Ketamine Infusion Treatment

Ketamine infusion has been used to treat neuropathic pain and depression for years now, and has often yielded very positive results, but IV ketamine therapy is done "off-label", ketamine for depression and pain are not FDA approved.

Ketamine belongs to a group of chemicals known as phencyclidines. Another common phencyclidine drug is PCP.

Like many chemical agents, ketamine's effects on a human being are dose dependent, meaning the more you give, the greater the number of effects. In lower doses ketamine is an analgesic and sedative, and as dosage is increased, there are greater effects until at higher doses it becomes a general anesthetic. In fact it was used extensively in trauma situations as an anesthetic because it stimulates cardiovascular function, which is useful in cases of large blood loss.

Use of IV ketamine infusion therapy to treat neuropathic pain or depression is largely confined to subanesthetic doses, with the exception of the ketamine coma used in Mexico and Germany for severe intractable cases of pain. For more information on dosing, see the individual pages on this site.

All treatments are conducted by Thomas Leverone, M.D., a Board Certified Anesthesiologist.  Dr. Leverone was the first physician in the Western United States to use ketamine infusions to treat pain, beginning at the beginning of the 21st century. He then became one of the first to use ketamine infusions to treat mental health disorders when these techniques were first described. Dr. Leverone has some of the longest and broadest experience in administration of ketamine, and has been instrumental in the development and refinement of protocols as used in clinics all over the U.S.  Dr. Leverone has also served as expert consultant in legal cases involving administration of ketamine, and has helped other practitioners open ketamine clinics in many different states across the U.S.