The Avesta Blog
New to ketamine care? Read these first
Three guides that answer the questions most patients ask before their first visit.
Guides
What is Ketamine and How Does it Work?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used in surgery and pain management since the 1960s. At clinical doses it is an effective therapy for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety and suicidality, and it can relieve chronic pain.
Guides
Is Ketamine Therapy Safe?
The article says ketamine IV infusions for mood disorders and chronic pain are very safe when given by highly trained, board-certified anesthesia providers, and notes the World Health Organization lists ketamine as an essential medicine. The ideal candidate has usually tried other treatments without success.
Pricing
How to Pay for Ketamine Therapy and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs
Most patients lower ketamine costs through insurance-based Spravato treatment or IV ketamine supported by reimbursement and other payment tools. Spravato often provides the lowest out-of-pocket cost for patients who qualify.
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Research
S-Ketamine vs R-Ketamine: Effects, Potency, and Delivery Route
S-ketamine binds NMDA receptors about four times more tightly and is the form FDA-approved as Spravato (esketamine). R-ketamine (arketamine) produces little dissociation and is investigational, available only through clinical trials.
Research
Ketamine for Mental Health: How It Helps When Other Treatments Don’t
Ketamine is an evidence-based treatment that has helped many people with depression, anxiety and PTSD when traditional care falls short. It works through a different brain pathway than standard antidepressants by regulating glutamate signaling.
Research
What Are the Benefits of Ketamine Therapy?
Ketamine therapy can bring relief within hours or days, compared with the weeks traditional antidepressants take. It offers another chance for people whose talk therapy and medication have stopped helping.
Research
Identifying Ideal Patients for Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine treatment generally suits people with severe mental illness who have tried other medications, and often other therapies like TMS, with little or no relief. The article helps therapists decide who to refer.
Research
The Different Types of Ketamine Therapy
IV ketamine is the most common and best-studied type of ketamine therapy, given as a low dose into a vein over 40 to 60 minutes in a supervised setting. The article compares it with nasal and other forms.
Research
The Future of Mental Health: Ketamine and Its Evolving Role
Around 21% of U.S. adults had a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety or PTSD in 2020. The article looks at how ketamine is playing an evolving role alongside traditional medication and psychotherapy.
Research
Traditional Therapy and Ketamine Therapy
Traditional therapy centers on talk therapy about feelings, behaviors and thoughts, while ketamine therapy is an off-label treatment used for mental health and chronic pain symptoms. The article compares the two and how they can work together.
Research
History of Ketamine in Psychiatric Medicine
Ketamine went from a 1960s battlefield anesthetic to a modern tool in psychiatry. It was approved by the FDA as a human anesthetic in 1970, and it is given by intravenous, intraosseous, intramuscular, oral, nasal and rectal routes.
Research
Ketamine and the Psychedelic Movement in Psychiatry
Ketamine plays a big role in the growing psychedelic movement in psychiatry, and it is a dissociative medicine that quiets sensory input. Avesta pairs ketamine infusions with cognitive therapy for mood and pain disorders.
Research
Myths and Facts About Ketamine
Ketamine is a clinically supervised medicine, not just a street drug. It is not a one-and-done treatment: patients begin with six sessions over two to three weeks and may need more infusions over time.
The Avesta blog shares general education and is not a substitute for medical advice. Talk to a qualified clinician about your own situation.
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