S E R V I C E

Comprehensive Ketamine Therapy in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Discover the benefits of ketamine therapy at Integrative Family Medicine in West Des Moines. Learn about the treatment process and explore in-depth resources. Your guide to understanding and accessing ketamine therapy.​

Conditions Treated by Ketamine Therapy

Depression
Anxiety
PTSD
Trauma
If you have questions about a condition not listed, please discuss it with your provider during your initial consultation.

Ketamine Therapy at Integrative Family Medicine: An Overview

​​​What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. It is a preferred choice in operating rooms and clinical settings today due to its excellent safety profile. First approved by the US Food & Drug Administration in 1970, Ketamine was originally brought to market as a safer alternative to existing anesthetics.

Ketamine as an Antidepressant

At the start of the 21st century, ketamine was found to be remarkably effective as an antidepressant when administered in low doses. Unlike traditional antidepressants which can take weeks to make an impact, ketamine can rapidly reduce depressive symptoms within two hours of administration. This relief can be sustained for up to two weeks following a single dose. 
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​Ketamine triggers neuroplasticity (a state when your brain can more easily learn, change and adapt), allowing the brain to make new connections and disconnect from old patterns of thinking, which contribute to mental health symptoms. This creates a temporary window for establishing new habits, thought patterns, and perceptions. This is why “integration” with a therapist is so important during this window so the treatment becomes even more effective. Many ketamine clinics lack this crucial step. ​

Why Ketamine?

✤ ​Safe: Ketamine has been studied as an anesthetic for over 50 years. The SUSTAIN-3 study, 2023 showed improvement in depression ratings generally persisted among participants (1148) who remained in maintenance treatment, and no new safety signal was identified during long-term treatment, up to 4.5 years (Zaki et al., 2023).
✤ Quick: Ketamine takes effect in minutes, and only lasts for about 45-90 minutes. The REMS program requires that the patient be in the clinic for 120 minutes out of an abundance of caution. 
✤ Effective: As an antidepressant, ketamine has been proven to provide rapid and sustained relief.
✤ Advanced: The dosage is closely monitored and administered painlessly. The nasal spray device used is very similar to an allergy medication spray.​
✤ Legal: Ketamine is FDA-approved for therapeutic use in treating treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Additionally, there is data supporting the notion it is helpful for anxiety disorders, PTSD, substance abuse, etc.​

How is Ketamine Administered at Our Clinic?

​There are many different ways that ketamine can be delivered medically. At IFM, ketamine can be prescribed one of two ways: sublingually as a troche or intranasally as a spray. 
✤Sublingual Administration✤​
​This is done in the privacy of your own home, twice weekly for the first 12 weeks of treatment. The sublingual troches are compounded at a local compounding pharmacy in the Des Moines metro. The cost for this treatment is paid out of pocket by the patient. On average, 12 troches cost $75. This cost will vary on the dosage and the number of troches compounded at once. Patients are required to have a therapist and complete weekly integration sessions with them. Patients are required to maintain monthly appointments with the prescribing medical provider at IFM (every 4 weeks) throughout the duration of your ketamine treatment.
✤Intranasal Administration (Spravato)✤
Intranasal ketamine is delivered in office to the patient under the supervision and monitoring of a nurse and medical provider, twice weekly for 12 weeks. Patients are required to be on site for at least 2 hours, however most treatments with intranasal ketamine last about 60 minutes. The intranasal ketamine program is registered with the REMS program, a federal requirement to administer ketamine on site in a medical clinic. The medication is obtained from a nationally accredited specialty pharmacy. Both of these measures help prevent misuse and ensures safety for the treatment sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

IS KETAMINE a psychedelic?
Ketamine is not classified as a psychedelic. It works on different parts of the brain. Ketamine is a psychotropic; which is a semantic difference but an important one. Classic psychedelics like NMDA, LSD, etc are serotonergic, which means that potential interactions can happen with other medications. Ketamine does not work in the same way. The experience can feel similar to classic psychedelics but perhaps most importantly, is a dissociative anesthetic that has therapeutic properties that are absolutely not dependent on its psychedelic properties.
Is Ketamine Safe?
  • Ketamine has been used safely as an anesthetic for over 50 years at doses much higher than we use at IFM.
  • As with any drug, if misused or abused, there can be risks associated with ketamine, but the harm to those who use it and the people around them is actually lower than other commonly used recreational drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and cannabis.
  • When taken as prescribed under clinical supervision, the risks for addiction and adverse reactions are extremely low, and the potential for harm is greatly minimized.
​WHO SHOULD AVOID KETAMINE OR HAVE A THOROUGH DISCUSSION WITH THEIR PROVIDER FIRST?​
Ketamine is contraindicated (meaning almost always should not take it) in peoples with: 
  • Aneurysmal vascular disease (including thoracic and abdominal aorta, intracranial and peripheral arterial vessels) or arteriovenous malformation.
  • History of intracerebral hemorrhage (brain bleeds)
  • Hypersensitivity to esketamine, ketamine, or any of the excipients.

Ketamine benefits vs risks should be discussed with their provider in people who:
  • Have uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • Have a history of bladder cysts or urinary retention
  • Are taking prescribed (or illicit) stimulants
  • Are taking an MAOI
  • Who are or could become pregnant
  • With liver disease
How is Ketamine Administered at IFM?
There are many different ways that ketamine can be delivered medically. At IFM, ketamine is delivered through a nasal spray. Some benefits of delivering ketamine through a nasal spray include predictability and precision during dosing as well as full participation in the REMS program, which helps prevent misuse and ensures safety.
In all cases, the medicine is prescribed and administered under direct supervision of a healthcare provider such as a physician or nurse practitioner. At IFM, the medical team members are there to support clients through their ketamine experience and there is always a provider in the building for safety and support.
How does ketamine feel?
A sense of sacredness, a deeply felt positive mood, a transcendence of space and time, and ineffability – the core components of a mystical experience – can all apply to a ketamine exploration. However, ketamine’s effect is highly personal and depends on a person’s mindset and the setting of their experience. Counseling in preparation for treatment and throughout program care is important. At IFM, we have counseling built into the programming for integration.
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Generally, clients report:
  • Sense of calm.
  • Feelings of awe or joy.
  • Tingling sensations.
  • Slightly elevated heart rate.
  • Altered sense of time and space.
  • In higher doses, reduced awareness of the physical body or “out of body” experience.
What Are the Side Effects of Ketamine?​
The most common reported side effect is nausea, which is felt in less than 5% of people. To minimize this, we ask our clients to fast beforehand unless a medical condition prevents this such as diabetes. We can also administer anti-nausea medication before and during your session to reduce any discomfort.
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Other side effects, which are temporary (transient)  and only arise in 10% of people, include:
  • Headache 
  • Elevated heart rate 
  • Drowsiness
  • Light-headedness
  • dizziness 
  • increased blood pressure

Learn More About Ketamine Therapy

Our Ketamine Therapy Space in West Des Moines

Have any Questions?

If you have any specific questions or need further information, feel free to email us at [email protected] or click the button below. We are here to support you.
Send us an Email
[email protected]
Give us a Call
515-218-1399
​515-217-4695 (fax)
Visit our Locations
IFM | West Des Moines 
475 S. 50th St., Suite 600
West Des Moines, IA, 50265

*Temporarily Closed*
IFM | Ankeny
​207 NE Delaware Ave. Suite 20
Ankeny, IA 50021

Office Hours


​Monday:  9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday :  9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday:   9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday:   9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday:  by appointment.
Sat & Sun:  Closed
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