DEAR patients and KAP therapists
Below are our procedures for initiating KAP “ketamine assisted psychotherapy”
Below are our procedures for initiating KAP “ketamine assisted psychotherapy”
Office Visit:
- The first office visit for discussing (not guaranteed) KAP must be in person, not on video. All new patients must physically call our office to set up the first “new patient” appointment
- Expect new patient appointment wait times of 1 to 10 days. Pls call our front office (303-792-3333)
- Existing patients for repeat treatments must self schedule on the website www.hhfamilymedicine.com (New pts MUST call the office personally)
- The first visit is used to simply evaluate if ketamine for KAP is even appropriate. You must not come with the expectation that this will be dispensed automatically.
Consent Form:
- Consent forms will be emailed to the patient and must be completed before any consideration given to ketamine.
OFF FDA Label:
You must understand that while only IV ketamine is approved for “treatment resistant depression” nasal or oral ketamine is NOT FDA approved. We may still elect to prescribe it and it is shown to be very effective but patients must be aware of this fact. FDA approval does in no way guarantee safety nor prevent harm. Hundreds of medications that were once FDA approved have been pulled from the market due to severe dangers. Do NOT mistake FDA approval for “safety” or “efficacy”. It is a government agency!
Urine Drug Testing:
Ketamine is a controlled substance. you will be required to submit initial and periodic urine drug testing. This will apply to all patients without exception. We may also require blood work to rule out ongoing alcohol use.
Relative Contraindications:
The following list “may” (or may not) disqualify a patient from participating in ketamine therapy. These conditions will be evaluated on an individual basis and decisions will be made by us the medical providers.
- history of psychosis
- history of manic episodes/bipolar disease
- history of significant head injuries/concussions
- history of intracranial pressure
- active pregnancy
- uncontrolled high blood pressure
- New or uncontrolled cardiac conditions
- Uncontrolled high thyroid states
- Any concurrent sedative or tranquilizer use such as benzodiazepines (xanax, valium etc)
- Drugs of abuse including but not limited to opiates, stimulants, benzodiazepines.
Followup Appointments:
Each KAP session dose must be prescribed individually and appointments are needed for each and every dose. KAP generally only occurs every 2-3 sessions (ie once or twice/month) and we must evaluate the efficacy of each session to determine future doses. This medication will NOT be dispensed in quantities for ongoing continual use but only for individual sessions.