Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine Therapy in Colorado Springs

Ketamine is a powerful medication often used as an anesthetic, but it’s also helpful in treating depression, pain, and PTSD. At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions in Colorado Springs and Monument, Colorado, Dr. Ashley Johnson, and the team provide IV ketamine infusions for patients suffering from chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Ketamine is a safe alternative that works to relieve symptoms quickly. To learn more about IV Ketamine infusions, call the offices in Colorado Springs or Monument today, or book a consultation online.

What is ketamine therapy?

Ketamine is a powerful medication most known for its role as a strong anesthetic. It has been used in operating rooms for its anesthetic properties for years. In more recent years, ketamine has been used as an effective medication in conjunction with an antidepressant in people with treatment-resistant depression.

Ketamine works to restore synapses in your brain, particularly those affected by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter that helps with mood and memory function. When you have depression, the glutamate receptors seem to weaken. After a single dose of ketamine, your brain seems to begin to restore these receptors.

How is ketamine therapy given?

Ketamine can be administered in many different ways. The most widely used way to give ketamine is through IV infusion. At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions, we offer IV infusion ketamine treatment because of its precise control in delivery. IV ketamine treatment allows us to closely monitor the patient throughout ketamine delivery to ensure both maximum efficacy of treatment and maximum patient comfort and safety.

What conditions does ketamine therapy treat?

Ketamine has been shown to help numerous mental health disorders but is also useful in the treatment of the following conditions:

• • • Depression
    • Anxiety
    • Chronic pain
    • PTSD
    • Fibromyalgia

Ketamine therapy is a well-known, established treatment for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. But it is lesser known for its ability to treat chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is associated with central sensitization, where the central nervous system becomes “hypersensitive” to pain signals. Ketamine blocks these receptors, thus helping to “turn down” pain signals and reset the nervous system.

Clinical studies and case reports indicate that ketamine infusions can lead to significant pain relief in fibromyalgia patients. Some studies suggest immediate and substantial pain reduction from ketamine therapy, with effects lasting for weeks or even months after treatment.

What should I expect from a ketamine infusion?

To receive an IV ketamine infusion, the team first inserts an IV line into your arm. Your provider then connects the IV to fluid with ketamine in it. The dose of ketamine is carefully determined by Dr. Ashley Johnson to ensure your safety.

Once you are set, you can sit back and relax while the ketamine infuses. You will be monitored by a licensed nurse during the infusion, including your heart rate and blood pressure. The infusion takes about an hour, and you will continue to be monitored for a little while after your infusion. This helps evaluate for any adverse side effects directly after your treatment.

The effects of ketamine last for about 40 minutes after the treatment. The sedative effects then wear off. However, the effects of ketamine on your brain can last for weeks at a time.

Our Standard of Excellence: Prioritizing Patient Safety, Comfort, and Outcomes

At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions, we believe that interventional psychiatry is most effective in an environment of safety and professional support. We have invested in the world’s most advanced monitoring technology and a personalized care model to ensure that your Ketamine or Spravato™ treatment is the safest and most effective experience available.

Here are ways we prioritize patient safety and comfort, in many cases exceeding recommended guidelines and standards.

1. A 1:1 Nurse to Patient Ratio

Most ketamine clinics use a “multi-room” model where one nurse monitors several patients simultaneously. At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions, we set a higher standard. You are paired 1:1 with a registered nurse who stays with you throughout the entire infusion and recovery period. They are there to manage your environment, provide a grounding presence, and ensure your absolute safety without ever leaving your side. We go beyond mandated standards to ensure the highest level of patient safety during ketamine treatment.

2. Caretaker Technology for Uninterrupted Monitoring

The dissociative or reflective state reached during ketamine treatment is a vital state where healing begins. Traditional medical equipment often interrupts this state with noisy, squeezing blood pressure cuffs, taking the patient out of their ideal healing state.

At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions, we use the Caretaker® Wireless Monitoring System, which uses a small, non-invasive finger sensor that replaces the bulky arm cuff. Monitoring occurs without the arm squeezes of traditional blood pressure monitoring. You can remain deeply immersed in your ketamine treatment without distraction.

We track your heart rate, oxygen levels, and beat-by-beat blood pressure in real-time. Our team monitors a continuous digital waveform of your vitals, offering ICU-level oversight with concierge-level comfort.

3. Hospital-Grade Safety Infrastructure

Your safety and peace of mind are our top priority. While Ketamine and Spravato are administered in a comfortable, private setting, our clinic locations maintain the highest level of medical readiness:

• • • Emergency Preparedness: Every facility is equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and Supplemental Oxygen.
    • Expert Training: Our entire clinical staff undergoes rigorous emergency protocol training, ensuring a safety net is always in place so you can focus entirely on your recovery.

4. Patient Screening

To ensure patient safety, patients may be subject to routine drug screening including a urine or blood screening or a saliva mouth swab during ketamine treatment. Patient safety testing may also include a pregnancy test. This helps ensure patients are healthy and able to receive maximum benefit from ketamine therapy.

5. Adherence to Industry Standards

We follow the highest professional and ethical standards as outlined by the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists, & Practitioners (ASKP3). This includes maintaining current licensure and ongoing education for all clinicians. We commit to informed consent and transparent communication about treatment, risks, and costs. Our team safeguards strong patient-provider relationships, avoids conflicts of interest, and prioritizes patient safety, compliance, and quality care. We hold ourselves accountable to these principles and the integrity they represent in every interaction.

Learn more about the ASKP3 code of conduct.

CareCredit and Advance Care are both accepted for help with co-pay or deductible balances