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One in four (25%) patients suffering from depression, anxiety, or PTSD fail to improve with counseling and antidepressants. In this treatment resistant group, 3 out of 4 get rapid relief with IV ketamine infusion therapy, most after their first infusion.
When ketamine works, it isn't subtle. Most responders remark that they "can't remember feeling this good before." These kind of responses make doing this work incredibly rewarding as we help people get their lives back.
Will ketamine work for you? Odds are it will... it does for 75% of our clients, three out of every four!
Want to give IV ketamine therapy a try today?
Give us a call now at 352-325-5755.
Hear their stories
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What is the cost? Are ketamine infusions covered by insurance?Each ketamine infusion is $400, which is $150 for the medical office visit and $250 for the infusion itself. The first infusion includes an initial consult fee (total cost of the first infusion is $550). We require payment at the time of service and accept cash, check, credit cards, HSA, FSA, and money orders. Some Insurance companies cover a portion of the costs of ketamine infusions. The key is whether you have out of network (OON) benefits and if you have met your annual deductible. Click here to quickly verify your OON benefits and deductible. We are not in network with any insurance, but we can file an out of network claim with your insurance provider for you! All we need is your insurance card and we will do the rest! We use a company called Reimbursify to file your claim. With Reimbursify, reimbursement is sent directly to you from your insurance company. Out-of-network rates and annual deductibles apply. We can not currently provide this service for Medicare or Medicaid clients. If you prefer, you can also file your own claim using the Reimbursify app or file a claim online in just a few minutes!
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Do you offer veteran, first responder, or front-line health care worker discounts?Yes, we off a 20% discount for veterans, first responders, and front-line health care workers with valid ID. For veterans, we also offer funding through Centerstone and the Wounded Warrior program to help pay some of the costs of treatment.
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What about ketamine oral lozenges for home use?IV ketamine is the fastest acting, most effective, and scientifically proven form of ketamine therapy. For those that have undergone successful initial treatment with IV ketamine, we do offer ketamine lozenges (also called troches) for twice weekly home use to space out the time between booster infusions. Most clients will not need this form of ketamine therapy, which runs about $220/month including medicine and doctors visits. If you would like more information about our home troche program, please reach out to us at mason@oasiswr.com or by calling the office at 352-325-5755.
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Do you have an article I can read for more info?Absolutely! Here is a recent article that Dr. Milbrandt wrote for Health & Wellness Magazine.
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What is ketamine?Ketamine is a medicine developed more than 50 years ago for anesthesia during surgery. It has been safely used for decades in children, adults, and animals. More recently, ketamine has been found to be a valuable and highly effective treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and certain pain disorders.
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What conditions does ketamine treat?Ketamine effectively treats major depression, bipolar depression, postpartum depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Studies now show that ketamine also effective for eating disorders and addiction!
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How does it work?Depression, anxiety, pain, and other forms of stress damage the communication system between areas of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and higher-order thinking. Ketamine is able to increase the materials necessary to make repairs to this damage within hours, relieving the depressive or other symptoms. It does so by triggering a cascading sequence of events in the brain, which ultimately result in growth of new connections between neurons (brain cells) in the prefrontal cortex (the front part of your brain).
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Will it work for me?The chances are good that it will! About 75% of patients with treatment-resistant depression (including bipolar patients) experience rapid relief after a series of low-dose ketamine infusions. Similar success rates have been seen in those suffering from anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. Treatment-resistant patients are those who fail to respond to traditional antidepressants and talk therapy. Before ketamine therapy, there was virtually no way to substantially improve the condition of these patients except for shock-therapy (ECT). The fact that ketamine works in as many as 3 out of 4 treatment-resistant patients is astonishing! This discovery has profoundly changed depression treatment and our understanding of the very nature of depression and other mood disorders. The only way to find out if it works for you is to give ketamine a try. Are you ready?
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How quickly will I notice results?It is possible to notice effects within 24 hours of a ketamine infusion. For most, they know within 2-3 infusions if ketamine will help. Some require all 6 initial infusions before they notice a difference. When it works, the changes are quite dramatic! Ketamine responders feel less emotional pain, more hopeful, less sad, fewer thoughts of suicide, increased calmness, and become more inclined to engage with people. Additional improvements are often seen further into the course of treatment. If you are having positive results, it is recommended to have up to 6 total infusions within the first 2-3 weeks. After that, a monthly maintenance (booster) infusion is typically required to maintain response. The total length of treatment is highly dependent on each individual’s unique circumstances and results.
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Is it safe?The dose used for the treatment of mood disorders is very low and safe. During ketamine treatments, blood pressure and heart rate may minimally increase but not sufficiently to cause issues. Using illegally-obtained ketamine on your own without a doctor’s supervision is a different matter. There is no assurance that the substance you are taking is actually ketamine at all or that it ha not been mixed with other substances. Since ketamine is an anesthetic capable of sedating patients during major surgery, you can seriously injure yourself while under its influence if you are not in a controlled medical setting. If you are contemplating taking “street” ketamine in hopes of relieving your depression, keep in mind that the antidepressant effect depends on it being administered in a very precise, controlled way that you cannot achieve in a recreational setting.
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Are there any side effects?Short-term side effects are uncommon but may include mild increase in blood pressure and heart rate, dizziness, temporary blurred vision, sensation of "lightness" , euphoria, and nausea. Our patients are monitored to ensure safety and medications to treat any sides effects, such as nausea, are readily available. There are no long-term side effects.
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What is it like to have a ketamine infusion?Be sure not to eat food or drink fluids within 2 hours. Your initial consultation will last 15-30 minutes and includes discussion of the treatment and your medical history. You are welcome to bring a companion to be with you during your appointment, We recommend that you bring headphones and music that is relaxing for you. You will be placed in a comfortable recliner and an IV catheter will be gently inserted and the infusion started. The infusion itself lasts 40-60 minutes. Most find it a very pleasant, dreamy experience. About 5-10% shed tears during the infusion. A few become anxious during the infusion, which is easily managed with reassurance, deep breathing, and slowing down the infusion rate. After the treatment you will be required to stay for a recovery period, typically 20-30 minutes. You will need to have an adult present to drive you home from your appointment.
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What is ketamine-assisted therapy?Ketamine-assisted therapy is a one-on-one ketamine session with a Certified Trauma Professional. Whether it's trauma from childhood or something more recent, Dr. Milbrandt will help you to let go of the pain that is holding you back from recovery. You will receive your ketamine infusion just like you normally would during the first hour of the session. In the second hour, you will work one-on-one with Dr. Milbrandt.
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Is financing available?Yes, we have financing available for ketamine treatments through the Advance Care Card. The financing application only takes 5 minutes to complete and in most cases Advance Care is able to provide you with a credit decision right away.
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What about nasal esketamine?Nasal esketamine (s-ketamine, one-half of the ketamine molecule) is more expensive and less effective than IV ketamine. It requires a two-hour observation in a clinic with each dose (you cannot take it home). Find out the truth about nasal esketamine here.
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Do you have private infusion rooms?All of our infusion rooms are private. We provide a warm, healing environment with reclining massage chairs, dimmable lights, warm blankets, and soothing music.
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What should I bring to my first appointment?You are highly encouraged to bring your medical records from your primary care provider or psychiatrist. If you have had recent lab work, please bring a copy of the results. Healthy patients do not require pre-infusion lab work. However, there are some medical conditions that may require assessment of labs prior to your first infusion and we will discuss this during your initial consultation. You may bring things like tablets, headphones, mp3 players and books. As a courtesy to other patients, we ask that you please refrain from telephone conversations during your appointments. Complimentary ear plugs, eye covers, and blankets are available for your use.
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Are there any conditions the would disqualify me from receiving ketamine?Conditions that would disqualify you including uncontrolled blood pressure, unstable heart disease, untreated thyroid disease, current manic phase of bipolar disorder, or active psychotic (hallucinations or delusions) symptoms.
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What medicines should I NOT take on the day of my infusion?Generally, you should take all of your usual daily medications. If you take Lamictal (lamotrigine), Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine), benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Ativan), gabapentin (Neurontin), or pregabalin (Lyrica), please skip the dose you would normally take immediately prior to your infusion. You can resume afterwards with your next scheduled dose. If you have medications that you only take as needed, such as benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Ativan), opiates, or medical cannabis, it would be better that you NOT take these extra doses less than 6 hours prior to your infusion. You should also not drink alcohol the day of your ketamine infusion.
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Do I need a referral from my doctor or therapist?All patients are required to be evaluated by our staff and receive a history and physical. In some cases, patients may be asked for a written referral from their mental health or primary care provider, though this is not usually required. You should continue to see your mental health and/or primary care provider for ongoing management of your mental health and before making any changes to your primary medication regimen.
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