Driving After Ketamine Therapy: How To Stay Safe

Ketamine therapy puts you in a floaty, time-blurred, pleasantly disconnected state—which is exactly why you can't hop in the car and drive home afterward. If you're a busy professional, a parent with pickup duty, or someone managing treatment-resistant depression from a rural area, figuring out the logistics matters.

Plan on waiting at least 24 hours. The specific timing depends on how you receive treatment and how your body responds, but this window keeps you safe—and it's a small trade-off for treatment that actually works.

Being restricted from driving might feel inconvenient at first, but with some planning, it doesn't have to disrupt your life. This guide covers why driving after ketamine therapy requires caution, exactly how long to wait based on your treatment type, and practical ways to plan transportation so you can focus on getting better.

Why You Shouldn't Drive After Ketamine Therapy

During a ketamine session, the world softens at its edges. Time stretches or contracts. Your body might feel lighter, almost floating. These sensations are part of what makes the treatment work—but they're also why getting behind the wheel afterward isn't safe.

Ketamine can slow reaction time, impair coordination, and distort perception in ways that make routine driving tasks harder—judging the speed of oncoming traffic, deciding when to merge, reacting to a sudden stop. The effects on working memory, visual processing, and executive function can linger beyond the noticeable sensations, even after you feel mostly "back to normal."

Here's the problem: how "normal" you feel may not reflect your actual readiness to drive. Ketamine's dissociative properties can leave you feeling slightly disconnected from your body or surroundings—a therapeutic effect during treatment, but dangerous when you need to respond to road hazards. 

For treatments like Spravato, FDA-mandated materials include strong driving and machinery warnings alongside risks such as sedation and dissociation.

These restrictions will feel disruptive in the short term, but ketamine therapy’s antidepressant benefits often last weeks. In short, the long-term upside is worth a ride home.

How Long Should You Wait Before Driving After Ketamine Therapy?

Recovery timelines vary based on how you receive treatment and individual factors like metabolism, other medications, and genetics. These are strong safety recommendations based on how ketamine affects your system—and for certain treatments like Spravato, they're regulatory requirements.

Treatment-specific waiting periods:

• Spravato (intranasal esketamine): Federal REMS requirements mandate monitoring for at least 2 hours after each dose, with clinicians watching for sedation and dissociation. You're instructed not to drive or operate machinery until the day after treatment, following a restful sleep.
• IV ketamine infusions: Many professional protocols include at least 1-2 hours of monitoring after the infusion. Clinics commonly prohibit driving for the rest of the day and may recommend waiting up to 24 hours before driving, depending on dose and individual factors.
• At-home sublingual treatment: At Innerwell, you'll receive written instructions that include not driving until at least the day after treatment—typically 24 hours—with a responsible adult present during and after your session.

These waiting periods exist because ketamine and its active metabolites can continue to influence brain function after the main sensations fade. That's why driving restrictions extend beyond the monitored period.

Factors that affect ketamine metabolism and clearance:

• Liver enzymes (specifically CYP3A4, CYP2B6, and CYP2C9) determine metabolism speed
• Genetic variations create significant individual differences
• Other medications can speed up or slow down this process
• Dosage, age, and overall health also matter

Your care team will help you understand your personal timeline rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

What If You Need to Drive the Day After Ketamine Therapy?

Most patients find that noticeable effects resolve by the following day and can usually resume normal activities, including driving, once they meet the recommended waiting period. But how you feel isn't always the best indicator of readiness.

Because ketamine shifts your perception of time and cognitive recovery, your sense of being "back to normal" may not match your actual state. That disconnect is exactly why fixed waiting periods exist—they remove the guesswork.

Practical strategies for next-day responsibilities:

1. Schedule evening sessions to maximize recovery time before morning commitments.
2. Plan your week so driving isn't necessary the day after treatment. Most employers and family members understand when you explain temporary medical restrictions.If you're on an intensive protocol or notice prolonged effects, talk to your care team about extended restrictions. 
3. Don't rush timelines based on external pressure—your safety and the safety of others matter more than any single commitment.

In clinical studies, therapeutic ketamine doses have not been associated with lasting cognitive impairment. Many patients actually show improved cognitive performance over time as their depression lifts. These precautions are genuinely temporary—a brief pause, not a permanent limitation.

How To Plan Transportation for Ketamine Therapy Sessions

For supervised ketamine treatments, arranging transportation home is typically a requirement—especially for in-clinic and REMS-regulated therapies like Spravato. Setting yourself up for success means sorting out logistics before your first session, not scrambling afterward. Understanding how to prepare includes thinking through these details in advance.

For clinic-based treatment:

• Identify a partner, friend, or rideshare service to provide transportation after sessions
• Arrange rides before appointments, not during recovery when coordination is harder
• Keep rideshare apps installed and funded as backup
• Maintain a list of secondary contacts who can help if your primary plan falls through

Most treatment centers won't allow you to drive yourself home after a session, regardless of how you feel. Plan on someone else handling transportation.

Strategic scheduling:

• Plan sessions on non-work days or when driving isn't required for at least 24 hours
• Consider end-of-week appointments so you have weekend recovery time
• Avoid scheduling important meetings or decisions during recovery windows
• For demanding schedules, discuss flexible options during initial treatment phases

Initial treatment phases often involve 2-3 sessions per week, which may mean repeated no-driving periods after each treatment. Factor this into work schedules and family commitments upfront rather than scrambling each time.

At-Home Ketamine Therapy: Treatment Without the Logistics

If you're a parent worried about getting home to your kids after a clinic session, a professional without extra hours to spare, or someone in a rural area two hours from the nearest clinic, at-home ketamine therapy lets you skip the commute.

No arranging pickups. No waiting in a recovery room. No navigating unfamiliar streets while you're still groggy. You receive treatment in your own environment.

You'll still need a peer treatment companion, a trusted adult present during and after your session for safety. But that's often easier to arrange than repeated rides to a clinic, especially when sessions happen two to three times per week during the initial phase.

At Innerwell, the standard recommendation is to avoid driving for 24 hours after each session. The difference? "Not driving" just means staying home. Sessions fit around your life rather than forcing you to restructure your week.

Innerwell connects you with licensed psychiatrists who monitor your progress and adjust treatment based on your response. You'll receive clear instructions about driving restrictions and safety protocols. Many patients find that eliminating transportation barriers helps them stay consistent with treatment, which matters for lasting results.

Ketamine Treatment That Fits Your Life

Ketamine therapy can help you manage treatment-resistant depression, and practical concerns like transportation shouldn't stand in the way. At-home treatment through Innerwell eliminates most of those logistics while providing the clinical oversight that keeps you safe. Licensed psychiatrists supervise your care, and you receive clear guidance on when you can resume normal activities.

If you've been stuck with treatments that haven't worked, ketamine therapy offers a different path. Take our free assessment to see if it's right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you take an Uber or Lyft home after ketamine therapy?

Yes. Rideshare works well after clinic-based sessions. The ideal situation is to travel with a trusted companion, though going alone is fine if you're stable enough for a short ride. At-home treatment eliminates this consideration entirely.

How will you know when you're safe to drive?

Follow the specific instructions you receive with your treatment rather than relying on how you feel. At Innerwell, the standard is 24 hours. Most people are cleared to resume driving the day after treatment, once any lingering effects have resolved.

What are the legal implications of driving too soon?

Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance. A valid prescription doesn't protect you if you're caught driving while impaired—the issue is impairment while operating a vehicle, not whether you have legal access to the medication. Laws about driving under the influence of prescribed medications vary by state, so following your treatment protocol's driving restrictions keeps you on the right side of both safety and the law.

What if you accidentally drive too soon after treatment?

If you notice coordination problems, perception issues, or impaired judgment while driving, pull over safely and arrange alternative transportation. Don't continue if you notice any impairment. The 24-hour guideline exists precisely because subtle impairment can be hard to detect from the inside.