How to Prepare for Ketamine Treatment
Practical preparation for your ketamine sessions: fasting guidance, medication instructions, your ride home, and how to set yourself up well.
Why preparation matters
A well-prepared session is a calmer, safer session. Most preparation is simple — eating and drinking at the right times, following medication instructions exactly, having your ride arranged, and arriving unhurried. None of it is difficult, but all of it works best when you know about it in advance.
One rule sits above everything on this page: the clinical team's instructions win. The guidance here describes typical patterns; your team will give you exact instructions tailored to your health, your medications, and your treatment plan.
Food, drink, and substances
Fasting is standard before ketamine sessions because it lowers the chance of nausea while the medicine is active. A typical pattern is no solid food for several hours before your appointment, with clear liquids sometimes allowed closer to session time — but the exact windows vary, and your team will give you precise instructions for each session.
Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs in the days around treatment, and be honest with the team about anything you have taken. These substances can interact with ketamine and complicate both safety and the session itself. Aim for a normal night's sleep beforehand; arriving exhausted makes the whole experience harder than it needs to be.
- Follow the fasting window your team gives you — typical patterns restrict solid food for several hours
- Clear liquids may be allowed up to a point; your team sets the cutoff
- No alcohol or recreational drugs around sessions
- Aim for ordinary, decent sleep the night before
Medications: only the clinical team's instructions
Do not start, stop, or adjust any medication before a session unless the clinical team has told you to. That includes antidepressants, blood pressure medicines, sleep aids, and over-the-counter products. Some medications are taken as usual on session day; others may be timed differently. The team reviews your full list during evaluation and gives you written instructions — follow those, not general advice from the internet or other patients.
If you are sick, have started a new medication, or something has changed since your evaluation, call before your appointment rather than deciding on your own.
Your ride home is required
You cannot drive after a ketamine session — not later that afternoon, not that evening. Arrange for a responsible adult to bring you home after every session, and plan on not driving or operating machinery until the following day.
Sort this out before the day of treatment. If your ride falls through, tell us as early as possible; the session may need to be rescheduled. Ask the team about the current policy on rideshare pickups if that is your only option.
What to wear and what to bring
Wear comfortable, loose clothing — layers are useful, since treatment rooms can run warm or cool. Bring only what you need: your ID, any paperwork or medication list the team requested, and your arranged contact for pickup. Leave valuables at home. If anything else would help you feel settled, ask when scheduling; small comforts are usually easy to accommodate.
Mental preparation and the rest of your day
You do not need to psych yourself up. Most people do best arriving with modest expectations and an open, unhurried frame of mind. If you are anxious about the session, say so — the team talks through what the experience feels like before anything begins, and knowing what is coming helps most people relax.
Plan a quiet rest of the day: no work obligations, no important decisions, no strenuous activity. A calm afternoon at home, an easy meal later, and a normal bedtime is the right template. Our aftercare page covers the days that follow in the same practical detail.
In person or by telehealth
You can be seen both ways. Consultations, planning conversations, and follow-up visits happen in person at our Wesley Chapel 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
Typical patterns involve no solid food for several hours beforehand, with clear liquids sometimes allowed until closer to session time. Your exact window comes from the clinical team, because it depends on your health and your treatment plan — follow their written instructions.
Never adjust any medication on your own. The clinical team reviews your full medication list during evaluation and tells you exactly what to take and what to skip on session day. Most people continue their existing medications, but the instructions are individual.
Tell the team when you arrive — or call ahead. Fasting exists to reduce nausea and keep the session safe, so depending on what and when you ate, the session may be adjusted or rescheduled. It is a routine situation, not a crisis, as long as we know about it.
You cannot drive, full stop — not until the following day. Plan for a responsible adult to bring you home. If a rideshare is your only option, ask the team about the current policy before your session.
Plan not to. The rest of the day should be quiet — no work, no major decisions, no driving. Most people feel more like themselves by the next day, but session day itself belongs to rest.
Call the clinic before coming in; the team will advise whether to proceed or reschedule. If you are in emotional crisis at any point, call or text 988 or call 911 — the clinic's routine channels are for scheduling and care questions, not emergencies.
Sources & further reading
- FDA warns patients and health care providers about potential risks associated with compounded ketamine products — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-07-23. Background on why monitored, professionally managed dosing matters.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Accessed 2026-07-23.
Links point to external organizations. Clear Ketamine Therapy does not control their content.
Keep reading
- What to ExpectA plain-language walkthrough of the full treatment process at our Wesley Chapel clinic — the evaluation, the sessions themselves, and the follow-up — including the parts that vary from person to person.
- Aftercare & IntegrationWhat happens after a ketamine session: recovery-day guidance, integration support, follow-up planning, and working with your existing care team.
- 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.
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.