How Do I Get started with Ketamine Therapy?

Call 703-844-0184 or fill out the contact form and include a phone number so Dr. Sendi can contact you for a basic screening. You can start treatments immediately without a referral. Fill in the form below and Dr. Sendi will call you back immediately. Ketamine Infusions for Pain, PTSD, Depression in Virginia:

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What Does Ketamine Treat?

• Depression
• Suicidal Thoughts
• Anxiety
• Pain
• CRPS
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
• Fibromyalgia
• Cluster Headaches
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Neuropathic pain
• Migraine Headaches
• PTSD
• For Mindfulness, hypnosis, guided imagery

How is Ketamine Administered?

• Generally Intravenously over the course of 40-50 minutes. This gives an exact, effective dose that bypasses the liver and goes to the brain, where it is needed. This is a more effective way to initial treatment.
• Intranasal Ketamine : A home-based nasal spray is available for treatment of depression, anxiety, pain, and PTSD.
• Nebulized Ketamine through a standard nebulizer.

How does Ketamine work?

• Ketamine acts, in part, as an antagonist at the NMDA receptors, which are overly stimulated in depression. It also causes neuroplasticity, in which dendrites on neurons can reform to cause a brain 'reset' in which new connections can be made.
• Ketamine causes the release of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which allows the process of neuroplasticity.
• This is an immediate effect of Ketamine infusions.

Do I need a referral?

• You do not need a referral for Ketamine Infusions. Certainly, background information on prior treatments is helpful.

Is there anything that excludes me from this treatment?

• Medical issues such as active liver, heart disease, and uncontrolled blood pressure are concerns that may require a more in-depth clearance.

What conditions is Ketamine Treatment useful for?

• Depression, PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar, OCD, Pain, headaches, cluster headache, Lyme disease, Cancer pain, CRPS, and phantom limb pain can be effectively treated with Ketamine.
• We do utilize Ketamine for the treatment of cocaine, opiate, and alcohol use disorders.

What is the Appointment Availability for Infusions?

• Our Ketamine Treatment Center has immediate availability, 7 days a week, and emergency availability.

How Many Infusions will I Need?

• It is recommended that Ketamine Therapy for depression be utilized for a total of six (6) sessions spaced 3 to 5 days apart.

How long does an infusion Last?

• CRPS and pain infusions can last 4 hours and span 3-5 days consecutively.
• For mood disorders such as depression, each infusion is about 50 minutes.

What side effects occur with Ketamine infusions?

• Nausea and vomiting for which we pre-medicate with Zofran, Phenergan, or compazine to prevent this.
• Dizziness that lasts several hours.
• General malaise and mild headaches may occur the next day
• Psycho-mimetic responses such as brief visual distortions or auditory hallucinations may occur. Most patients find the experience pleasant.

Am I awake during the infusions?

• Generally yes. We recommend you bring headphones and ambient music without words to enhance the experience.
• Texting and phone calls are not recommended.

Can I drive after the infusions?

• No driving for 6 hours after an infusion. You will need a ride to and from the infusion.

Can I eat before coming in?

We recommend no food for two hours prior, but liquids are fine

How do I prepare for the infusion?

• Bring a head set and your own music, preferably ambient, soothing music.
• Try to frame the infusion in a positive context. If someone is going to accompany you, they may sit with you.
• If there are bothersome thoughts you wish to deal with, consider using the infusions as a way of therapy to package the thoughts into a better light.

What are the chances for improvement of depression?

• About 70% of  patients have >50% recovery of symptoms.
• Improvement may come after the first infusion or by the third infusion. Many will see incremental improvements in various domains of their life, such as less depression, more motivation, better concentration, less pain, less agitation, or other benefits.

How long do the results last?

• That can be variable. Many have enduring responses for several months, but some require monthly or periodic enhancement infusions.
• We do supply a home based ketamine nasal spray to increase the duration of  response.

Do you provide home-based Ketamine spray?

• Yes. We can initiate therapy with home-based spray. This can be effective for many as a stand-alone treatment, but we recommend the infusions first for more rapid and larger effects
• Nasal spray therapy can be initiated first without infusions, but it takes longer to become effective and is best used in maintenance therapy.
• Nasal spray Ketamine is a useful strategy in patients with needle phobias.

Are There side-effects to the nasal spray?

• Burning in the nose, congestion, and dizziness are the primary concerns.
• Bladder issues are unlikely but are monitored.
• You are not to drive for 4 hours after using the nasal spray.
• Nasal spray ketamine does not create as strong psychomimetic effects as does the infusion.

What is the cost of a Ketamine infusion in Alexandria, Virginia?

• Each infusion is $399 and generally, 6 infusions are needed over 2 weeks.
• Nasal spray ketamine consultation is $400. This is an initial option for treatment therapies for depression, pain, PTSD, anxiety, and cluster headaches.

What is in the Nasal spray ketamine?

• This is a compounded mixture of R and S Ketamine as opposed to Spravato, which is S-Ketamine.
• The medication is supplied for a month at basic usage rates and follow up appointments can be web-based,
• The medication is prepared by specialty pharmacies that we work with directly.
• We generally use this as a home-based therapy that can be used initially, but works best after an initial series of infusions.
• The initial consult is $400 and the medication, which lasts a month generally, costs about $90.

Does Insurance Cover Ketamine infusions?

• We do not accept insurance but can provide a Suprbill for your insurance. PPO's may cover some cost, Medicaid and Medicare cover none of this.
• We do use Care Credit, a medical credit card you can apply for.

Can I use Ketamine Infusions for pain?

• Yes we incorporate Ketamine into pain management and opiate addiction support, even with Suboxone therapy.
• Ketamine works well in cancer pain.
• We also provide Lidocaine infusions for pain management as well.

What if the Ketamine therapy fails?

• This is always a possibility, but we do have additional add-on therapies to maximize response, including the use of magnesium, scopolamine infusions, scopolamine and beta-blocker mixtures, and dextromethrophan therapies for these cases. These work very well with Ketamine and are very helpful in anxiety and depression.

Can I get a scopolamine infusion for depression as well?

• Yes, we do provide this therapy for resistant cases

Do You have NAD+ Infusions available for mental clarity, addictions, and depression?

• We utilize NAD+ therapies for each of these purposes as well. We also have injectable amino acid therapies and IV Vitamin therapies to help.

What Do I Do Next?

Call 703-844-0184 and fill out the email form below to get $50 off the first infusion. Mention you saw this site.

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