Session guide · At-home ketamine
What to Expect from Your First At-Home Ketamine Session
After a telehealth visit, medication is shipped to you and you take it at home, often with a trusted person nearby. There is no clinician in the room, which is the main difference from a clinic visit.
This is the general shape of a session, not your clinic’s protocol and not medical advice. Every clinic does things a little differently, so ask your clinic how they work.
Last updated
What to expect
Before, during, and after
At-home programs vary more than clinic visits. Ask your provider to walk you through a first session before any medicine is shipped.
01
Before
- Treatment generally starts with a video visit. A clinician reviews your history and screens for conditions that would make this a poor fit.
- If you are approved, medication is shipped to your home.
- Many providers require a sitter: a trusted adult who stays with you in person during the session.
- Many providers ask you to skip solid food for a few hours first, which lowers the chance of nausea.[1]
- Set up a quiet spot where you can lie down, with an eye mask, headphones, and a blanket.[1]
- Feeling nervous about doing this at home is reasonable. Ask what support your provider offers by phone or video during a session.
02
During
- You take the tablet, typically placed under the tongue, and lie back somewhere comfortable.
- Effects usually begin within 10 to 20 minutes. Warmth, floating, and dreamlike imagery are commonly described.
- The peak generally lasts about 45 to 60 minutes, and the full experience often winds down over one to two hours.
- Nausea, feeling unsteady, and feeling detached are common. They pass as the medicine wears off, and nausea can be treated. Stay lying down until you feel steady.
- There is no clinician on site to monitor you the way there is in a clinic.[2]
03
After
- No driving until the next day.
- Do not mix ketamine with alcohol or sedatives, such as sleep aids or anti-anxiety medicines. Tell your clinician about every medicine you take.
- Call 911 if anyone has trouble breathing, chest pain, a seizure, or cannot be woken up.[2]
- Ask your provider how to reach them if something feels wrong but is not an emergency.
- In 2023 the FDA warned about compounded ketamine taken at home for mental health, citing risks such as slowed breathing and raised blood pressure without anyone monitoring. Read the FDA warning.[2]
- Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. Using it for mental health is off-label, and your clinician should explain what that means.[2]
- Spravato, which is FDA-approved for depression, is given in a certified clinic, not at home.
Sources
Keep reading