Winston-Salem Office

1255 Creekshire Way
(between Brixx and Firebirds)

Two Convenient
Locations!

Raleigh Office

1350 Sunday Drive
Suite 101