How to Get or Buy Ketamine for Medicinal Purposes

You may have seen an article online, heard a remarkable healing story from a friend or family member, or have an interest growing naturally within yourself.

There are many ways where someone may first be exposed to ketamine treatment and working with ketamine therapy protocols. 

If you are looking for more information on how to get or how to buy medicinal ketamine, the following article explores all the avenues, techniques, and considerations to make as you embark on your healing journey with ketamine. 

UNDRSTANDING OFF-LABEL PRESCRIPTION

It’s important to begin with an understanding of off-label prescription, as this is the starting point for anyone’s journey to receiving medicinal ketamine. 

Ketamine is currently listed as a Schedule 3 substance by the DEA. This means that it is available for prescription by a licensed clinician. Off-label prescription means that under discretion, ketamine can be prescribed for conditions other than what it was originally approved for. 

Ketamine was originally approved as a surgical anesthetic. Ketamine’s involvement in treating mental health conditions falls under off-label prescription.

All of this is said to emphasize the point that if you want to buy medicinal ketamine, you will need to receive a personal prescription of the medicine by a licensed clinician. Fortunately, ketamine has been studied and available for prescription as a mental health medication for decades, and there are well-established outlets, protocols, practices, and care specialist infrastructure built out already. 

The next step on your journey to healing and wholeness is an understanding of the available outlets where you can meet a clinician and receive a prescription for medicinal ketamine. 

AVAILABLE CLINICAL OUTLETS FOR KETAMINE PRESCRIPTIONS

An important note before mentioning the variety of clinical outlets that have the capacity to prescribe clinical ketamine. As mentioned above, you will need to receive a prescription for medicinal ketamine from a licensed clinician. The clinician, through their sole discretion, makes the decision to prescribe this to you. As ketamine is an off-label treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, you will often go through a medical screening and direct consultation with the clinician. Due to the controlled nature of this medication, clinicians will ensure that it is both safe and reasonable to assume you will see results from this treatment modality. 

If you are expecting to be able to walk into a clinic off of the street, have a 5-minute conversation with the front desk, and walk out with a pack of medicinal ketamine, you are incorrect. 

Ketamine is a powerful psychological and biological medication, and there will be a number of procedures, meetings, and protocols to start the relationship and receive your prescription. 

With that said, there are a number of ways available that you can go to receive medicinal ketamine. It first depends on the route of administration (also known as ROA) that is most appropriate for you, or that you wish to take. There are several routes of administration for ketamine: intramuscular (IM) injections, intravenous (IV) infusions, oral lozenges, and nasal spray. Most clinics choose to specialize in 1 or 2 ROAs, but there are some clinics and organizations that offer all options. If you know which route of administration you want, you can search for clinics or organizations that specialize in these.

IM/IV experiences will need to be done at a ketamine clinic, which is well established and you can find via online search often in your state. Oral lozenges, like those used in Mindbloom’s programming, are also available in many states. Ketamine or esketamine nasal sprays you can find providers for through an online search.

To recount: if you understand the process of signing up for a ketamine protocol, and have a sense of the route of administration you would like to use, you can now go a find a clinic or provider that specializes in either: in-clinic IM/IV, at-home oral lozenges, or Spravato nasal spray sessions. 

CONTRAINDICATIONS & CONSIDERATIONS

As always, there are a number of considerations before embarking on a healing journey with ketamine therapy. 

There are also contraindications, and signals in the body, mind, or physiology that tell a clinician that ketamine is not an appropriate medical treatment for you at this time. 

Several core considerations and contraindications related to ketamine treatment include:

1. TIME, ENERGY, FINANCIAL INVESTMENT

There are many kinds of investments you need to make when working through a ketamine treatment protocol. There is of course a financial investment. Depending on the route of administration and provider you choose, single dosing sessions can range from around $100 to more than $1000. 

Beyond this, however, there are other investments worth considering, primarily the time investment and the emotional/energetic. From beginning to end, dosing sessions can run upwards of 3 hours, and you are intended to take the rest of the day for rest, integration, and recovery. 

Finally, working through deeply rooted emotional wounds or psychological obstacles is not easy. It can be emotionally challenging, and in a way is a form of emotional investment. As we will mention below, ketamine treatment is not simply a magic pill. These investments are worth considering before signing up for a ketamine treatment protocol.

2. PERSONAL/FAMILIAL HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS 

There are a number of contraindications with ketamine treatment. Personal or familial histories of psychotic conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, mania, or associated conditions are often contraindications.

There are a number of physiological contraindications, such as high blood pressure or elevated heart rate. Certain classes of medications can also present complications with treatment as well, this is important to bring up with the clinician through your screening process.

3. KETAMINE CAN SURFACE HIDDEN EMOTIONS/MEMORIES 

Part of what makes ketamine treatment a powerful and long-lasting healing treatment is its ability to surface unconscious patterns, emotions, memories, histories, or otherwise. Bringing these hidden patterns to the surface to be addressed is an important part of the healing process.

But it is important to be aware of this before beginning. You may enroll in a treatment protocol to deal with anxiety coming from a demanding job but may end up being challenged with childhood memories, deep fears, limiting beliefs or narratives. While working through these can be very helpful, it’s worth noting the possibility of this beforehand so you’re not surprised if it comes up throughout the course of treatment. 

4. KETAMINE IS NOT A MAGIC PILL

Finally, an important consideration before enrolling in ketamine treatment is that ketamine is not a magic pill. It does not guarantee everlasting happiness after taking it. Some individuals respond more positively, or more negatively, to the treatment. 

Everyone is unique, and your experience of this treatment modality will be unique as well. While there are remarkable stories of healing through ketamine treatment, including treatment-resistant success stories – it is important and helpful to have a realistic expectation and understanding of what ketamine can and cannot do. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Ketamine is a regulated compound available for prescription at the discretion of a clinician. If you have a sense of the route of administration you’d like to work with, you can find providers and clinics often in your state or immediate location. 

There are several important considerations to make before enrolling in a program working with medicinal ketamine, including health and safety contraindications, understanding the psychological healing process that ketamine initiates, and having realistic expectations of what ketamine can do.

Mindbloom is currently available in many states and works with at-home treatment via oral lozenges. If you’d like to explore this path further and talk to a team member or a clinician, you can complete our initial screening process here.