Ketamine is a common medication used in anesthesia and emergency departments all over the world. In smaller doses, ketamine can be used to treat or relieve a variety of mental health conditions. Its dissociative properties can allow you to be disconnected from the typical way you think about and experience your life, which helps you gain new insights into your inner world. Often, things that were hard or intolerable to understand, feel, or remember become more accessible or clear, making it easier to process and resolve them. Ketamine, when used alongside therapy, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorder.

Ketamine used in the therapeutic setting is experienced differently from person to person. Some people have deep psychedelic experiences, and some people feel their experience of ketamine is mild. Please note that regardless of how you are cognitively registering the experience of ketamine, the medicine and your inner wisdom are working together to move toward healing.

At Upstream, a physician, nurse practitioner and/or nurse will be available to care for you throughout the entire session, alongside your therapist, to help you prepare and integrate your experiences. Our priority is that you are safe, and you feel supported leading up to, during, and coming out of the session.

Your KAT appointment will be three hours long. Current research and our experience is showing maximum benefits are recorded by patients when partaking in three consecutive KAT sessions. We recommend booking three KAT dates when you submit your application, but can make bookings for a single session available if you so choose.

Ketamine will be administered to you sublingually for your first session; subsequent sessions may continue with sublingual or intramuscular administration.

i. Sublingual

This will be in the form of lozenges which you will “swish” in your mouth for 15-20 min.

ii. Intramuscular

Ketamine will be administered through intramuscular injection.

Currently, our services are offered to people experiencing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and/or substance use disorder. Your care provider may also refer you to us if they believe you may benefit from this treatment even though you do not have a formal diagnosis at this time. Our medical team will be able to consult you on what treatments are available to you.

We want you to be as supported as possible while trying this approach to treatment. This means, we require you to have a therapist who will be available to you during and after your KAT sessions. If you do not have a therapist currently, we would be happy to connect you with one from our network of experienced therapists.

Exclusion criteria include allergic reaction to ketamine, presence of psychotic symptoms, severe liver disease, and kidney disease. Ketamine may increase your heart rate and blood pressure during the session. For this reason, if you have uncontrolled hypertension or cardiovascular disease, it is essential you speak to the physician on our medical team on how best to manage your condition before starting this treatment. Certain medications may interact with ketamine so it is imperative that you inform the medical team of all medications you are currently using.

Upstream clinic charges $1920 for a program of three consecutive KAT sessions (charged as follows: $300 at the time of intake appointment and $540 at the time of each KAT session).

This covers your medical consult, medical support during your KAT session, a comfortable therapeutic room in the clinic, equipment rental such as noise-canceling headphones and eye shades, and your prescription. You are asked to bring blankets and a pillow from home to help you feel at ease during your session.

Please keep in mind you would need to separately discuss a rate with your therapist for their time at the clinic.