The 3 Common Myths You Have To Debunk As A Ketamine Clinic Owner

“Ketamine is just a club drug”... “Cool you get people high for a living”... We’ve heard it all and more about ketamine. Indeed, ketamine has a unique and colorful history. This has caused us to spend a good portion of our time educating potential patients. Furthermore, we've also received a lot of skepticism from our colleagues. We get to educate them that ketamine is a transformative medicine for those facing mood and pain disorders. 

We’ll be honest, it’s frustrating at times to deal with criticisms & ignorance. We’ve been hearing the same confused or misguided understanding of what ketamine is, BUT we wouldn’t trade our situation for the world.

We are so grateful and inspired by the transformations we’ve seen in our patients. So in this blog we are going to go over 3 common myths you need to debunk when owning a ketamine infusion clinic!

Can you get people addicted to ketamine as a ketamine infusion clinic?

Myth #1 “You’re just getting people addicted to ketamine”

Any substance that alters a person’s ability to experience the world around them has an addictive potential. That’s the reality. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic. This means that some people use it recreationally to alter their experience of reality. We are sure you could probably find someone who gets hooked on the experience. However, when you only allow patients to have ketamine in the setting of a clinic, this dramatically reduces the risk of addiction. Now of course, things can get a bit sticky if you offer other formulations that the patient can take home and self administer. 

BUT here is the big but - you are a medical clinic. You are screening these patients. You are doing a medical evaluation to assess the efficacy and safety of providing ketamine for a patient. 

Let’s look at the Addiction Habit Loop below.

Does getting ketamine at an infusion clinic lead to the Addiction Habit Loop?

The cue, routine, and reward need to happen in a timely manner. The form of getting an infusion through a clinic can’t feed into the addiction as opposed to self administered ketamine. Because the ketamine infusion is administered by a trained professional, everything is controlled. Ketamine is unlikely to become a habit (routine), because the number of sessions and the dosage is dictated by a professional.

As a ketamine clinic owner, you have the power to notice when patients have gone beyond therapeutic into the addictive realm. Perhaps the actual criticism behind this myth is that we are getting patients addicted to treatments from a clinic. As a physician, our duty first and foremost is to DO NO HARM (primum non nocere). So if we are noticing maladaptive behaviors in someone, it’s our job and duty to tap the brakes and evaluate if ketamine infusions are no longer warranted for a patient. It is up to us, their doctor, to be brave enough to say, enough is enough. 

Reality: Using ketamine in a therapeutic capacity, under the guidance and direction of a healthcare profession greatly minimizes the risk of addiction especially when given in the intravenous form in the clinic.

Are you a money-maker if you start your own ketamine infusion clinic?

Myth #2 “You’re just trying to make money off of vulnerable patients”

It takes a lot of time, money, and energy to open and operate a ketamine infusion clinic, not to mention the risk. An individual who believes this above myth usually isn’t someone who’s opened or run a clinic or business. It takes a lot to go from no clinic to running a clinic. Additionally, scientific research supports the use of ketamine infusions to treat mood and pain disorders. As of the writing of this post, there are not enough physicians providing ketamine infusions for those who need them. Sure you’ll make money with a clinic - but the sentiment behind it as being a money maker isn’t true. You are providing an innovative, research-backed treatment which also happens to be in demand.

Reality: There is a growing body of research showing the validity of ketamine as a treatment for difficult-to-treat mood and pain disorders. Because this is a novel treatment, there are not enough doctors out there to provide this. By starting and running a ketamine clinic, you are actually increasing access to care. 

Does providing ketamine infusion treatments only mask the problems of your patients?

Myth #3 “You’re not trying to get people better, you are just masking the problem”

We’ve heard this one a lot. Many people know of ketamine as a club drug. Do a Google search for ketamine and you’ll find information about it as a recreational drug. Thanks to this, when someone finds out you have a ketamine infusion clinic, they may see you like a place of escape. “You’re just getting them high to forget their problems''. 

However, there is scientific research demonstrating regrowth and regeneration of neurons. This may be able to counter the neuronal loss or changes found in chronic pain conditions and prolonged depression. There is also a early data showing the effectiveness of psychedelic experiences -- e.g. MDMA and psilocybin.  These experiences may help treat depression, PTSD, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Currently, these medications are experimental and are still in the research phase. Ketamine is a psychedelic medication, it is legal, and it is already available. There is nothing recreational during a therapeutic psychedelic experience. Patients can face deep truths or unbury experiences and feelings long repressed. There’s nothing recreational about it.

Reality: Psychedelic medications and treatments are an emerging and cutting-edge treatment. These medicines are being actively researched at large institutions today. Ketamine is a legal medication which can induce psychedelic, non-ordinary states of consciousness. Along with changes on a biochemical level, ketamine can potentially catalyze lifestyle and behavioral changes.

Why you need to educate your potential patients & colleagues

You Get To Educate Your Potential Patients & Colleagues

In the future, we will probably look back and think, “Wow what an interesting time, how little we knew.” Just like we did in the past when most people didn’t believe in handwashing. But the reality is the following:

1. There are so many people suffering from mood and pain disorders who could benefit from ketamine infusion treatments

2. There is a need for entrepreneurial, forward-thinking physicians to provide this needed service

3. We are entering a new paradigm on treatment, which includes a psychedelic holistic component which ketamine is a part of.

By acknowledging the misconceptions about ketamine, and educating both our colleagues and patients on research backed reality, we can all become part of the solution.

If you are interested in starting your own ketamine clinic or adding ketamine infusions to your current clinic but not sure where to start, we are here to help. Join our email list and be notified about the next free webinar and open registration for Ketamine StartUp.

Ketamine has been known for the longest time to be a club drug. Because of this, people are skeptical about its effectiveness as a treatment for depression. In this blog, we will talk about the 3 most common myths and how to debunk them.

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