Do you work with children?
While I am licensed to work with the entire life-span, I am not currently working with young children. I do work with adolescents in addition to adults.
Do you provide ADHD evaluations?
No. Symptoms of ADHD will be assessed during a psychiatric evaluation, however my primary focus is with mood and anxiety disorders. If you are primarily seeking services for treatment of ADHD, including with stimulant medication, I would suggest seeking out a provider who specializes in this.
Do you provide disability evaluations?
No. I would recommend seeking out the services of a licensed psychologist who specializes in this.
Do you treat opiate use disorders? What about helping people taper off of medication they have become dependent on?
It is my belief that individuals who are seeking help with a substance use disorder benefit most when they work with a team. It is for this reason that I do not prescribe suboxone or provide detox related treatment to individuals as I work independently and operate this practice part time.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is a medication that has been used safely as an anesthetic and analgesic for the past 50 years. In recent years it has been found to be helpful in lower doses to treat various mental health conditions, including depression, PTSD and other mood disorders. This medication acts primarily on the glutamate system, which is a neurotransmitter that we all produce. This unique pathway seems to be the reason why and how ketamine exerts both psychedelic and anti-depressant effects. Ketamine is not known to be habit forming and in fact has been helpful in treating people with substance use disorders. When being used for anesthetic purposes, ketamine is given as an intravascular (IV) infusion. While ketamine can also be given in this form for psychiatric purposes, it can also be administered intranasally, orally in the form of a lozenge, or intramuscularly (much like a flu vaccine is given).
How expensive is ketamine?
Generic ketamine is relatively affordable. Cost depends on whether it is given intramuscularly (IM) or compounded into a lozenge or nasal spray. Depending on the frequency of use, a month’s supply of the lozenges or spray can cost anywhere from $70-120. When given in IM form, ketamine costs several dollars per session (no this is not a typo). Spravato is a FDA approved nasal spray that is used to treat depression. When not covered by insurance, this spray costs thousands of dollars a month and is subjected to rigid prescribing guidelines. I do not use Spravato in my practice.
What are ketamine sessions like?
Sessions will either be in the office or at home. Prior to a session we will discuss your intentions for treatment and outline a plan to ensure your comfort. The dose of ketamine dictates how active you will be in a session, however regardless of the dose/form you take we will carve out time to discuss your experience afterwards. The experience itself will typically last 45-90 minutes and you will feel some mild sedation afterwards. I will provide you with information about what to expect during and after a session so that you are fully prepared.
Please note, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, I am not currently providing ketamine services in my office. If a decision is made to start ketamine, we will make a treatment plan that will involve telehealth sessions and in home administration.
How I can I learn more about ketamine?
Additional FAQ with helpful information on ketamine:
http://www.ketamineadvocacynetwork.org/faq
Safety and efficacy of ketamine in PTSD and depression:
https://www.psychiatrist.com/JCP/article/Pages/2018/v79n03/17m11634.aspx
Use of ketamine in a psychotherapy session:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2019.1587556
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PymOpqw_Tj4&feature=youtu.be
