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Ketamine therapy has become an increasingly discussed option for people struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental health conditions, particularly when conventional treatments haven’t provided enough relief. But anyone considering ketamine should understand more than its potential benefits. It is equally important to understand the possible ketamine therapy side effects and risks.
At K Plus Clinics in Winter Park, Florida, we believe patients should be able to make informed decisions about their mental health care. That means having an open conversation about what ketamine treatment can feel like, what side effects can occur and why medical screening and monitoring matter.
Ketamine isn’t a new medication. It has been used safely in medical settings for decades and is FDA-approved as an anesthetic. Today, physicians also use ketamine off-label for certain mental health conditions, including treatment-resistant depression. Off-label prescribing is a common and legal medical practice that allows healthcare providers to use FDA-approved medications when they determine the treatment may be appropriate for an individual patient.
Research evaluating ketamine for depression has generally found that many side effects occurring with medically administered treatment are temporary. A 2025 systematic review of 44 studies reported common effects including temporary dissociation, elevated blood pressure, nausea and dizziness, while also noting that questions remain about long-term safety and optimal treatment protocols.
The experience varies from person to person. Because ketamine changes perception and awareness, some effects can occur during the infusion and shortly afterward.
Commonly reported effects include dizziness, nausea, drowsiness or sedation, headache, temporary increases in blood pressure, changes in perception and dissociation—a temporary feeling of being detached from yourself or your surroundings.
A clinical review examining the management of ketamine and esketamine adverse effects identified dissociation, anxiety, nausea, increased blood pressure and headache among the most common treatment emergent effects. The authors reported that most were mild, temporary and dose dependent.
Dissociation can sound alarming when you’ve never experienced it. During a ketamine infusion, however, it can present as feeling unusually light, dreamlike or disconnected from your surroundings. These effects are typically temporary and tend to lessen as the medication wears off, although every patient can respond differently.
One useful real-world study examined 203 adults receiving repeated IV ketamine treatments for major depressive or bipolar disorder.
Researchers found that fewer than 5% discontinued because of tolerability concerns. The most frequently reported effects were drowsiness (56.4%), dizziness (45.2%), dissociation (35.6%) and nausea (13.3%). Blood-pressure increases were also common and generally temporary, although some patients required medication to manage them.
These findings highlight an important point: experiencing a temporary side effect isn’t necessarily the same thing as experiencing a serious complication. But temporary effects still need to be anticipated and appropriately monitored.
A separate systematic review similarly identified dissociation and increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure as common ketamine side effects.
Yes. Like any medication, ketamine carries risks, and those risks can vary according to dose, frequency, route of administration, underlying health conditions and whether treatment is medically supervised.
Ketamine can affect blood pressure and heart rate and may cause significant sedation or psychological effects in some individuals. Long-term or repeated ketamine exposure—particularly misuse or abuse—has also been associated with urinary and bladder complications. Current FDA labeling describes urinary-tract complications reported among individuals with histories of long-term ketamine use or abuse.
Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance, which is why appropriate dosing, patient screening and medical supervision are important parts of treatment. Misuse of ketamine outside a medical setting carries additional risks and is very different from receiving a carefully controlled dose as part of a professionally supervised treatment plan.
The treatment setting also matters. The FDA has raised concerns about compounded ketamine products used without onsite medical monitoring, particularly because a healthcare professional may not be present to monitor sedation, dissociation or changes in vital signs. At K Plus Clinics, IV ketamine is administered in a monitored clinical environment where our team can observe patients throughout treatment.
Read the FDA’s information on ketamine safety and compounded products
Not everyone is an appropriate candidate for ketamine therapy.
Before treatment, medical professionals should evaluate factors such as your medical history, current medications, cardiovascular health, mental health history and previous treatments. This helps identify potential contraindications or circumstances requiring additional precautions.
At K Plus Clinics, patients receive IV ketamine therapy in a monitored clinical environment. The clinic’s team includes a board-certified anesthesiologist as Medical Director, a CRNA, nurse practitioner and additional clinical staff.
You can learn more about the people involved in patient care on the K Plus Clinics About Us and Medical Team page.
Good preparation can make the treatment experience more comfortable. Before your infusion, the K Plus Clinics team will provide instructions regarding eating and drinking, medications, transportation and what to expect afterward.
During an infusion, clinical monitoring allows the team to respond if blood pressure changes, nausea occurs or a patient becomes uncomfortable.
Patients should plan for recovery afterward, follow their provider’s instructions regarding driving and arrange for a responsible adult to take them home following treatment.
Reading about potential side effects shouldn’t automatically discourage someone from considering ketamine therapy. It should help them ask better questions.
What are the potential benefits in my situation? What are my individual risks? Who will be monitoring me? What happens if I experience a side effect? Are there reasons ketamine might not be appropriate for me?
Those are exactly the kinds of conversations patients should have before treatment.
At K Plus Clinics, our goal is to provide patients throughout Orlando and Central Florida with straightforward information so they can make informed decisions alongside qualified healthcare professionals.
Education doesn’t end with one article.
Continue exploring our ketamine therapy articles to learn how ketamine works, treatment duration, depression, anxiety, PTSD and what patients can expect from IV therapy.Â
Have questions about whether ketamine therapy may be appropriate for you? Contact K Plus Clinics to confidentially discuss your questions with our team and learn more about the process.
Learn more about ketamine therapy at K Plus Clinics.
