Ketamine Therapy FAQ: Straight Answers to Common Questions
Short, direct answers about ketamine therapy at our Tampa clinic: how it is given, safety, time, cost, telehealth, referrals and what to do in a crisis.
Ketamine therapy at Clear Ketamine Therapy is a supervised treatment: a small injection of ketamine under the skin, given in our Tampa clinic with a clinician monitoring you from start to finish. Consultations and follow-ups can happen by telehealth while you are in Florida. The ketamine is compounded and not FDA-approved, care is cash-pay, and no referral is needed. The answers below cover the questions people ask most, with links to fuller guides.
What do people most often ask about ketamine therapy?
Most questions fall into a handful of groups: how the medicine is given, whether it is safe, whether it is likely to work, what it costs, and how much of your day it takes. The answers below are deliberately brief. Each topic has a fuller guide in this series, with sources listed so you can check them yourself.
Our clinic at a glance
A few facts sit behind almost every answer on this page:
- Location: 3971 Moran Rd Ste 101-2, Tampa, FL 33618, open weekdays from 9am to 5pm.
- Method: a subcutaneous injection, with each dose calculated for the individual by the supervising clinician.
- Setting: every dose is given in the clinic under continuous clinician monitoring; nothing is prescribed for use at home.
- Remote options: consultations, planning and follow-ups by telehealth while you are physically in Florida, with your location confirmed each time.
- Medication: compounded ketamine from a licensed outsourcing facility, which the FDA has not approved.
- Leadership: Jason Saylor, DO, our Medical Director, is board-certified in family medicine and licensed in Florida.
What these answers cannot tell you
General answers cannot account for your diagnosis, your medications or your medical history. Only an evaluation with a clinician can tell you whether ketamine therapy may be reasonable for you, and sometimes the honest answer is no. Treat this page as preparation for that conversation, not a substitute for it.
Where to turn if your question is urgent
If you are thinking about harming yourself, or you are worried about someone who is, do not look for answers here. Reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any time by calling or texting 988, and dial 911 if someone's life is in immediate danger.
In person or by telehealth
You can be seen both ways. Consultations, planning conversations, and follow-up visits happen in person at our Tampa clinic or by telehealth — whichever works better for you.
Ketamine itself is always administered in person, at the clinic, with a clinician monitoring you throughout. We do not prescribe ketamine for use at home.
Telehealth visits require you to be physically located in Florida at the time of the visit.
How telehealth works here
- Telehealth is available to patients who are physically located in Florida, and the clinicians providing that care hold active Florida licenses.
- Your location is confirmed at the start of every telehealth visit. If you are not in Florida, the visit does not go ahead.
- Ketamine is never prescribed for you to take at home. It is administered only at our clinic, in person, with a clinician monitoring you throughout — a telehealth visit does not change that.
- You are seen in person before any treatment session, because every session happens at the clinic.
- A telehealth visit never guarantees that treatment will be offered, any more than an in-person evaluation does.
- Telehealth is not for emergencies. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988, or call 911.
Common questions
It is a medical treatment in which a clinician gives a carefully calculated dose of ketamine and watches you closely while it takes effect. The best-known trials have studied it in depression that had not improved with other treatments. At our clinic it is always given on site and never handed over as a take-home prescription.
As a small subcutaneous injection, meaning under the skin, at a dose your supervising clinician sets for you. We do not offer IV infusions, tablets, lozenges or at-home ketamine. Every dose is given at the Tampa clinic, where a clinician keeps watch over you from start to finish.
Your consultation, planning visits and follow-ups can be, as long as you are physically in Florida during each call; we confirm your location every time. The treatment itself cannot be remote. Ketamine is only ever given in person at the clinic, with monitoring throughout and recovery on site.
It carries real risks and is not right for everyone. During a session, blood pressure and heart rate can rise and a sense of detachment is expected, which is why a clinician monitors you throughout. Screening beforehand looks for conditions that make ketamine riskier, such as blood pressure that is not well controlled. Our safety guide covers side effects in detail.
Nobody can tell you in advance. In controlled trials, some people with hard-to-treat depression improved and others did not. What we can offer is a careful evaluation, a frank discussion of the evidence, close monitoring, and a reassessment after a series of sessions so that you and the clinician can judge whether it is worth continuing.
No. The ketamine we use is compounded by a licensed outsourcing facility, and compounded medicines are not FDA-approved for any purpose. Ketamine itself is not FDA-approved for depression or other psychiatric conditions; its approved labeling is for anesthesia. We go over these points with you before any decision about treatment.
There is no fixed number, because plans are individualized. A typical plan involves a series of sessions spread over several weeks, followed by a reassessment of how you are doing before anyone decides whether more sessions make sense. You see the full cost of a recommended course in writing before you commit.
Allow roughly 90 minutes to two hours at the clinic. That time covers getting settled, the treatment, and monitored recovery. A responsible adult needs to drive you home afterward, and you should not drive yourself until the following day, so plan the rest of that day around rest.
No. Clear Ketamine Therapy is cash-pay: you pay the clinic directly, no claims are filed with insurers, and we hold no network contract with any plan. You receive itemized documentation that you can file with your insurer yourself. Whether your plan pays anything back depends on the plan, so we cannot promise reimbursement, and many plans do not cover compounded ketamine.
No. You can contact us directly. If you already see a psychiatrist, therapist or physician, we coordinate with them when you give permission, since ketamine therapy is meant to add to the care you already receive rather than replace it.
Do not change anything on your own. The clinical team reviews every medication and supplement you take and gives you specific instructions before your first session, including what to take on treatment days. If you start, stop or change a medicine later, tell the team before your next appointment.
Do not wait for a consultation or use our website form. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or dial 911 if you are in immediate danger. Ketamine therapy is not an emergency treatment, and our clinic is open on weekdays during business hours only.
Sources & further reading
- Ketamine hydrochloride injection: FDA prescribing information (label revised March 2026) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-11-02. Anesthetic indications only; blood pressure and heart rate increases; contraindication where significant blood pressure elevation would be a serious hazard.
- Compounding and the FDA: Questions and Answers — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- Antidepressant efficacy of ketamine in treatment-resistant major depression: a two-site randomized controlled trial (Murrough et al., 2013) — American Journal of Psychiatry, via PubMed. Accessed 2026-11-02.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Accessed 2026-11-02.
Links point to external organizations. Clear Ketamine Therapy does not control their content.
Reviewed by Editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-11-02. Educational information only — not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinicians.
Keep reading
- What to ExpectA plain-language walkthrough of the full treatment process at our Tampa clinic — the evaluation, the sessions themselves, and the follow-up — including the parts that vary from person to person.
- Safety & Side EffectsThe full safety picture: common short-term side effects, who should not receive ketamine, the FDA's compounded-ketamine warning, and our monitoring practices.
- Cost & FinancingWhat ketamine therapy costs depend on, how insurance typically applies, and our commitment to transparent, confirmed pricing before you commit.
- Am I a Candidate?Candidacy for ketamine therapy depends on your diagnosis, treatment history, health, and medications. Learn the factors clinicians weigh — and the next step.
- Insurance and Ketamine TherapyWhy many health plans decline to pay for ketamine therapy, what Medicaid and TRICARE publish about their own rules, and how paying works at our Tampa clinic.
Talk with our clinical team
A consultation is a conversation, not a commitment. Ask questions, share what you are comfortable sharing, and learn whether ketamine therapy may be worth considering for you.
Not for emergencies — call or text 988 or 911 if you are in crisis.