Indications
What ketamine is used to treat
The evidence is far stronger for some of these than others, and only one has an FDA-approved
ketamine-derived product behind it. Each page says which before it lists a single clinic.
Anxiety disorders
Frequently advertised, more thinly evidenced than depression, and often treated as an adjunct rather than a target.
Bipolar depression
Studied under close supervision because of the risk of precipitating a manic or hypomanic episode.
Chronic pain
One of the older non-anaesthetic uses, with a separate evidence base and different dosing conventions.
Complex regional pain syndrome
Among the more established pain indications, typically at higher cumulative doses than mood work.
Fibromyalgia
Studied within the wider chronic pain literature, with mixed results and considerable variation between trials.
Major depressive disorder
Studied extensively, though the trial evidence concentrates on people who have already tried at least two antidepressants.
Migraine and headache
Mostly studied in refractory cases and inpatient settings rather than as a routine outpatient option.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Small studies have reported rapid but short-lived symptom reduction, with maintenance strategies unclear.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Promising early trials, smaller and fewer than the depression literature, with durability the open question.
Substance use disorders
An active research area with a genuine tension: using a controlled substance with abuse potential to treat addiction.
Suicidal ideation
A distinct research question from sustained treatment of depression, examined specifically for rapid reduction of acute ideation.
Treatment-resistant depression
The indication with the strongest evidence base and the only one with an FDA-approved ketamine-derived product behind it.