Ketamine Boosters: What Frequency? What are the benefits?
IV Ketamine Therapy can produce rapid symptom relief. Will you need a booster? How frequently are boosters needed and how can you extend your relief as long as possible?
*IV Ketamine, NR, and NAD+ have been used clinically off-label for decades. They are not FDA approved for the treatment of any psychiatric or pain condition. All medical treatments carry risks and benefits that you must discuss with a doctor at Clarus Health to learn if these therapies are right for you.
Ketamine is a powerful therapy for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain, and addiction. Patients frequently ask how long they will need to take IV Ketamine for. Learn about the safety of boosters and how Clarus Health reduces the need for boosters by providing an integrated and holistic treatment program customized to each patient.
Understanding Ketamine Therapy
IV Ketamine Therapy is the most advanced mental health support treatment. It brings rapid relief to depression and other psychological conditions, often within hours to days. Ketamine primarily inhibits a receptor in the brain called the NMDA receptor. Once patients achieve symptom relief, the next question is how to maintain their progress.
Ketamine Boosters: Are They Safe?
The most effective way to maintain results is to support a resilient, flexible, and growth mindset that allows for lifelong learning. This can be maintained with lifestyle, talk therapy, medications, or a combination of these three. The first question is safety of any maintenance therapy.
Oral antidepressants have a very high rate of side effects, affecting over 30% of patients. Holistic IV Ketamine therapy is tolerated much better. Side effects from maintenance Ketamine Therapy are typically less than 1%.
Many patients on long-term oral antidepressants will experience side effects and risk symptom relapse
What Are Ketamine Booster Benefits?
IV Ketamine boosters are much more effective than oral medications in reducing relapse. In fact, 23% of patients on oral antidepressants experience relapse. Unfortunately, many patients on long-term oral antidepressants will experience side effects and risk symptom relapse.
On the contrary, some patients experience wide ranging symptom improvement with IV Ketamine therapy, such as improved cognitive performance.
The goal of a holistic IV Ketamine Protocol is to use the fewest number of interventions for the greatest therapeutic benefit.
Ketamine Booster Frequency: How Often?
The goal of a holistic IV Ketamine Protocol is to use the fewest number of interventions for the greatest therapeutic benefit. Clarus Health is able to use the fewest number of interventions by customizing the treatment protocol for each individual. This is because there is no one-size-fits-all protocol for holistic IV Ketamine Therapy.
Unsurprisingly, there is a tremendous diversity in Ketamine booster frequency because patients have such different social and medical histories. At Clarus Health, the majority of our patients go over 4 months without needing a booster. The Ketamine booster frequency depends on several key factors:
- What other treatments were used, like IV NAD+ (read more about NAD+ for brain fog) or the Stellate Ganglion Block (read more about SGB for PTSD and anxiety)
- Did the patient have a history of severe PTSD or anxiety?
- Is there a trusted talk therapist supporting integration therapy?
- The occurrence of major life stressors (bereavement, changes in health, social stressors, etc.)
How To Optimize IV Ketamine Results
A "critical window" is opened up after every IV Ketamine infusion. This critical window is when your brain is actively "re-wiring" and allowing you to address the root causes of mental health disorders. The greater you are supported during this critical window, the greater the long term symptom relief. Key strategies include:
- Augmenting IV Ketamine therapy with IV NAD+ therapy (see also: NAD+ for chronic fatigue)
- Supporting PTSD treatment with the Stellate Ganglion Block (see also: Dual Sympathetic Reset)
- Engaging in Ketamine Integration Therapy during the "critical window" after each infusion
- Optimize support around stressful life events
Learn More About IV Ketamine Therapy
Your comfort with your doctor providing IV Ketamine is critical to how effective your therapy is. You deserve to find your healing potential. Schedule a free consultation with Clarus Health to learn if IV Ketamine Therapy may be effective in uncovering your healing capacity.
Anthony Kaveh MD
Dr. Kaveh is a Stanford and Harvard-trained anesthesiologist and integrative medicine specialist. He has over 1,000,000 followers on social media and has guided hundreds of patients throughout transformative healing experiences. He is an authority on Ketamine, NAD, SGB, and genomics-guided therapies. He is a continuing medical education lecturer in the Bay Area.
