Am I a Candidate for Ketamine Therapy?

This page explains the factors clinicians typically weigh when deciding whether ketamine therapy may be considered for someone. It is written so you can walk into an evaluation informed — not so you can give yourself an answer at home.

No website, quiz, or checklist can tell you whether you are a candidate. Only a one-on-one clinical evaluation, with your full history in front of a qualified clinician, can make that determination. If you take one thing from this page, let it be that.

Candidacy is individual, but evaluations generally consider four things together: your diagnosis, your treatment history, your general health, and your current medications.

Ketamine therapy is usually discussed for adults whose depression, anxiety, PTSD, or chronic pain has not responded adequately to standard treatments. It is not a first-line option, and it is not FDA-approved for these conditions — its use for them is off-label, which makes careful patient selection even more important.

Some health situations make ketamine riskier, and any of them may rule out candidacy. That decision is always made by the evaluating clinicians — never by a checklist on a website — but knowing the landscape helps you arrive with realistic expectations.

Commonly cited concerns include uncontrolled high blood pressure, certain heart conditions, active psychosis, pregnancy, and certain substance-use histories. A previous serious adverse reaction to ketamine also matters. None of these is an automatic verdict in either direction; each is weighed in the context of your full history, and some may call for treating the underlying issue first.

An evaluation at our clinic is a structured conversation, not a sales appointment. A clinician reviews your diagnosis and symptoms, the treatments you have tried, your medical history, and every medication and supplement you take. You may be asked to share records from your other providers, or to sign a release so we can coordinate with them directly.

You will have time to ask questions, and you will hear an honest recommendation. If ketamine therapy may be considered for you, we explain why, what a treatment plan would look like, and where the uncertainties lie. If it should not be considered, we tell you that plainly and, where we can, suggest other directions.

Hearing no can be disappointing, but a careful clinic would rather disappoint a patient than treat one unsafely. When ketamine therapy is not appropriate, we say so directly and explain our reasoning. With your permission, we can share our notes with your existing psychiatrist, therapist, or physician, so the evaluation still moves your care forward even when the answer is no.

A little preparation makes the evaluation more useful. Bring a complete list of your medications and supplements, the names of your current providers, and any records you already have on hand. Write your questions down beforehand — good clinicians welcome them.