Is ketamine therapy safe?

Ketamine therapy is generally very safe and well-tolerated, particularly when provided in a monitored and controlled setting. Most of ketamine’s side effects are mild and short-lived, including nausea, dizziness and blurry vision. Ketamine also causes dissociation (an out of body experience) at higher doses that can be distressing in a non-medically supervised setting, which is why we provide a safe and therapeutic environment for all treatment sessions. In addition, ketamine typically causes an elevation in heart rate and blood pressure, which can be dangerous for people with conditions such as severe heart disease, aneurysms or history of a stroke. For this reason, we do a thorough medical screening for these and other potentially problematic conditions when considering whether ketamine treatments are appropriate for a given individual.