About Ketamine

If you’re googling “ketamine therapy near me” and not sure where to start, welcome to your ultimate guide. We’re going to tell you what ketamine therapy is, who it’s for, the difference between IV Ketamine and Esketamine, what insurance will cover, the other options you have beyond ketamine therapy and their efficacy rates, and so much more. Ketamine therapy offers hope to patients for whom frontline mental health treatments like medication management and therapy don’t work. Axis Integrated Mental Health offers ketamine therapy using Spravato™ esketamine nasal spray at our offices near Boulder, Denver, and Westminster, Colorado. You could get swift and sustainable relief from depression symptoms with a carefully managed and insurance-covered esketamine treatment program. To learn more and book an appointment, call or text your nearest Axis Integrated Mental Health office at 720.400.7025 today.

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Expert Treatment for Depression, PTSD & Treatment-Resistant Mental Health Conditions

Transform your mental health with proven ketamine therapy. Axis Integrated Mental Health provides FDA-approved Spravato and comprehensive ketamine treatment throughout Denver, Boulder, and Westminster. Nearly 80% of our patients experience significant improvement in treatment-resistant depression, often within days.

Why Choose Axis for Ketamine Therapy?

• FDA-Approved Spravato Treatment – Insurance covered, safer than at-home ketamine
• Board-Certified Psychiatric Experts – Medical supervision throughout treatment
• Comprehensive Mental Health Care – Therapy, medication management, and holistic, integrative support
• Convenient Front Range Locations – Serving Denver, Boulder, Westminster communities
• Insurance Accepted – Most plans cover Spravato, as low as $10/session plus $8,150 annually towards the cost of Spravato treatment with the savings card. Please check out our individual mental health benefits guides for Anthem/BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, and Medicaid for more information.
• Deprescribing specialists – Define wellness on your terms, not just tolerance of meds
• Locally Owned and Operated Clinic – More than $400K donated in pro bono care for the communities we live in

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What is ketamine?

Ketamine therapy represents a breakthrough treatment for patients who haven’t responded to traditional antidepressants. Originally developed as an anesthetic, ketamine works differently from SSRIs by targeting the brain’s glutamate system, rapidly promoting neuroplasticity and new neural connections.

Clinical Evidence:

• 55% sustained improvement in treatment-resistant depression (Harvard study, New England Journal of Medicine)
• 30% increase in neuroplasticity within hours (Yale Medicine research)
• 73% reduction in suicidal ideation (Large-scale community study)

Who qualifies for ketamine treatment?

You may benefit from ketamine therapy if you:

• Have tried 2+ antidepressants without adequate response
• Experience persistent depression despite therapy
• Have rapid mood changes or breakthrough depression
• Experience suicidal thoughts or severe depression episodes
• Need faster relief than traditional medications provide

Potentially Contraindicated For:

• Cardiovascular conditions
• Blood pressure concerns
• Substance use history
• Current medications

How ketamine is administered

Ketamine can be administered through an IV, lozenge, intramuscularly, or through a nasal spray. We know, after treating thousands of patients, that the effects of ketamine rarely last and maintenance is required. Studies from Cambridge and Yale show that the effects of ketamine vs. esketamine are identical. Moreover, a ketamine tolerance is built to the drug over time and many patients confuse the efficacy with the experience, and demand increasing doses of the drug to achieve a similar effect. This increases the risk for psychological addiction as we saw with Matthew Perry. Some may seek ketamine from illegal sources and the risks increase tremendously. For recovery to occur, ketamine therapy must be viewed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan and not THE treatment plan. We know that when a treatment is not covered by insurance, it is difficult to maintain the consistency needed for real recovery. For these reasons, we only offer Spravato, a ketamine-derived treatment, to patients, which is FDA-approved, covered by insurance, and costs patients as little as $10/visit for commercially insured patients and free for Medicaid patients.

Spravato®

Spravato nasal spray contains esketamine, an extract of ketamine. Under the Axis Integrated Mental Health team’s supervision, you spray the drug into your nasal passages, from where your body absorbs it into your bloodstream.

Take our Spravato Quiz to see if you’re eligible for treatment.

Axis Integrated Mental Health has an established procedure for Spravato treatment, beginning with a 60-minute psychiatrist appointment. If Spravato is appropriate for you, your provider discusses its benefits and obtains insurance authorization for you.

Following approval, treatment begins as soon as possible. For the first month, you attend two treatment sessions a week, then for the second month, you have one session a week. After eight weeks, you enter a maintenance phase where you receive treatments as required. Read our article about Spravato Costs and watch our patient testimonials to learn more.

“After 36 years of trying everything, from talk therapy to medications that barely made a dent, Spravato finally gave me real relief. That in itself is unbelievable.” -Danielle

How does ketamine work for mental health?

People with depression have fewer synapses — the connections between neurons (nerve cells) — in the brain’s mood center. Ketamine helps to proliferate new synapses, improves the brain’s chemical links, and increases communication between the neurons. We dive more deeply into the role neuroplasticity plays in mental health in Rewiring the Mind: How Psilocybin, Ketamine, and TMS Reshape Neuroplasticity

Ketamine therapy also uses neuroplasticity principles (how the brain reacts and changes over time) to improve mental health.

Brain synapses exposed to ketamine can regrow and produce more links between neurons. This affects how parts of your brain controlling logic and emotion speak to each other, resulting in a fast antidepressant effect.

What can ketamine or esketamine treat?

Ketamine or esketamine can treat the following mental health conditions:

Treatment-resistant depression

Psychiatrists determine that depression is treatment-resistant if symptoms don’t improve after two or more courses of antidepressant medications from different classes. You should have tried them for a reasonable period with no mood improvement or developed intolerable side effects.

Major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (clinical depression) causes persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest, cognitive challenges like trouble thinking clearly, and changes in eating and sleep patterns.

What is the difference between Ketamine Infusions and Spravato™ Esketamine Treatment?

Ketamine infusions and Spravato™ (esketamine) are both innovative treatments for depression, particularly for individuals who haven’t responded to traditional therapies, but they differ in several key ways. Ketamine infusions are administered intravenously in a clinical setting and are typically not covered by insurance, while Spravato™ is a nasal spray version of esketamine (a form of ketamine) that is FDA-approved and often covered by insurance with prior authorization. You can dive deeper into what is Spravato and what is ketamine in our blogs. Both treatments work by targeting the brain’s glutamate system to enhance neuroplasticity and relieve symptoms of depression, but the choice between them may depend on factors such as medical history, accessibility, and insurance coverage.

To help you better understand the key differences and determine which option may be more appropriate for your needs, we’ve outlined a detailed comparison in Spravato or Ketamine Infusions. Which is Better for Treatment Resistant Depression. We encourage you to read it for a full explanation. In a nutshell, while most studies show that ketamine works faster, both are shown to have the same effect within a month of treatment. What is NOT studied, and what we have uniquely observed through years of experience, is an analysis of ketamine vs Spravato in a real-world setting, not a clinical one. The difference is important because nearly every clinical study is done where patients are given ketamine for free and not paying an out-of-pocket cost to access treatment. What we have seen with patients who have transitioned to Spravato after starting with our clinic on infusions is that they are more likely to stay on treatment when it is cost-effective to do so.

Book online to learn more about esketamine, or schedule a consultation online today.

Can I Develop a Tolerance To Ketamine or Esketamine?

Results truly vary from individual to individual. If you’re noticing less of a “psychedelic” effect during your sessions or a “high”, that doesn’t mean ketamine has stopped working. The therapeutic benefits of ketamine come from how it boosts neuroplasticity, not from the intensity of the experience itself. If you’re curious about why that matters or what to do next, read our full blog post on ketamine and Spravato tolerance here.

Can ketamine therapy help me reduce my need for antidepressants?

Yes, and many of our patient testimonials prove this to be the case, especially when combined with TMS. Our providers believe that wellness should be defined as more than just a tolerance to meds and can help you deprescribe meds with a combination of our advanced treatments. Moreover, Spravato was recently approved as a monotherapy, which means that it is a standalone treatment for depression. The advantages of switching to ketamine therapy are due to the short half-life of the treatment, fewer side effects, such as weight gain and sexual dysfunction, occur than with antidepressants.

What are Side Effects of Ketamine Therapy?

Although effective for treating conditions like depression and anxiety, Ketamine can have side effects that vary depending on the individual and dosage. Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, confusion, blurred vision, increased blood pressure, and a sense of dissociation or “out-of-body” experiences. Some individuals may also experience changes in mood, such as agitation or euphoria, and in rare cases, more severe reactions like hallucinations or psychosis. These side effects are usually temporary and subside after the treatment session, but it’s important for patients to be closely monitored during and after ketamine therapy.

How to Prepare for Ketamine Therapy: What You Need to Know

Starting ketamine therapy—whether nasal Spravato® or infusion—can be a powerful step toward healing depression, anxiety, PTSD, or trauma. But preparation matters. To get the most out of your treatment, we recommend going in with clarity, intention, and the right support system in place.

Start by understanding what to expect. We created a helpful guide on how to prepare for ketamine infusion therapy so you can walk in with confidence. You’ll learn what to wear, what to bring, and how to set the right mindset for your session.

Create the right environment, especially sonically. Music can deeply influence your experience. Explore our top tips for building the best ketamine music playlist to help guide your emotional journey during treatment.

Avoid the risks of at-home ketamine. While it may seem convenient, at-home ketamine therapy can be dangerous and far less effective. In-clinic sessions ensure safety, proper monitoring, and expert support every step of the way and Spravato treatment is far more cost-effective.

Know what to ask. Before your first session, read through these 7 essential ketamine therapy questions to ask your psychiatrist to make sure you’re getting the care and answers you deserve.

And don’t forget the aftercare. The healing doesn’t stop when the session ends. Learn what to do after ketamine treatment to maximize your progress, from journaling to integrating insights into daily life.

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Which treatment is right for you? Compare your treatment options.

Service Areas: Denver, Boulder & Westminster

FAQ

• How effective is ketamine therapy?
  Ketamine therapy has shown to be highly effective, especially for individuals with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and certain anxiety disorders. Studies indicate that many patients experience significant improvements in symptoms after just a few sessions. Its rapid action, compared to traditional antidepressants, makes it a promising option for individuals who have not responded to other treatments.

• What’s the difference between ketamine and esketamine?
  Ketamine and esketamine are closely related but differ in their chemical structure. Esketamine is the S-enantiomer of ketamine, meaning it’s a more refined version that is thought to be more potent and have fewer side effects. Esketamine is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression and is administered as a nasal spray, while ketamine is commonly delivered intravenously (IV) or through intramuscular injection. Both work by modulating glutamate in the brain to promote neuroplasticity and alleviate symptoms. More importantly, ketamine is not covered by most insurance plans for depression, while esketamine is.

• Who is not a good candidate for ketamine therapy?
  Ketamine therapy may not be suitable for individuals with certain medical conditions, including uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, or a history of substance abuse or psychosis. Additionally, it may not be recommended for pregnant women or those with a history of severe allergic reactions to ketamine. TMS are better treatments in these cases. A thorough evaluation by a healthcare provider is essential before starting treatment.

• Why can’t I drive after ketamine therapy?
  After ketamine therapy, patients are advised not to drive due to its sedative and dissociative effects. Ketamine can cause temporary cognitive impairment, dizziness, blurred vision, and a feeling of being detached from reality, which can impair motor skills and reaction time, making it unsafe to drive. Patients are typically required to have someone accompany them to and from their appointment. We also have a unique transportation program that can support patients who need transportation for treatment.

• How much does ketamine therapy cost?
  The cost of ketamine therapy varies depending on the treatment center, location, and method of administration. On average, each session can range from $400 to $800. Typically, a series of 6 to 12 sessions is recommended for optimal results, which can bring the total cost to several thousand dollars. Many clinics offer payment plans or financing options, and some insurance companies may cover ketamine treatment for certain conditions, though coverage varies. On the other hand, Spravato is covered by insurance and can be as low as $10 per visit.