CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ketamine therapy has gained popularity in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Several clinics in Charlotte offer ketamine therapy, but one doctor says there are still misconceptions about it.
Ketamine offers a psychedelic experience that many people say is changing lives.
"70-80% of people with treatment-resistant depression see significant improvement in their symptoms with ketamine therapy," Derive Health physician Dr. Jonathan Leake said.
A newly published study by the VA and the University of Michigan found about half of 215 veterans who had treatment-resistant depression saw improvements after six weeks of ketamine treatments.
Derive Health in Dilworth offers guided ketamine therapy.
"You're in a safe setting where you're supported and we really are spending time with you ahead of time, kind of preparing you for that process," Leake explained.
When patients are ready for their infusion, they get comfortable in one of the treatment rooms, and then they put on an eye cover and noise-canceling headphones to listen to calm music.
"[We are] trying to put you in that place where you can really relax and kind of let go and have a positive experience," Leake said.
Because of its reputation as a street drug, Leake said there’s a misconception that ketamine is unsafe. "Ketamine has been used as an anesthetic since the early '70s," he said.
He said supervised infusions are safest over other methods like prescription nasal sprays or pills.
Dr. Padma Gulur is researching ketamine's effect on pain management at Duke University. She said evidence supporting ketamine therapy for depression is stronger than for pain. However, she said doctors should still be cautious.
"We have learned because of its recreational use that there are some long-term signals of consequences, like urinary bladder changes, etcetera, that have to be studied deeper," Gulur said.
She added there is also a risk of addiction and dependence with ketamine. Gulur thinks much more research needs to be done before it's widely adopted.
Leake said more than 200 studies prove the drug's benefits.
"There's a lot of research on psychedelics right now with psilocybin and MDMA," Leake said. "So, I think there's a lot of excitement around psychedelic therapy and right now ketamine is the legal psychedelic that we can work with."
At Derive Health, patients usually receive 6 treatments over about 6 weeks. Each infusion is around $400.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.