Ketamine in Denver, Boulder and Westminter, Colorado

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 its 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 arrange a consultation, call your nearest Axis Integrated Mental Health office or request an appointment using the online booking feature today.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine was originally an anesthesia drug, but more recently, researchers have discovered it has significant effects on chronic pain and a range of mental health problems. It’s available in three forms:

Ketamine infusions

Ketamine infusions deliver the drug directly into your bloodstream via a needle and cannula in an arm vein. Infusions may offer fast-acting, effective relief from depression and treatment-resistant depression.

Ketamine intramuscular injections

IM Ketamine is administered as an injection directly into the muscle via. needle under professional supervision. Injections offer similar effectiveness from depression and treatment-resistant depression as infusions, however, there is less customizability in dosing. Once an injection is started, there is no increasing, decreasing or stopping treatment based on patient response.

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 esketamine therapy (Spravato) 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 if you'd like to see if you'd be 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 the patient testimonial below to learn more. 

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 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 our clinic on infusions is that they are more likely to stay on treatment when it is cost-effective to do so.

Call Axis Integrated Mental Health 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. Moreover, Spravato was recently approved as a monotherapy, which means that it is a standalone treatment for depression. The advantages to switching to ketamine therapy is due the short half-life of the treatment, fewer side effects like weight gain and sexual dysfunction occur than in antidepressants. 

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.

Ready to Start Ketamine Therapy in Boulder, Denver or Westminster? 

FAQ

1. Why should I choose Axis Integrated Mental Health over any other mental health clinic in Colorado? 

2. Does ketamine therapy get you high? 

3. Who is not a good candidate for ketamine therapy

4. What is ketamine therapy?

5. How much does ketamine therapy cost