You’ve decided to explore ketamine infusion therapy for your Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and now you’re wondering what the actual experience will be like. This is completely normal—starting a new treatment, especially one you may not be familiar with, brings natural questions and sometimes anxiety. Understanding the practical details of what happens during ketamine infusion therapy can help you feel prepared and confident. Here’s what you can expect from your first treatment at a physician-supervised ketamine clinic, from the initial consultation through your first infusion session.
Before Your First Infusion: The Consultation Process
Your journey begins with a comprehensive consultation, not an immediate infusion. This is an important safety step that allows your medical team to determine whether ketamine therapy is appropriate for your specific situation.
During your initial phone consultation, you’ll discuss:
- Your CRPS diagnosis and symptom history
- Treatments you’ve tried previously and their results
- Current medications you’re taking
- Any medical conditions that might affect treatment safety
- Your goals and what you hope to achieve from treatment
At Southern Ketamine & Wellness, this consultation helps Dr. Irons and his team understand your complete picture. As a double board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management physician, Dr. Irons has extensive experience with ketamine administration from both surgical settings and chronic pain treatment. This dual expertise ensures appropriate patient selection and safe protocol design.
Certain conditions may make ketamine therapy inadvisable, including uncontrolled heart conditions, severe liver disease, active psychosis, or current substance abuse issues. Your consultation will screen for these contraindications to ensure ketamine is safe for you.
If ketamine therapy appears appropriate, you’ll schedule your first treatment session and receive specific preparation instructions.
Preparing for Your First Infusion
The preparation for ketamine infusion therapy is straightforward, but following instructions carefully helps ensure the best experience:
What to Bring
Required documentation: Bring your photo ID, insurance information (if applicable), and a complete list of current medications including dosages. If you’re a veteran receiving care through the VA, bring your VA referral authorization—Southern Ketamine & Wellness partners with the local VA Medical Center to provide free ketamine treatment for qualifying veterans.
Comfortable clothing: Wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows easy access for IV placement, typically in your arm. Avoid tight sleeves or anything restrictive.
Entertainment options: Infusion sessions typically last 40 minutes to several hours depending on the protocol. Many patients bring headphones and create playlists, download podcasts, or bring books. The staff at Southern Ketamine & Wellness can help you select calming music if you’re unsure what to choose.
Transportation: You cannot drive yourself home after treatment. Ketamine causes temporary dissociative effects that make driving unsafe even after the infusion ends. Arrange for a trusted friend or family member to drive you, or explore local transportation services if needed.
Eating and Medications
You’ll receive specific instructions about eating before your infusion. Generally, having a light meal 2-3 hours before treatment is recommended—not so recently that nausea becomes more likely, but not so long ago that you’re uncomfortably hungry.
Continue taking your regular medications unless specifically instructed otherwise. However, certain medications may need timing adjustments on infusion days. Your medical team will provide guidance based on your specific medication list.
Mental Preparation
Understanding what sensations you might experience helps reduce anxiety. Ketamine at the doses used for pain treatment causes dissociative effects—you may feel detached from your body, experience altered perception of time or space, or have mild visual changes. These effects are temporary and resolve within minutes after the infusion ends.
Many patients find these sensations interesting or even pleasant, though they can feel strange at first. Approaching the experience with openness and curiosity rather than resistance helps most people tolerate the effects better.
Your First Infusion Session: Step by Step
Knowing exactly what will happen during your appointment helps you feel more in control. Here’s the typical flow:
Arrival and Intake (15-30 minutes)
You’ll arrive at the clinic and complete any remaining paperwork. On your first visit, this takes longer—typically about 30 minutes—as you provide detailed medical history and sign consent forms.
A nurse or medical staff member will take baseline vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. These measurements establish your normal values for comparison during and after the infusion.
You’ll have time to use the restroom before your infusion begins, since you’ll be reclining comfortably during treatment.
Getting Comfortable (10-15 minutes)
You’ll be taken to a private or semi-private treatment room. At Southern Ketamine & Wellness, the environment is designed for comfort and relaxation—these aren’t sterile hospital rooms but spaces where you can settle in comfortably for your treatment.
The nurse will place an IV line, typically in your hand or forearm. If you’re anxious about IV placement, let the staff know. The team members—including staff like Jessie, Adrianne, and Hailey, who patients frequently mention by name in reviews—are experienced at making this process as comfortable as possible.
You’ll recline in a comfortable chair, and staff will ensure you have blankets if needed and your entertainment options are accessible.
The Infusion Process (40 minutes to 4 hours)
The duration of your infusion depends on the specific protocol designed for your needs. A consensus protocol for CRPS typically involves either:
- Outpatient infusions of 40 minutes to several hours, repeated over multiple days
- A series of infusions administered on consecutive or near-consecutive days (Xu et al., 2019)
Dr. Irons customizes the protocol based on research evidence and individual patient factors. Starting doses are typically conservative, with adjustments made based on your response and tolerance.
As the infusion begins, you’ll remain awake but may notice changes within minutes. Common experiences include:
- A sense of floating or lightness
- Mild visual changes like brighter colors or slight distortions
- Altered time perception—minutes may feel longer or shorter than usual
- A feeling of detachment from physical sensations, including pain
- Relaxation or mild euphoria
A nurse monitors you continuously throughout the infusion, checking vital signs regularly and remaining immediately available if you need anything. If you experience side effects like nausea, they can administer medication to help and adjust your treatment accordingly.
The medical supervision distinguishes clinical ketamine therapy from any other context. You’re under constant professional care with a physician available and protocols in place to manage any issues that arise.
What About Pain Relief?
Some patients notice pain reduction during the infusion itself or within hours afterward (Xu et al., 2019). However, the full therapeutic effect typically builds over the course of a treatment series—usually 6-8 infusions for CRPS.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel dramatically different after your first session. Research shows that ketamine’s effects on central sensitization accumulate with repeated treatments. You’re working to “reset” nervous system changes that developed over months or years; meaningful improvement takes time.
After the Infusion Ends (30-60 minutes)
When the infusion is complete, the IV is removed and you’ll remain in the treatment area for observation. The dissociative effects resolve within about 15-30 minutes after ketamine stops flowing.
Staff will check your vital signs and assess how you’re feeling before discharge. You should feel alert enough to walk and communicate normally, though you shouldn’t drive.
Some patients feel energized after treatment, while others feel pleasantly tired. Both responses are normal. Plan for a relaxing rest of the day without demanding activities.
Common Side Effects and Management
Knowing what side effects might occur helps you prepare:
During infusion:
- Nausea or mild dizziness (30-60% of patients)
- Dissociative sensations
- Mild increases in blood pressure or heart rate
After infusion:
- Fatigue or sleepiness
- Mild headache
- Continued nausea in some cases
The experienced clinical team can provide anti-nausea medication before or during your infusion if you’re prone to nausea. If you experienced motion sickness as a child or nausea with other medications, let your team know so they can be proactive.
Patient reviews of Southern Ketamine & Wellness frequently note how attentive staff are to side effect management. One patient mentioned getting motion sick after the first treatment, and the team provided additional anti-nausea medication before the next session, which helped considerably.
Your Treatment Series: What Comes Next
Your first infusion is just the beginning. The standard treatment approach for CRPS involves a series of infusions, typically 6-8 sessions over 2-3 weeks (Cohen et al., 2018).
You’ll work with Dr. Irons and the team to schedule your series. “At SKAW, you are in charge of your infusion journey,” as the clinic’s philosophy emphasizes. This means you have flexibility in scheduling—you’re not locked into a rigid protocol that doesn’t work with your life.
After each session, staff will ask about your pain levels, any side effects you experienced, and how you’re tolerating treatment. This information guides any adjustments needed for subsequent sessions.
Addressing Common Concerns
“Will this be covered by insurance?”
Ketamine infusion therapy for chronic pain is typically not covered by insurance, as it’s considered off-label use. Southern Ketamine & Wellness provides transparent pricing information during your consultation and can discuss payment options. For veterans with VA authorization, treatment is provided at no cost through the partnership with the local VA Medical Center.
“What if I don’t get relief?”
Results vary between individuals—that’s important to understand before starting treatment. Research shows that approximately 50-60% of CRPS patients experience significant relief from ketamine therapy, with effects lasting from weeks to months (Xu et al., 2019). Not everyone responds, but many people who have tried multiple other treatments without success do find meaningful benefit.
If you don’t see improvement during your initial series, that doesn’t necessarily mean ketamine won’t work for you. Sometimes protocol adjustments or a different approach can make a difference. Your team will work with you to determine the best path forward.
“Is this safe?”
When administered by qualified medical professionals in a clinical setting, ketamine therapy has a strong safety profile. Dr. Irons’ anesthesiology background means extensive experience with ketamine safety and monitoring. Continuous vital sign monitoring and immediate availability of medical intervention if needed make clinical ketamine therapy very different from ketamine use in any other context.
The most significant risks are the temporary side effects mentioned above, which resolve quickly and can be managed if they occur.
Three Things to Do Before Your First Appointment
- Complete your consultation thoroughly and honestly. Provide complete information about your medical history, medications, and substance use history. This allows your team to design the safest, most effective protocol for you.
- Arrange reliable transportation both ways. Don’t wait until the last minute to figure out your ride home. Having this settled in advance reduces day-of stress.
- Prepare your mindset. Read patient experiences, understand what sensations might occur, and approach the experience with openness. Many patients find that positive expectations and willingness to accept unusual sensations during the infusion contribute to better experiences.
Taking the Next Step
If you’re a Birmingham or Auburn area resident with treatment-resistant CRPS, ketamine infusion therapy may offer the relief you’ve been seeking. Southern Ketamine & Wellness offers free phone consultations to discuss whether you’re a candidate for treatment and answer any questions you have about the process.
The clinic’s team—from Dr. Irons to the nursing and front desk staff—focuses on creating a safe, comfortable environment where you feel genuinely cared for, not just processed through appointments. Patient reviews consistently mention feeling like a person rather than a number, which makes a significant difference when you’re dealing with chronic pain.
Don’t let uncertainty about the process stop you from exploring an option that might help. Call (205) 202-9163 for the Birmingham location or (334) 759-3065 for Auburn to schedule your consultation. The team will walk you through every detail and help you determine if ketamine therapy is right for you.
Your CRPS journey has been challenging, but you haven’t run out of options. Understanding what to expect from ketamine infusion therapy is the first step toward making an informed decision about your care.
References
Cohen, S.P., Bhatia, A., Buvanendran, A., Schwenk, E.S., Wasan, A.D., Hurley, R.W., … & Hooten, W.M. (2018). Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 43(5), 456-466.
Xu, J., Herndon, C., Anderson, S., Getson, P., Foorsov, V., Harbut, R.E., … & Harden, R.N. (2019). Intravenous Ketamine Infusion for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Survey, Consensus, and a Reference Protocol. Pain Medicine, 20(2), 323-334. https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/20/2/323/4925560
