If you tell people you give ketamine to depressed patients, there is a pause. Not curiosity. Not fascination. Concern. The kind of silence that says, Are you sure that’s medicine? And if you walk into my office expecting an IV pole, a nurse, and a laminated protocol binder, you’ll be disappointed. There is a couch....

I prescribe actual medication. The kind that’s been tested, approved, and doesn’t come in a hemp-wrapped mason jar. But I’m also not blind. Or arrogant. Or so deep in my own lane that I can’t see there might be more than one way to help someone feel like a functioning human being. That’s why I...

Ketamine is being used more and more as a treatment for mental health issues like OCD, anxiety, and PTSD1. Even though it was originally used as an anesthetic, people have noticed how quickly it can help with depression and anxiety2. It works by blocking something in the brain called NMDA receptors3. These receptors help control...

The first thing to know is that ketamine therapy is a totally different, some would call it “novel” approach to treating mental illness. This is one reason why there is not a lot of literature covering the use of ketamine in this respect.  Most of the drugs in psychiatry (stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics….) do not...

If a person is very depressed with or without feeling suicidal, there are two methods I recommend to remit these feelings right away:  lithium and ketamine.  Why?  All the antidepressants available (SSRIs, SNRIs, older drugs like tricyclics or MAO-I’s) will take approximately one month to help a person start to feel better.  While some people...