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Dementia can feel like it steals your loved one piece by piece—memories fade, moods swing, daily tasks become hurdles, and the strain on caregivers grows heavier each day. Standard drugs and behavioral strategies help some, yet their benefits are usually modest and often short-lived, leaving many families searching for something more as symptoms advance.

Ketamine treatment has begun to attract attention for its rapid antidepressant effects and possible neuroprotective properties, raising an important question: could it offer relief where other dementia treatments stall? 

You'll learn how ketamine therapy for dementia works, what the science says, and how Innerwell approaches safe, compassionate care.

Dementia involves a progressive decline in cognitive abilities that affects memory, decision-making, language, and daily functioning. About 55 million people worldwide live with dementia in various forms—Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

The warning signs extend beyond memory lapses. Key indicators include:

Difficulty finding words or communicating

Personality shifts that family members recognize as "not like them"

These changes unfold over years, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond the patient to caregivers managing evolving needs and uncertain futures.


Traditional Treatments for Dementia & Their Limitations

Current FDA-approved medications work through two approaches. 

Cholinesterase inhibitors—donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine—boost acetylcholine levels that neurons need for communication. 

Memantine blocks excess glutamate activity that can damage brain cells.

For most families, these drugs provide only modest, temporary improvements in attention or daily tasks. Managing agitation, sleep problems, or psychosis often requires adding antidepressants, antipsychotics, or mood stabilizers. 

Yet dementia-related depression frequently resists standard antidepressants, and the potential side effects—falls, sedation, heart problems—outweigh benefits.

Non-drug approaches like cognitive stimulation therapy help, but require consistent professional staff and engagement that's difficult to maintain long-term. Since no current treatment stops the underlying brain degeneration, symptoms continue progressing despite treatment efforts.

This reality has sparked interest in faster-acting approaches like ketamine treatment for mood and behavioral symptoms that conventional options can't address.

How Does Ketamine Therapy for Dementia Work?

Traditional dementia medications like donepezil boost acetylcholine for communication between neurons, while memantine gently blocks glutamate receptors; ketamine works differently. 

Ketamine's unique binding creates a short, intense burst of brain activity that floods AMPA receptors downstream. This surge raises brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and activates the mTOR pathway—molecular signals that encourage new synapses to sprout, potentially replacing connections that dementia steadily destroys.

Ketamine also tackles neuroinflammation head-on. It calms overactive microglia—the brain's immune cells that drive neurodegeneration—by reducing inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. Functional MRI studies reveal another benefit: modulation of default mode network connectivity, a brain circuit that often becomes disrupted in Alzheimer's and is associated with cognitive decline.

The most compelling clinical results center on speed. Small pilot trials show mood improvements within hours for people with treatment-resistant depression—a timeline conventional antidepressants rarely match.


What Are the Risks Of Ketamine Therapy for Dementia?

Most side effects from therapy are short-lived. During or soon after dosing, you might notice a floating, dissociative sensation, mild nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, or temporary spikes in blood pressure and heart rate. These sensations typically resolve within two hours. 

Older adults face heightened sensitivity; mild cognitive effects that barely register for younger patients can trigger confusion or delirium, increasing fall risk.

However, ketamine isn't appropriate if you have:

Ketamine's use for dementia remains off-label. Still, Innerwell offers legal ketamine therapy for dementia through comprehensive screening, licensed clinician oversight, conservative starting doses, caregiver training, continuous monitoring, and integration therapy for your safety and comfort.

How Innerwell's Ketamine Therapy Approach Works for Dementia

Facing dementia's day-to-day challenges can feel isolating, but you don't have to navigate this alone. Innerwell's at-home ketamine therapy program combines rigorous clinical oversight with compassionate, ongoing care to help you and your loved one find relief from treatment-resistant symptoms.

The journey unfolds through several key phases:

Comprehensive clinical evaluation — You begin with a virtual assessment where our psychiatric specialists review medical history, cardiovascular status, cognitive baseline, and current prescriptions. This isn't a one-size-fits-all approach—we identify symptoms most likely to respond—such as treatment-resistant depression or agitation—while screening for contraindications like uncontrolled hypertension.

Secure at-home medication delivery — Once cleared for treatment, you'll receive sublingual ketamine tablets shipped securely to your door through a licensed pharmacy with adult-signature verification, precise dosing instructions, and direct access to your clinician through our secure messaging system. 

Guided preparation and integration therapy — Preparation and integration matter as much as the medicine itself. Licensed therapists guide you—and often a caregiver—through intention-setting before each session and help you process insights afterward. This structure addresses the dissociation and short-term cognitive shifts that occasionally occur with treatment, helping you track mood or behavior changes between sessions.

Ongoing monitoring and dosage adjustment — Throughout your care, our monitoring platform tracks blood pressure, mood scores, and cognitive markers in real time, allowing your team to adjust dosing or recommend complementary approaches in real time. Regular check-ins enable rapid dose adjustments and coordinated communication with your neurologist or primary physician. This continuous feedback loop ensures your treatment evolves with your needs.

By pairing this neurological intervention with continuous therapeutic guidance, close caregiver collaboration, and heightened fall-risk precautions, Innerwell aims to break the cycle rather than merely manage it, helping families pursue relief while honoring dignity and quality of life.

Read our guide on how to prepare for ketamine therapy.

Is Ketamine Therapy For Dementia Right for Me?

If you've tried traditional dementia treatment, ketamine could offer the relief you've been searching for. Because this medication targets glutamate and neuroinflammation differently than standard medications, it has helped many people whose symptoms resisted conventional care. While ketamine's use in dementia is still considered experimental and off-label, emerging research shows promise for addressing treatment-resistant depression and behavioral symptoms.

You're likely a strong candidate if traditional treatments have provided little benefit despite multiple attempts. Perhaps you or a loved one is experiencing treatment-resistant depression or anxiety that persists despite standard antidepressants. Many dementia patients also struggle with severe agitation or other behavioral symptoms that haven't responded to antipsychotics or mood stabilizers. Some people find conventional dementia medications cause intolerable side effects, making alternative approaches worth considering.

The ideal candidate wants more than medication alone—someone seeking a program that pairs treatment with guided therapy and progress tracking rather than one-off infusions.

Successful treatment also requires commitment to the full process, including preparation sessions, integration work, and follow-up appointments to maximize the brain's capacity for positive change. You'll need the capacity to attend follow-up monitoring and integration sessions, along with a reliable caregiver who can support safety before, during, and after dosing.

At-home ketamine therapy particularly appeals to people who prefer fewer clinic visits and are seeking clinician-guided at-home care that fits better with their lives and routines.

Certain medical conditions may rule out treatment entirely. 

Uncontrolled hypertension or serious heart disease creates significant risks during sessions. 

Advanced dementia that limits communication makes it difficult to monitor effects safely.

A personal or family history of psychosis also presents concerns, as does the inability to give informed consent (either by the patient or legal representative).

Every Innerwell patient begins with a comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, including cognitive screening and medication review, ensuring ketamine is both safe and likely to provide relief. 

Even when it is appropriate, ketamine functions best as one part of an overall dementia care plan that also includes established medications, cognitive therapies, and consistent caregiver involvement.

Try Ketamine Therapy For Dementia With Innerwell

Ketamine offers a different path when standard treatments aren't enough. By targeting neuroinflammation and promoting neuroplasticity through novel pathways, it addresses dementia-related mood and behavioral symptoms at their source.

At Innerwell, you get the full picture: licensed clinicians, sublingual ketamine delivered to your home, personalized therapy sessions, and real-time progress monitoring. Every step is designed around your safety and success, with special attention to the unique needs of dementia patients and their caregivers.

Ready to explore what's possible? Take our free assessment to see if ketamine therapy might help your dementia.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ketamine Therapy for Dementia

Yes. Ketamine has been an FDA-approved Schedule III medication for decades, which means licensed clinicians can prescribe it off-label for conditions such as dementia-related mood and behavioral symptoms. Innerwell adheres to state and federal telemedicine regulations and follows FDA safety guidance for compounded ketamine products.

How long does it take for ketamine therapy to work for dementia?

Many people start to feel meaningful relief after two or three guided sessions. For depression and anxiety related to dementia, mood improvements often appear within the first week. Sessions paired with therapeutic integration and progress tracking through the Innerwell platform enhance treatment effectiveness. Agitation or sleep improvements may develop more gradually.

Response varies by individual, but mood relief typically persists for several weeks, while behavioral improvements may last longer. Research shows sustained benefits with proper treatment protocols. Innerwell creates personalized maintenance plans—often a booster every four to six weeks—to extend benefits while minimizing exposure. Ongoing support from your care team, including follow-ups and integration therapy, helps fine-tune dosing when necessary.

Is ketamine therapy for dementia covered by insurance?

Because use for dementia is off-label, most insurance plans don't yet cover treatment. However, Innerwell has secured partnerships with some providers in select states. You can sometimes apply out-of-network benefits to associated psychiatric visits. We also offer transparent pricing and financing options to keep care accessible.

Ketamine therapy for dementia offers relief when traditional treatments fall short. Learn about the treatment, safety, and Innerwell's approach.

Ketamine Therapy for Dementia: Complete Guide | Innerwell

Introduction

What Is Dementia?

Ketamine Therapy for Dementia: Complete Guide

After years of medications that never worked and therapy sessions that didn't bring breakthroughs, relief can feel impossible. When you hear about ketamine therapy, the first question that might cross your mind is whether you'll get high during treatment.

Ketamine's reputation as a party drug creates understandable concern. But clinical ketamine therapy operates nothing like recreational use. Medical settings deliver sub-anesthetic doses under professional supervision to reshape neural pathways and relieve treatment-resistant depression within hours to days, not to chase euphoria.

This article explains what ketamine therapy actually feels like, how therapeutic doses differ from recreational use, what happens during treatment sessions, and the safety protocols that eliminate the risks associated with unsupervised ketamine.

Why People Think Ketamine Therapy Gets You ‘High’

Ketamine carries decades of baggage from its recreational use. Street names like "Special K", describe the intense dissociative states people chase at clubs and parties. Those experiences involve losing touch with reality, feeling detached from the body, and experiencing profound perceptual distortions.

That recreational context makes perfect sense as a source of concern. When someone mentions ketamine therapy, the mind immediately jumps to those party scenarios, and the question becomes obvious: Will this treatment turn into an uncomfortable, disorienting high?

The substance does alter perception at any dose, which is where confusion takes root. But recreational users typically take doses several times higher than clinical protocols—often in chaotic, unsupervised settings where the goal is escapism. 

Medical ketamine operates in an entirely different universe. In therapy, carefully calibrated doses create mild, temporary sensations that serve a specific therapeutic purpose. Those brief perceptual shifts open a window where the brain becomes more receptive to forming new neural pathways. 

With ketamine therapy, the goal isn't intoxication or altered consciousness for its own sake—it's creating the neurological conditions for rapid relief from treatment-resistant depression.

How Do The Effects of Therapeutic and Recreational Ketamine Differ?

The gap between medical ketamine and recreational use comes down to five critical factors: dosing precision, environmental control, professional supervision, therapeutic intent, and safety management. Each factor transforms ketamine from a risky party drug into a clinically validated treatment.

Therapeutic protocols use carefully calculated sub-anesthetic doses designed to trigger neuroplasticity. Whether delivered through IV infusion in a clinic or sublingual lozenges at home, doses are calibrated to body weight and individual response—typically ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg equivalent.

Recreational users typically take unmeasured amounts several times higher than clinical levels. These excessive doses carry significant risks of adverse reactions and long-term complications.

Therapeutic administration happens in calm, supportive conditions—whether that's a quiet clinic room or your own home with proper preparation. Treatment environments are designed to minimize sensory overstimulation and maximize safety, with clear protocols for what to do before, during, and after each session.

Recreational use happens in chaotic, uncontrolled settings like clubs, parties, or unsupervised scenarios where environmental factors can amplify negative experiences and increase risk.

Medical ketamine therapy involves licensed clinical oversight, even when treatment occurs at home. Providers conduct thorough screening before prescribing, monitor progress throughout treatment, and remain accessible if concerns arise. Many programs, like Innerwell's, include remote monitoring with psychiatric providers overseeing each session and protocols for immediate intervention if needed.

Recreational settings offer no medical supervision, and peers rarely recognize emergencies quickly enough to prevent complications. Users face medical crises without trained intervention available.

Clinical treatment aims for lasting relief from treatment-resistant mental health conditions through measured neurological changes and sustained symptom improvement over time.

Recreational use seeks a temporary altered consciousness. The focus is escapism and immediate sensory experience rather than therapeutic benefit.

Therapeutic settings anticipate and manage side effects, using FDA-regulated, sterile, pharmaceutical-grade medication with documented purity and potency.

Recreational use carries elevated chances of overdose, psychological dependence, cognitive decline, bladder damage, and life-threatening complications. Street sources typically involve powder or liquid of unknown purity, often adulterated with dangerous substances like fentanyl or other contaminants.

What to Expect During a Ketamine Therapy Session

As the treatment begins, patients typically notice the world softening at its edges. Common sensory experiences include:

Gentle floating sensation or watching thoughts from a comfortable distance

Dream-like detachment from everyday concerns

These mild dissociative effects create a therapeutic window where the brain becomes more receptive to new patterns. The sensations last only while the medication remains active in the bloodstream, typically fading within 30 to 60 minutes after treatment.

Physical side effects are usually short-lived. Patients might experience:

These effects rarely extend beyond the treatment day.

Clinical ketamine therapy operates under strict medical supervision that eliminates the risks associated with recreational use. Licensed healthcare providers conduct comprehensive screening before treatment begins, and pharmaceutical-grade medication with weight-based dosing ensures precise, controlled administration.

Medical supervision means patients are never alone during treatment. At Innerwell, licensed psychiatric providers oversee every session remotely, with protocols in place for immediate intervention if needed.

The intake process includes psychiatric evaluation, medical history review, vital signs assessment, and medication cross-checks to identify any contraindications or risk factors. 

Recreational ketamine use carries real addiction risk. People who use it frequently in uncontrolled settings can develop psychological dependence, tolerance, and compulsive use patterns. That's what happens when high doses get chased repeatedly without medical oversight.

Ketamine therapy mitigates these risks through structured protocols that prevent the patterns associated with addiction. Data from controlled settings shows minimal addiction risk when dosing stays capped and clinician-directed. Every dose gets logged, and repeat treatments depend on ongoing mood assessments to catch early signs of tolerance or misuse.

The structured approach to ketamine therapy includes several safeguards:

Treatments spaced appropriately (typically two sessions per week for three to four weeks during induction)

Maintenance sessions are spaced weeks or months apart based on individual response

Ongoing clinical assessment to prevent frequent, unsupervised use patterns

Screening for risk factors that might increase addiction potential

Additional monitoring and support structures for patients with elevated risk

The Bottom Line: Therapeutic Effects Without the High

Ketamine therapy doesn't produce the recreational high people associate with party use. Medical protocols deliver carefully calibrated doses that create mild, temporary sensations, while the antidepressant effects emerge within hours and last for weeks. 

Innerwell makes this accessible through at-home sublingual ketamine paired with licensed psychiatric providers who monitor treatment remotely. Treatment happens in your own space with dosing tailored to your needs, combining the breakthrough potential of ketamine therapy with comprehensive clinical oversight.

If years of failed treatments have left you searching for something different, take our free assessment to see if ketamine therapy might be right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ketamine Therapy and Altered States

How long does the "high" feeling last during ketamine therapy?

The noticeable sensations, including light dissociation and changes in perception, fade within 30 to 60 minutes after treatment ends. Patients typically walk out clear-headed once monitoring wraps up. 

Addiction risk is minimal in medical settings. Doses are carefully calculated, administered under continuous supervision, and spaced appropriately. These safeguards reduce tolerance or misuse potential significantly compared to recreational use patterns.

Who is eligible for ketamine therapy treatment?

Most people seeking this treatment have treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, or PTSD that haven't responded to standard approaches. Active psychosis, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or severe heart conditions typically disqualify candidates, but clinical teams evaluate each case individually.

Ketamine therapy doesn't give a recreational high. Learn about the mild, temporary sensations during treatment and the difference from recreational use.

Does Ketamine Therapy Get You High? Effects Explained | Innerwell

Why People Think Ketamine Therapy Gets You 'High'

Is Ketamine Therapy Safe?

Does Ketamine Therapy Lead to Addiction?

Does Ketamine Therapy Get You High? Effects Explained

Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be overwhelming, impacting every aspect of life from work performance to personal relationships. The emotional turbulence, fear of abandonment, and intense relationship struggles leave sufferers desperate for relief.

While traditional treatments help many people manage their BPD, a significant number of patients continue to struggle. For these individuals, ketamine therapy represents a promising alternative approach with a different mechanism of action.

This comprehensive guide explains what BPD is, why traditional BPD treatments may fail some individuals, and why ketamine therapy for BPD might help you break the cycle of emotional instability and relationship chaos.

Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental health condition characterized by pervasive emotional instability, distorted self-image, and impulsive behavior that begins in early adulthood and touches every corner of daily life. The condition stems from abnormal patterns in emotion regulation, interpersonal functioning, and self-perception.

BPD affects roughly 0.7% to 2.7% of the general population, yet many remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. This diagnostic delay can be devastating—it means people struggle longer without proper care, often cycling through treatments that don't address the core issues.

BPD often co-exists with depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress, creating overlapping symptoms that can be difficult to untangle. The result is a significant hit to your productivity, relationships, and overall quality of life.


Traditional Treatments for BPD & Their Limitations

Psychotherapy is the preferred and first-line treatment for borderline personality disorder. Evidence-based approaches like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), and General Psychiatric Management (GPM) teach emotional regulation, relationship skills, and self-understanding through structured skill-building sessions.

When emotional crises break through, you might be prescribed off-label medications like antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or antipsychotics to target specific symptoms. Yet no FDA-approved drugs exist specifically for borderline personality disorder.

The real-world picture is messier. Many patients find these treatments only partially effective, and a significant number discontinue therapy before completing the full course. Even when a therapeutic method works, it can take one to two years to feel meaningful change.

Traditional antidepressants fine-tune serotonin and take weeks to work; ketamine works differently. Ketamine blocks N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, triggering a surge of glutamate that activates the brain's growth pathways and releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) within hours—a biochemical signal to form fresh synapses and reset stalled circuits.

The NMDA blockade helps restore communication between the prefrontal cortex and deeper limbic structures, calming the amygdala's alarm system and giving you stronger "top-down" control over intense emotions. While this effect is well-documented in depression and PTSD, direct neuroimaging evidence in borderline personality disorder is still lacking. When these circuits stabilize, the signature swings of anger, shame, and emptiness often soften.

Chronic emotional dysregulation often traps your nervous system in maladaptive patterns—essentially stuck in reactive mode—but ketamine helps to reset these circuits, allowing your emotional responses to return closer to baseline. This reset effect explains why many people experience lasting relief that extends well beyond their ketamine treatment sessions.

Ketamine also enhances neuroplasticity—your brain's ability to form new, healthier neural pathways. These neuroplastic changes may contribute to longer-lasting improvements in emotional regulation and interpersonal functioning.

What Are the Risks Of Ketamine Therapy for BPD?

Most side effects from therapy are short-lived. During or soon after dosing, you might notice a floating, dissociative sensation, mild nausea, dizziness, a transient blood-pressure spike, or drowsiness. These sensations typically peak around the 40-minute mark and resolve within two hours.

Ketamine's use for BPD remains off-label, meaning the FDA has not yet cleared it for this specific indication. Still, Innerwell offers legal ketamine therapy for BPD through comprehensive screening, licensed clinician oversight, real-time monitoring during every session, and integration therapy for your safety and comfort.

How Innerwell's Ketamine Therapy Approach Works for BPD

You deserve a BPD treatment path that feels clear, supported, and grounded in science. Innerwell's at-home ketamine therapy program combines rigorous clinical oversight with compassionate, ongoing care to help you reclaim your life from emotional chaos.

Ketamine therapy for BPD offers relief when traditional treatments fall short. Learn about the treatment, safety, and Innerwell's approach.

Reflections

Ketamine Therapy for Dementia: Complete Guide

Does Ketamine Therapy Get You High? Effects Explained

Ketamine Therapy for BPD: Complete Guide

What Does Ketamine Therapy Feel Like?

Ketamine Therapy for PTSD: Complete Guide

Is Ketamine Treatment Permanent?

Ketamine Therapy for PTSD: Complete Guide