Ketamine Therapy in Chicago

Ketamine treatment costs $250 per session for patients seen within the practice, $350 per session for patients not seen within the practice. Each session must be paid out of pocket, before the appointment starts. We also offer financing through CareCredit. Appointments cancelled less than 24 hours in advance carry a $175 fee; a missed appointment without notice carries a $350 fee.

In the mental health arena, ketamine is used off-label to treat symptoms of depression and PTSD.

It's important to note that ketamine is not a cure-all treatment. What it can do is help us gain new tools and perspectives to navigate and overcome challenges with greater choice and ease.

Your experience during your ketamine sessions will be shaped by where you are on your personal timeline of growth and healing, and may change through your treatment. The most commonly reported experiences include feelings of happiness, calm, and relaxation. Some people experience visual or time distortions, or even the feeling they are out of their body. It is also common to feel you don't have full control over your mind and body, which may cause moments of brief anxiety.

Limit alcohol use. Alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of ketamine treatment. It’s best to reduce or avoid alcohol to experience the full benefits.

Expect a unique experience. Each person’s journey with ketamine is different, as we all have unique timelines for healing and growth. In the early stages, the focus may be on building safety and comfort before addressing deeper emotions, memories, or thoughts. This foundational work prepares you for deeper exploration later.

Know that anxiety is normal. It’s common to feel anxious during treatment, especially when you begin to dissociate. This sense of disconnect between mind and body can feel uncomfortable but is part of the process, helping your mind make necessary connections. Approach the experience with curiosity.

Minor side effects can include the following and tend to resolve within a few hours:

• Nausea or vomiting. To minimize this, stay well hydrated and avoid eating or drinking for 3 hours before treatment.
• Temporarily elevated blood pressure. The most common physical side effect is a short-term spike in blood pressure, pulse, or heart rate.
• Drowsiness and sedation
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Impaired balance and coordination
• Headache

Adverse side effects from high-dose, chronic use of ketamine are very rare in medically supervised settings. Tell your provider immediately if you notice frequent, painful, or difficult urination. Permanent bladder dysfunction or cystitis occurs when the drug is abused.

Psychologically, ketamine has been shown to worsen certain psychotic symptoms in people with schizophrenia or other serious mental disorders.

Our treatment is set up to last 9 weeks, with one session per week. Each session lasts about 2 hours. The number of treatments you complete is up to you; you are not obligated to continue the full 9 weeks.

We have 3 administration options: nasal spray, troche (dissolvable lozenge), and intramuscular injection. Before starting treatment, you will discuss with Able staff which method is best for you.

When you come to the office, you will get comfortable in one of our ketamine rooms. You are encouraged to listen to music, watch our TV visuals, meditate, or do whatever helps you relax. We start each appointment by taking your resting blood pressure and going over ketamine administration. During your session, you will embark on a self-guided exploration where you may learn more about yourself in unexpected ways. Throughout your appointment, Able Psychiatry staff are available to assist with any needs and will check in on you periodically.

The biggest way to benefit from ketamine treatment is to allow your mind to wander: be open to exploring whatever thoughts, feelings, or memories come up. It can help to set an intention or choose a topic you would like to explore before each session, which gives the mind a direction during your appointment.

There is no specific outcome needed or expected, just the opportunity to experience other perspectives on whatever your mind brings up, so you can consciously choose how to view and interpret it. If you can record insights from your session, they can be very useful to explore in future psychotherapy sessions.

Gauging how your ketamine treatment is working depends on your own criteria. A common sign is being able to let things sit and allow them to be, without the need to take action, fix, or restrict. Other signs might include:

• Viewing things from a different perspective. For example, if you default to a common thought or behavior, do you sometimes also think of an alternative, even if you don't fully believe or follow it?
• Increased self-compassion or self-acceptance
• Increased compassion for or acceptance of others

These are just a few examples. Since every person's reasons for and expectations of treatment differ, so will the way they benefit.

Our ketamine treatment differs in cost, ease of administration and overall effect. Ketamine infusions often cost $350 to $500 or more per infusion. Infusions require an IV in the arm. Because the ketamine enters the bloodstream directly, the effects are felt almost immediately and much more intensely than with other methods. Depending on the patient, that may not be the best introduction to ketamine or its benefits.

At Able Psychiatry, our priority is your comfort and feeling of safety.

Certain medications interact with ketamine and make it less effective. Tell us about all of your current medications so we can adjust for them.

For the two months after your final session, we watch how the treatment effects are holding. You take part in two monthly check-in appointments, 30 and 60 days after your final ketamine session. These check-ins build on the work you've already done and help decide whether additional treatment cycles would be beneficial.