What are the side effects of ketamine?

Ketamine is short acting. Almost anything you feel during a session fades once the infusion stops.

A slight rise in blood pressure and heart rate is normal. A small number of patients feel nauseated during or right after. If either comes up, we treat it with IV medication right there in the room.

Two things prevent most nausea: don't eat for three hours beforehand, and keep your eyes closed or wear an eyeshade during the infusion.

What about the dissociation? That's the part most people are really asking about. At these doses you can expect to feel separated from your body, and time can stretch or fold. Some people find it strange at first. It isn't a complication. It's the effect we're working with, and it ends when the infusion does. Someone stays with you the whole time.

You may feel unsteady or foggy for an hour or so afterward. Plan on a ride home.

At high doses, or with very frequent use, ketamine can irritate the bladder. KAP doses are low, and most patients come once or twice a week. At that dose and frequency the risk is very low.