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If you’ve been wondering, “Is ketamine therapy right for me?”, you’re not alone. Mental Health Awareness Month is a time when many people reevaluate what’s working, what isn’t, and whether it’s time to explore alternative treatments for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorder (SUD). IV ketamine infusions could be effective, but the decision to proceed is highly personal.
This guide offers seven signs that ketamine might be a good option for your mental health, along with the clinical realities, medical considerations, and honest cautions.
7 Signs You Might Benefit from Ketamine Therapy
1. You’ve Tried Other Mental Health Treatments Without Relief
You might consider ketamine infusions if you’ve cycled through talk therapy, antidepressants, or even transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with little to no relief. Such treatment resistance is all too common and extraordinarily frustrating.
Fortunately, ketamine offers something different than standard antidepressants. It does not take weeks to build up in your body. It works quickly by acting on your brain’s glutamate system, a key network involved in mood, learning, and emotional processing. This mechanism can be highly effective if medication hasn’t improved your symptoms or if you’re experiencing unpleasant secondary side effects.
Clinical research shows that 71% of people with depression respond to ketamine, often by the fifth or sixth infusion. At Avesta Ketamine & Wellness (Avesta), clinicians typically look for signs of sustained improvement around that time.
Some patients start to feel better even sooner.
“Only two [ketamine] treatments in and I feel like it’s working. I’ve tried everything—drugs, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). The experience is so relaxing, and afterwards you feel like a weight has been lifted.”
— Anne Vega, patient at Avesta’s McLean ketamine clinic
Others need a few more sessions to notice meaningful change.
“After about 10 ketamine treatments for severe depression, I feel better than I have in my whole life. Other medications, for the most part, helped, but only moved me somewhat towards normal on the depression scale. Now, I feel consistently functional and happy.”
— Mary M., another McLean ketamine patient
Ketamine isn’t the only option to consider throughout Mental Health Awareness Month. But if you’re stuck in a trial-and-error cycle, you may want to speak with a ketamine clinician about your options.
2. You Need Relief Fast—Not in Weeks or Months
Time matters when you’re living with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, or suicidal thoughts. You can’t wait weeks for SSRIs to kick in. You need to feel better now.
Ketamine infusions bypass the antidepressant waiting period and act on your glutamate system fast.
This system helps regulate how your brain forms connections and responds to stress. By stimulating glutamate directly, ketamine can ease symptoms and interrupt harmful thought loops within hours, not weeks. Researchers have found that a single infusion can reduce suicidal thoughts the same day.
To sustain progress, you’ll still need a complete treatment series. But if you’re in crisis, even one breakthrough can change everything.
3. You Live with Chronic Pain and Your Mental Health Suffers
If you’re stuck in a cycle of pain and depression, you don’t have to treat the issues separately. Ketamine may offer a unified way forward.
Ketamine doesn’t just lift mood through its glutamate action. IV infusions can interrupt the nerve signals that keep pain looping through your system and reset the way your body experiences discomfort. That’s why researchers have explored ketamine for chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), migraines, and nerve pain that doesn’t respond to standard treatments.
Short, single-day infusions tend to offer only brief relief. But longer ketamine protocols—spanning 4 to 14 days—can ease pain symptoms for weeks or even months.
Avesta follows a Johns Hopkins–aligned ketamine protocol tailored to complex pain. Its success rates align with clinical data, about 51%, and many patients report life-changing results.
“My pain has gone from an 8 to a 2–3. To me, that’s close to a miracle! I suffered from chronic pain/PTSD and depression for 20+ years, and to be at this level and beginning to get my life back is amazing.”
— Rob Baker, patient at Avesta’s Bethesda ketamine clinic
4. You’re Concerned About Addiction—And That’s a Smart Instinct
Feeling hesitant about a treatment that alters your brain chemistry is reasonable. In fact, that self-awareness may signal that you’re ready to engage with ketamine thoughtfully and safely.
The truth is that ketamine does carry abuse potential, especially if you use it recreationally or without oversight.
However, reputable ketamine clinics carefully screen patients for substance use history, administer evidence-based therapeutic doses, and rarely prescribe ketamine for at-home use. In clinically supervised settings, the risk of misuse is extremely low.
Indeed, ketamine may actually help treat substance use disorder (SUD) across multiple compounds like alcohol, cocaine, opioids, and heroin.
- Studies suggest ketamine can reduce relapse risk by weakening the brain’s connection between certain triggers, like sights, smells, or places, and the urge to use.
- Ketamine may also support emotional breakthroughs and psychological insight, key elements of recovery for many people.
- Early research points to ketamine’s benefits in easing withdrawal symptoms.
- Ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects can also stabilize mood in the critical early stages of sobriety.
If you’re worried about addiction, that’s a healthy instinct. But ketamine, in a clinical context, has a strong safety profile and can even help if you’re navigating dependence issues.
5. You’re a Good Fit Medically and Mentally
Ketamine may be right for you if you’re in stable physical health, have a precise mental health diagnosis, and have tried other treatments without relief. Your provider will review your complete medical history, medications, and risk factors to ensure it’s safe.
For instance, a clinician will check for uncontrolled medical conditions, including:
- heart conditions
- high blood pressure
- thyroid disorders
- active psychosis or mania.
Certain medications, like benzodiazepines or lamotrigine, can blunt ketamine’s effects and may need to be adjusted.
Support systems matter too. Ketamine can open emotional doors, and you’ll want someone walking with you—whether that’s a ketamine-assisted psychotherapist (KAP), an integration coach, partner, or a trusted friend.
You don’t need to have everything figured out. But be curious, open, and committed to your care. A good first step is asking: Is ketamine therapy right for me, right now? A conversation with a ketamine provider can help you answer that honestly.
6. You’re Ready for a Commitment—Not a Magic Bullet
Ketamine works fast, but it’s typically not a one-and-done solution. Most people need a complete induction series ( at least six infusions over 2–3 weeks) before seeing sustained change. Follow-up mental health care is also important.
Ketamine opens a window for healing. What you do with that window matters. That might mean showing up for follow-up infusions, engaging in psychotherapy or integration coaching, changing lifestyles and habits, or just allowing yourself to feel again. For many, maintenance infusions become part of ongoing care.
At Avesta, around 70% of weekly ketamine appointments are for maintenance, not induction. That statistic tells you something important: this treatment helps you feel better, but staying better may take continued attention.
If you’re hoping for instant, permanent relief, ketamine probably isn’t the right fit. But if you’re ready to commit to yourself, it can be a powerful turning point.
Final Thoughts: A Trusted Clinic to Help You Decide
Mental Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to consider whether alternative evidence-based therapies could provide the relief you seek. A trusted clinic can help you explore the science, understand the risks, and decide whether this treatment aligns with your health and goals.
Avesta serves patients across the DC metro area with ketamine clinics in Bethesda, MD; Columbia, MD; McLean, VA; and Washington, DC. Every location offers clinically supervised ketamine infusions guided by providers who meet you where you are and can help you figure out what to do next.
You don’t have to decide alone. A consultation with Avesta’s care team can help you make an informed decision, without pressure or hype.
- Contact Avesta’s Bethesda ketamine clinic.
- Visit the McLean ketamine clinic.
- Reach out to the Columbia ketamine clinic.
- Ask about ketamine therapy in Washington, DC.
