Ketamine User Reviews & Ratings

• CAR
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 14, 2021

For Depression "Ketamine therapy saved my life. I had been put on every medication for depression since I was 11 and nothing worked. I tried ECT, Medications, TMS, and had been in and out of treatment centers for depression and self harm for 10 years. About a month into ketamine treatments, I started noticing slight differences-I wasn’t hoping a car would hit me. I was able to say that I feel ok today, instead of “I’m fine” (while dying on the inside). I did 12 sessions and two maintenance. I wish I could have been a case study so I could show that this WORKS. I’m able to live a life where I don’t want to die everyday. I have a beautiful daughter, haven’t self harmed in two years, and genuinely feel ok on a day to day basis."

• Caryn
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 13, 2022

For Depression "My goodness did this therapy help me SO MUCH! after TEN YEARS of anxiety, panic attacks and depression - I painted my nails, I dyed my hair, I went and bought arts and crafts materials to start some art projects, I cooked meals, I did my dishes.. It gave me back my personality. And its all thanks to my Dr's and the ketamine Clinics THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart."

• Shabb...
• January 14, 2021

For Anesthesia "I pondered whether I should even post this or not, because it sounds so unbelievable, but it really did happened. I had my medi-port placed on January 11th. For some reason, this particular anesthesiologist used the drug Ketamine to put me to sleep. (Which I found out later) The only problem, is that I wasn’t really asleep. I was paralyzed. No matter how much I tried screaming for help, I couldn’t. I began to see things very differently too. Almost like I was in a kaleidoscope, or looking at it in 3-D. I could hear and see the nurses and doctors around me, but they all looked upside down. It’s as if I wasn’t in my own body. It’s like I stuck in some tunnel. There were so many colors too. I felt as though I was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it. It absolutely was the most horrifying experience I’ve ever had. Has anyone else experienced this ?? I’m just trying find answers as to what happened. It will haunt me the rest of my life."

• Mom...
• February 8, 2018

For Pain "My daughter took Ketamine for depression. She received her first infusion on a Sunday. She had hallucinations of killing herself, stomping herself to death and other things she wouldn't talk about. She had her second infusion three days later, with the same results. Thursday she took her own life."

• Eisle...
• February 2, 2018

For Pain "The started getting Ketamine infusions for depression 12 months ago. Since then with surprisingly little effort I have: gone from drinking almost every day to never drinking, from exercising never to exercising twice a day, I had been rarely brushing to brushing, flossing, waterpicking, and mouthwash twice a day. I’ve started investing, almost doubled my salary, started walking the dog every day, went from a slob to a clean house, I am now eating healthy every day, have lost 20 lbs and am happier than I’ve been in 20 years. I get an infusion about once every 75 days."

• Moreb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 15, 2019

For Pain "I was treated at a ketamine clinic in Feb 2018 for CRPS (chronic regional pain syndrome) with 3 - 4 hour relatively high dose infusions while monitored every minute. My depression abated after treatment 1. The treatments were 48 hours apart and I felt good going into treatment 2 with only mild anxiety. After sleeping off the treatment for about 18 hours I was nearly pain free. After the third I was pain free. That remained the case for 4 months when I went for a four hour booster. Pain free for several months. Then another booster and again I was ok. I’ve not been able to afford to go back and the pain and depression resulting from it have completely trashed my life. It is morally reprehensible that the FDA doesn’t make this treatment easier to obtain with more support to doctors so market factors would lower the prices. Thank you for listening."

• Dorthea
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 21, 2022

For Depression "I would not be alive today if I had not been prescribed ketamine infusions by my doctor in 2016. Ketamine is my primary antidepressant and between the time of my first infusion and the time when a dorky doctor suddenly decreased my dose “because” (?), ALL (100%) of my suicidal thoughts and desires/attempts went away. Ketamine was my safety net. That net is in tatters now, I fear I won’t ever get it back, yet still ketamine is my main antidepressant. I’ve been on EVERYTHING for depression for 25+ years, individually and with adjunct meds. Also, in nonstop talk, CBT, and related therapies. Also, VNS. All except ECT, which has bad science behind it. I’ve been on at-home sublingual troches twice daily for years now. Works MUCH better than IV, IM, or nasal (which are done in-clinic so doctors get $$$ off a dirt-cheap, low-risk, life-saving drug—total scam, shame on them). I was born with depression and will die WITH it, but thanks to ketamine: I WON’T die by my own hand."

• Matt...
• August 6, 2021

For Pain "Six years ago I dropped into a deep well of depression and chronic pain that I could not pull out of. I tried everything, almost every SSRI there is, mindfulness training, meditation, natural pathic medicine, yoga, massive diet changes, trans cranial magnetic stimulation, exercise and many more things. I spent a week at the Mayo Clinic. Nothing worked. The pain got worse the depression got worse. I was in a desperate state and hopeless. Six months ago I tried ketamine infusions. The relief was nothing short of profound. It has sustained. It gave me my life back. It was like magic. I never write on blogs, but I felt like it was my duty to weigh in with my experience. My duty because there are so many people who are needlessly suffering from the debilitating effects of TRD (treatment resistant depression and or chronic fatigue syndrome. There is hope for you. If you are desperate, give it a try. The odds are relief awaits you on the other side."

• Campr
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2021

For Pain "Do plenty of research. My son 21, moved to Seattle hoping the change would help his severe depression and anxiety. He decided he wanted to try ketamine. I was against it. He was living in Seattle with his father. He ended up going through with the infusion treatments. He finished his last treatment on a Friday and took his life the following Sunday. My therapist and I both believe that the ketamine gave my son the energy and courage to take his life. And I also think the clinic that he went to did not monitor him as closely as they should have. I spoke to the clinic and found out that they didn’t check in on my son after his final infusion. If you decide to try ketamine please make sure you are closely monitored . My son had such high hopes and was gone right after his last infusion. These clinics administering ketamine should have mental health professionals to keep up with the patients during , in between and after the final infusion. I don’t believe this was done."

• SHMEH
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 29, 2020

For Pain "My personal experience with ketamine after a urethra procedure was absolutely life changing. Not only was my pain under control but it had underlying side effects I did not expect. The experience alone put me in a state of pure..... bliss. Honestly idk how else to explain it. I whole heartedly believe this drug could and should be utilized for a whole array of uses. I suffer from a lot of mental and physical conditions. With one happenstance of receiving this drug, my conditions had been lessened to completely gone. If It was used and available for therapeutic purposes this drug could completely change so many people's lives. I honestly get enraged that really the only reason Ketamine and other medications that are considered "Taboo" are not being utilized as much as they should because of the pharmaceutical companies and governmental agencies not wanting 100% of PEOPLE, to get better, be happy, have access to living good, comfortable, bearable, productive lives."

• Pano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2020

"I have Depression + Personality disorder. I've always felt there was something extra in my head, almost as if there were two consciousnesses tugging and pulling with every thought. I put it down to me "Just being me" since focus has been an issue throughout my entire life. I would fixate on relatively benign thoughts and create a reality based around them. I used ketamine to separate those two fighting personalities, brokering a peace between them; and to revisit past traumas through CBT. For the first time in my entire life it feels as if my thoughts are aligned with my actions. I'm not anchored on the past or waiting on the future - I'm just present."

• Richard
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2023

For Depression "There are so many new options for ketamine coming to market. That's good, it has by far done more for my 40 years of living with MDD than any other medication. It is truly changing my life. I've been on a bupropion/mirtazapine combo for what seems like forever. It's done nothing but mute the triggered lows and zap the joys in life and kept me trudging on through a world of gray. While I would have liked to have started with Spravato, there was no way for me to take the required time off from work along with having someone drive me to appointments. I discovered one of the newer forms of ketamine treatment that fits my life from Joyous. It's a daily micro-dose of ketamine. You experience some mild dissociative effects but otherwise nothing objectionable. At its peak, your body might feel like you had a drink or two but the entire effect is gone in an hour and there are no lingering effects and no cognitive intoxicating effect unlike alcohol. So much more to say, it's truly life-changing."

• Serge
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 27, 2022

For Depression "I have used ketamine injections administered in a medical setting by a psychiatrist for major depressive disorder, after trying more than a dozen medications over the past 30 years. I also have chronic headaches and brain fog, and have chronic pain from arthritis in my neck and peripheral neuropathy. My experience has been nothing short of remarkable. I experienced short-term and immediate relief from depression, augmented with antidepressants for longer-term treatment. A mild euphoric feeling after the first treatments diminishes over hours and days and I no longer get this. I have had improvement in depression, pain. Ketamine has given me an ability to be objective or explore recurrent negative thought patterns and get out of self-defeating "loops". It has given me confidence, a feeling of relaxation, focus, energy. Dose started low (0.25 g/kg body weight) and have been more beneficial (but more dissociative) at 0.8g/kg of body weight."

• cheer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2022

For Depression "Did two infusions for depression at 0.7mg/kg. The infusions went fine, but my suicidal thoughts got really bad following treatment. It also caused me to start self harming again. If I had done a third infusion, I would’ve ended up in the psych ward. Please be careful with this stuff."

• Eloise...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 5, 2022

For Depression "This medication saved my life. I have struggled with depression my entire lift. I have taken over a dozen different meds- Lexapro, Zoloft, Welbutrin, Lamicatal, Prozac... nothing worked. This past spring, I thought mundane is all life would ever feel. I dreamed of never waking up again. Then after the sudden death of my best friend, I woke up and realized, I have to give life one more fighting chance. I contacted my local ketamine clinic, told them my circumstances, and they got me in the next day for my first infusion of 6. It felt like a warm hug. The fractals and visuals I was seeing were incredible. I couldn't stop laughing, giggling, crying. I saw my best friend for the last time to have one more conversation in heaven. I came out of the K-Hole saying "I believe life is kind." I woke up the next morning, and I felt ok. Not just ok, I had the desire to live. After 6 infusions, my depression is totally gone. Now I'm starting my own clinic. Ketamine is a gift from God."

• C11
• February 6, 2020

"I've had severe depression for 10 years, trying every antidepressant available before about a year ago my psychiatrist prescribed ketamine compounds. These are very hard to come by, and the studies are very new. You definitely want insurance with this, or else it's about $1,000 out of pocket per dose. However, it has been the only, and I mean the only, effective antidepressant that I have come across. I've probably tried at least 20 different medications on the market. But this had significantly improved all aspects of my functioning. I can finally breathe again, I can finally get somewhere in my life, I can finally start on my career, and I can finally process the trauma I've been through. Now, this medication is only temporary. Eventually you will have to wean onto another medication or no medication, and I'm in the process of that. So far so good!"

• Chronic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 1, 2019

For Pain "Have had (8) spinal surgeries since 2009, so live with a great deal of pain. Years of pain meds were affecting my liver function and not providing much relief. Found a pain doctor who uses ketamine infusion therapy. Had some crazy experiences in the beginning doing ketamine IV infusions, but worked my way through the dreams and hallucinations as I knew that I must get off the meds affecting my liver and I needed better pain control. I’ve been receiving ketamine iv infusion therapy 4 days a month for the last 3 years as well taking oral ketamine daily and it has made a world of difference in my life! I can do things now that I would never have been able to do before. I’m off 6 other meds and my liver is doing much better now! Ketamine has been a great way to help with my chronic pain condition. My insurance covers the Ketamine IV infusion therapy, but I do have to pay for my oral Ketamine out of pocket. I had a bumpy start but stuck with it and am so glad I did!"

• Lap
• April 29, 2022

For Depression "I was bipolar two for decades and this changed my life after 9 treatments. To the person who suffered suicidal tendencies after treatment – that happened to me as well, and the solution was *more* ketamine. It worked beautifully."

• VET
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2022

For Depression "Excellent a real life saver if you went through all the rubbish psycho drugs Zoloft Prozac but you have to try them even if they hurt you like they did me this is the first thing that has gotten me out of the nightmare the VA AND GIESSINGER left me in. I have my life back after only one treatment, six more to go. the treatment can be a little in nerving but compared to Depression and Anxiety it’s nothing"

• Ubi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2019

For Anesthesia "I was in for a gallbladder removal, not an emergency. The Anesthesia team decided to do an awake intubation because I have a difficult airway. They said they were giving me something to help me relax. What happened next was the farthest thing from relaxing I can imagine. One dose of Ketamine and I was hallucinating, dissociated, delirious, paralyzed, and the one trace of lucidity that I retained told me that I was end of life because I couldn't breathe. I had no sense of time passing, so I have no idea how long this lasted. It was the most terrifyingly awful experience I have ever had, and I'm still an emotional mess two weeks later. Never again! Why would anybody ever dose a non-emergency patient with this stuff without extensive consultation about the effects beforehand? If I could give this drug a negative score, I would."

• WORST
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2019

"Taking ketimine was the worst mistake I made. My depression got increasingly worse. From vary rare thoughts of suicide to more regular thoughts. Still want too. I took the 2 week every other day treatment. I hated being that high. I would sob after treatment. Something I never really had thoughts that severe before. I was NOT anywhere this severe before the ketamine. I was moderately depressed. Now I am suicidal every single day. Now has been 3 days since the last treatment. Finding this forum and know there are others is such a relief. My doctor continued to tell me to keep doing treatment even though it was making me incredibly suicidal."

• TBeeGee
• January 18, 2020

"I have a long history of depression and anxiety. I've been on anti-depressants for over 20 years. I've gone through traditional therapy, EMDR, RRT, and tried things like meditation, acupuncture and hypnosis. After a very rough holiday season, my husband talked me into trying Ketamine. We found a specialist and I went through the 6 treatments over 2 weeks. It's been a week since we finished. For me the treatments started to work after the 3rd one. I have started feeling things again, hope, calm. I'm laughing again. The numb feeling is gone. I do want to say the first treatment was beautiful and brutal. It felt like a trust fall. There were some cathartic hallucinations, but it felt like I couldn't move. There was a two day headache after. For the next treatments, we were very careful to have the room as quiet and dark as possible. My husband made playlists of soothing instrumental music. That worked."

• Gracie
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2019

"I researched ketamine treatment for PTSD as I was not having any success with medications or therapy . I was sensitive to taking a daily med as some made me anxious and caused too many side effects. I will say it was an experience that made me face the PTSD and yet put me in a safe place . It’s hard to explain but there was a picture of the ocean in the office and I focused on that during my first IV treatment and it felt like freedom. It was life changing but we also have to put in our own work to stay away from trauma triggers. It was worth every cent ! I wish others knew about this . It’s important that you go to an office that has a relaxing room to do the IV treatment as it’s extremely beneficial to focus on safe imagery during the treatment ."

• Kibz
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 9, 2020

"Ketamine changed my life and I believe that it has given me the help I need to feel better. I have PTSD and MDD. It helps me so much with my depression so fast more so than any other medication. It helps me get through my day even with the crippling pain of depression and other trauma. I'm noticing less symptoms of my PTSD since taking ketamine in fact maybe almost no symptoms. Without it I maybe wouldn't even be here today. This medication saved my life and also helped me with the severe pain I had when I injured my knee. I felt almost no pain at all thanks to the ketamine!"

• Brenda
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 8, 2022

For Depression "This will be my 3rd treatment so far I do not feel any differently but I’m hoping this 3rd one today will be beneficial to my depression problems. And true it is a real trip while the infusion last for about 40 min. Then you come out of it about 15-20 min later. It’s not pleasant to me but I’m desperate to find something to have my life back as depression has stolen many years as with social anxiety."