Ketamine should always be used with caution. It should not be used except under medical supervision.
Ketamine is a medicine like any other medicine. Any medicine can have side effects. The side effects can be serious.
There are certain medical conditions including but not limited to unstable Blood Pressure and heart disease in which Ketamine is not used.
Sometimes if Ketamine is being used to avoid confronting one’s difficulties then the risk of dependence on Ketamine increases. That is why it is important to have your mental health specialist involved in the decision whether to use Ketamine or not.
There are certain psychological states that Ketamine can worsen. Ketamine not supervised by a trained guide/therapist can result in worsening symptoms.
Literature about Ketamine use in people under 18 is limited. However, there is a role of Ketamine in individuals under 18 years of age, when the benefit outweighs the risk. Typically individuals should have tried more evidence based treatments before turning to Ketamine.
We believe that Ketamine should not be used without psychotherapy or used without a guide that is aware of the psychological aspects of non altered states of consciousness. There are certain times that people are treated with IV Ketamine and this is something that should only be used with caution after knowing the pros and cons of using a medicine like Ketamine without psychotherapy.
Learn more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy at Blossom. If you’re looking for holistic psychiatric care, Learn more about our sister practice, Integrative Psychiatry .