Treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD affect a significant portion of the population in Northeast Florida — and for many of those patients, adequate care has simply not been accessible close to home. At Ketamine Wellness Institute Jacksonville, we have built our practice specifically around the patients who have not been adequately served by standard treatment, and our location in Jacksonville Beach puts us within reach of communities across the region who have had limited options until now.
Who We Are and Who We Serve
We are a ketamine infusion clinic led by a board-certified anesthesiologist with deep experience in IV administration. Our practice is focused on one thing: providing high-quality, physician-supervised IV ketamine infusion therapy to patients whose mental health conditions have not responded to conventional care. We do not offer a broad menu of services — we offer one treatment done carefully, with individualized protocols and direct physician oversight at every session.
The patients we work with share a common experience: they have tried standard options, often multiple times and across multiple providers, and have not achieved adequate relief. For some, that means cycling through antidepressant medications without finding one that works. For others, it means completing rounds of therapy that produced some benefit but left significant symptoms unaddressed. Treatment resistance is not a character trait or a sign of a more intractable illness — it is a clinical pattern that points toward the need for a different neurobiological mechanism rather than a continuation of the same approaches.
We serve patients from Jacksonville Beach and the surrounding Northeast Florida region, including communities across Duval County and the broader First Coast area. For patients who have been traveling out of the region or going without appropriate care, our clinic represents an accessible local option.
The Conditions We Treat
At Ketamine Wellness Institute Jacksonville, we treat depression, anxiety, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, and restless legs syndrome through IV ketamine infusion therapy. Each of these conditions has a documented evidence base supporting ketamine’s potential role in treatment-resistant cases.
For depression, peer-reviewed research has demonstrated that ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects in patients who have not responded to multiple prior treatment trials — often within hours of an infusion rather than the weeks associated with conventional antidepressants. For PTSD, clinical studies have shown significant and rapid reductions in symptom severity, including intrusive memories and hyperarousal, in patients treated with IV ketamine. For anxiety and OCD, emerging research supports ketamine’s potential for patients whose conditions have not responded to serotonin-targeted medications and therapy.
The shared thread across all of these conditions is mechanism. To understand more about how this treatment works at a neurological level, visit our About Ketamine page. Ketamine works by blocking NMDA receptors (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, a class of receptor in the glutamate system — the brain’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter network), producing effects distinct from SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs, and other conventional medications. For patients whose conditions involve glutamate dysregulation that serotonin-targeted treatment does not reach, that mechanistic difference is the clinical rationale for trying something different.
What Treatment Involves
Every patient begins with a complimentary consultation by phone or videoconference with our board-certified anesthesiologist. This conversation covers diagnosis, treatment history, current medications, and any medical factors relevant to candidacy. We do not recommend treatment before conducting that review.
For patients who are appropriate candidates, the standard mental health series consists of six IV ketamine infusions over two to three weeks. Each infusion lasts approximately 60 minutes, with full appointments running about 90 minutes to allow for preparation and recovery. Dosing is weight-based — typically 0.5 to 0.8 mg/kg over 60 minutes — and is adjusted based on individual response and any side effects. Every infusion is supervised directly by our board-certified physician, with continuous monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation.
Infusions take place in private treatment rooms equipped with massaging recliners and dimmable lighting. Patients may bring one family member or friend to stay with them during the session. After the infusion, patients recover in the room until discharge. Most patients return to their normal activities within a few hours, though driving is not permitted for 24 hours following treatment. For a closer look at what to expect after a ketamine infusion, we’ve outlined the recovery process in detail.
After completing an initial series, most patients continue with periodic maintenance infusions — typically every four to eight weeks — to sustain their response. Maintenance sessions follow the same format as a single standard infusion.
Rapid Response When It’s Needed Most
One of the most clinically significant features of IV ketamine therapy is the speed at which it may produce results. The National Institute of Mental Health has highlighted research showing ketamine as a rapid-acting treatment for patients who have not responded to standard care, with some patients reporting improvement within hours of an infusion. For patients who have been managing severe, disabling, or acute symptoms — including suicidal ideation — this speed of potential response is not a minor convenience. It is a meaningful clinical distinction from treatments that require weeks to begin working.
Research into a new era for depression treatment has helped bring IV ketamine into focus as a genuine clinical option for patients who have exhausted conventional approaches. We want to be clear that we cannot predict individual outcomes, and results vary significantly from person to person. What the research supports is that the mechanism is real, the clinical rationale is established, and for patients who have exhausted conventional options, IV ketamine infusion therapy represents a substantively different approach rather than another version of what has not worked.
Cost, Scheduling, and Accessing Care
Our initial consultation is complimentary and takes place by phone or video — no in-person visit is required before a patient decides whether to move forward. This removes a practical barrier for patients who are managing difficult symptoms, who have demanding schedules, or who are uncertain enough about the process that an in-person commitment feels premature.
Our standard mental health infusion series is priced at $3,000 for six infusions, billed at $500 per infusion. Maintenance infusions are $500 per session. Insurance coverage for IV ketamine therapy varies by plan — we encourage patients to contact their insurer directly to ask about out-of-network mental health benefits. We are transparent about costs before any treatment decision is made, because we believe that patients should have a clear financial picture before committing.
Our hours are Monday through Thursday by appointment, Friday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon. Weekend availability is something we offer deliberately, recognizing that many of the patients we serve have work or caregiving responsibilities that make weekday appointments difficult to sustain across a multi-week treatment series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to live in Jacksonville to be treated at your clinic? No. We serve patients from across the Northeast Florida region and beyond. The initial consultation is by phone or video, and the infusion series itself is conducted at our Jacksonville Beach location. Many patients travel for their treatment series and find the structured two-to-three-week timeline manageable.
Do I need a referral? No referral is required to schedule a consultation with our team. We do coordinate care with existing mental health and primary care providers when appropriate, so that your overall treatment remains cohesive.
What if I am currently taking antidepressants or other psychiatric medications? Some patients continue their existing medications alongside ketamine treatment; others adjust their regimen under medical supervision. This is addressed during the consultation based on your specific medications and history. Do not adjust any medications without discussing it with both our physician and your prescribing provider.
Is IV ketamine the same as SPRAVATO®? No. SPRAVATO® is an FDA-approved esketamine nasal spray administered in certified healthcare settings for treatment-resistant depression. IV ketamine is administered intravenously and is used off-label for a broader range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and others. We offer IV ketamine infusion therapy; we do not offer SPRAVATO®.
How do I know if I am a candidate? The consultation is designed to answer that question. Our board-certified anesthesiologist reviews your diagnosis, treatment history, current medications, and any relevant medical factors before making any recommendation. Candidacy is determined on an individual basis, and not every patient who inquires will be an appropriate candidate.
Key Takeaways
- Ketamine Wellness Institute Jacksonville offers IV ketamine infusion therapy to treatment-resistant patients across the Northeast Florida region from our Jacksonville Beach location.
- We treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, and restless legs syndrome — all conditions for which IV ketamine therapy has an established or emerging evidence base.
- Ketamine works through the glutamate system’s NMDA receptors, producing effects through a mechanism distinct from conventional antidepressants and psychiatric medications.
- The standard mental health series consists of six infusions over two to three weeks at $3,000 total, with maintenance infusions available at $500 per session.
- Results vary by individual — every patient begins with a complimentary consultation before any treatment recommendation is made.
Northeast Florida patients who have not found adequate relief through standard psychiatric treatment now have a physician-supervised IV ketamine infusion option close to home. If you have been managing a treatment-resistant mental health condition and are ready to discuss a different approach, we are here to have that conversation. Call us at (904) 747-8998 or schedule a complimentary consultation — by phone or video, on your schedule.
References
National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-updates/2024/new-hope-for-rapid-acting-depression-treatment
National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23982301/
National Library of Medicine. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18070834
Medical Disclaimer
The information in this blog is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. IV ketamine infusion therapy should only be pursued under the supervision of a licensed medical provider familiar with your complete medical and psychiatric history. Individual results vary. Not all patients are appropriate candidates for ketamine infusion therapy, and a thorough screening process is required prior to treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of self-harm, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to your nearest emergency room.