Ketamine Treatment for Depression

Ketamine treatment for depression

Move towards the life that you want to be living, open your mind to new possibilities. Access evidence-based medicines in a safe environment with clinical staff in attendance.

Make an enquiry Find out more

Medicines, such as ketamine, are a class of relatively new treatments that have proven to deliver significant improvements for people experiencing mental health conditions including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

There is substantial evidence, validated through extensive research and rigorous clinical trials, supporting their use as a mental health treatment and our clinical staff are world leaders in the field.

Your treating medical practitioner or psychiatrist can refer you for treatment with ketamine. Our highly trained staff will also screen you for suitability to make sure this treatment is safe for you. At Brain & Mind Hub, we offer two types of ketamine-based treatments: oral and intranasal Spravato.

Oral ketamine treatment

The dosage is precisely titrated to elicit a therapeutic response, for each individual person with our clinical staff in attendance.

It is important to be aware that oral ketamine, for mental health conditions, is not registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, hence it is delivered as an ‘off-label’ treatment and is a suitable option when other treatments have been unsuccessful, e.g. those diagnosed with ‘treatment-resistant depression’.

Treatment period

7 weeks

Intranasal Spravato treatment

The dosage of medication is specific to each person and their treatment plan.

It is self-administered through a nasal spray device (Spravato) and taken in the presence of a healthcare professional at our clinic.

Spravato is registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, as an approved treatment for treatment resistant depression.

Treatment period

3-8 Months

These medicines are produced in a regulated laboratory setting.

When administered in a clinical setting, these medicines work by inducing a rapid and robust treatment response. For example, ketamine works via glutamatergic pathways in the brain. Its unique form of neural plasticity facilitates increased stress adaption and enhanced wellbeing.

Peer-reviewed research supports medicines such as ketamine as a treatment for depression. Emerging evidence for ketamine suggests efficacy in anxiety disorders, PTSD and substance use disorders.

Additionally, this medicine can enhance existing treatments to produce a suitable treatment response. It may also prevent illness progression and in some people, it brings about complete remission of symptoms for extended periods of time.

To ensure you are suitable for treatment with intranasal Spravato and/or oral ketamine, we will conduct several assessments and together we will develop your treatment plan. Assessments include mental health rating scales to gauge the severity of your symptoms, blood tests to check your liver and kidneys and meeting with our psychiatrist to ensure the treatment is safe for you.

To consider these treatments you must be:

16 years or older for oral ketamine treatment
18 years or older for intranasal Spravato treatment
Not pregnant or breastfeeding
Physically well with no cardiovascular disease or active neurological conditions
Engaged with a supportive treatment team and/or psychiatrist

When selected appropriately, ketamine offers a treatment option that can have profound effects in managing your mental health condition. Though generally considered safe and well tolerated, ketamine can cause some side-effects, as is the case for many medicines available.

Everyone is different and you may experience some or no side effects. Side effects tend to be dose dependent, emerging at higher doses. These include:

Feeling spacey or confused
Dizziness or light-headed
Visual disturbances
Elevated blood pressure and heart rate
Headache
Urinary symptoms
Nausea and vomiting

Get in touch to see whether this treatment option could be helpful for you.

Make an enquiry

What happens on treatment day?

All ketamine-based treatments are given on an outpatient basis.

You are welcome to bring a support person with you and something to help you relax, like your own device to listen to music or watch programs with headphones. The treatment environment provided is designed to support a positive experience and our staff are onsite and available to answer your questions.

The initial effects of treatment wear off after 60-90 minutes and when you are ready, you will be sent home with your support person.

After treatment, you cannot drive for 12 hours and you will need to leave the clinic with a support person who can be with you after your treatment.

Oral ketamine treatment

It is given on a weekly basis across treatment phases:

Induction phase: 1 session per week for 8-10 weeks
Maintenance phase: sessions determined by our clinical staff for up to 6 months

Your appointment will typically take 2-2.5 hours, including the pre-treatment assessment and post-treatment monitoring. Dosing is individually titrated by our clinical staff and we monitor you after treatment for up to 2 hours.

When you arrive on treatment day a clinician will ask you to answer some questions, record your weight and vital signs and take a urine specimen to make sure it's safe to give you treatment.

When the safety screen is completed, you will be given the medicine in a small amount of liquid, to swallow with juice.

You will spend the next 60-90 minutes in a comfortable reclining chair with a clinician in attendance. Your vital signs are monitored and recorded, and side effects are assessed and responded to if necessary.

Treatment period

7 weeks

Intranasal Spravato treatment

It is given on a weekly basis across treatment phases, with varying number of sessions:

Induction phase: 2 sessions per week for 4 weeks
Maintenance phase: 1 session per week for 4 weeks

After completing the maintenance phase, you may receive additional treatment at a frequency determined by our clinical staff.

At each treatment session, you will spend 90 minutes in a comfortable chair with a clinician in attendance.

Our clinical staff will monitor you during the administration of the intranasal medication and for up to 2 hours following treatment.

Your vital signs are monitored and recorded, and side effects are assessed and responded to if necessary.

Treatment period

3-8 Months

Cancellation policy

To help us provide care to as many people as possible, we ask that you give a minimum of 48 hours notice if you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment. This allows us to reallocate that time appropriately for others in need.

If less than 48 hours notice is given or if clients are a no-show for a scheduled appointment without any prior notice, there is a cancellation fee of 100% of the appointment cost.

This fee does not qualify for a Medicare rebate and must be paid in full before your next appointment.

To reschedule an appointment, please contact Reception

Contact us

Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can offer support to you or a loved one, or if you are a healthcare provider and would like to make a referral.

I would like support for myself or a loved one

Make a referral