Getting started is easy.  Start learning.  Most of the commonly asked questions we hear from patients are addressed on our “Frequently Asked Questions” page. Please read that page in its entirety.   If you have further interest in ketamine infusions, give us a call at 615-601-1315  and we will schedule you an appointment to meet with Dr. Barton or someone on our staff.

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Have your psychiatrist or treating physician make a referral via our “For Providers” page.  We will work with him or her to provide you with the best possible care in a collaborative manner.  Best practices require the maintenance of your relationship with your treating physician so that they may follow your care after the infusions have concluded.

A face to face evaluation will be scheduled for you to meet with Dr. Barton or a licensed provider from our staff.  It is the goal of this evaluation to determine if ketamine infusion is a treatment modality that is right for you, and if so, whether you would like to pursue treatment.  It is also the goal of this initial evaluation to answer any questions that you or your loved one might have regarding ketamine treatment.

Prior to coming to the appointment, you should print and  fill out the initial intake form provided below.  It is of utmost importance that you bring the completed forms with you to the initial consultation.  Please fill it out to the best of your ability in its entirety:

—–INITIAL INTAKE FORMS—–

While not required, we do recommend that you bring a loved one with you to your appointment.  It is the experience of our staff that it is helpful to have someone in the room with you at the time of the initial consultation to remember everything covered during the meeting, to ask additional questions, and to provide for a“second set of ears” in the discussion.

***It should also be noted that the purpose of this meeting does not involve conducting a full psychiatric diagnostic interview.  Dr. Barton and the staff at the Nashville Ketamine Center will be acting in a consultative manner and will not be considered your ongoing mental health providers as a result of this meeting.  In addition, medications will not be adjusted or prescribed during this consultation.  Many questions related to psychiatric history will be asked and talked about, but the time will be focused specifically on the appropriateness of the ketamine treatment modality as it pertains to your care.

After you have met with Dr. Barton or a member of our staff, you will be able to decide whether you would like to pursue having Ketamine Infusions for your symptoms of depression, bipolar depression, or PTSD.

The time from when you step into our office to the time you step out is typically in the range of 1.5 hours.  Please add to that time an additional 30 minutes to an hour on the day of your initial infusion. By the time you leave our clinic, you will be thinking clearly and will no longer be feeling any significant side effects from the infusion.  For safety reasons, however,  we do ask that someone you trust drives you home from the procedure.

Should you choose to receive ketamine infusions, you should plan on having six infusions spaced out over a two week span.  Each infusion lasts approximately 40 minutes.  Most of our patients experience no side effects from the procedure.  To increase the chances of this being the case for your treatment, please abstain from eating solid foods for four hours prior to the infusion. You may have clear liquids up to two hours before the procedure.