Ketamine Infusion, Spray, Injectables and Tablets: What's the Difference?

If you’ve been looking into ketamine treatment, or are currently familiar with the space, you might have noticed there are various methods of receiving the medicine: ketamine infusions (intramuscular or intravenous), nasal spray, subcutaneous injection, or sublingual tablets.

What isn’t as immediately evident is what the differences are, what the benefits may be, and why you might choose one over the other. Below is a brief history of ketamine treatment, common methods of administering ketamine, and how each fits into the best course of therapeutic treatment.

A brief history of ketamine’s medical use

Ketamine’s first FDA-approved use was as a dissociative anesthetic and is used for this purpose in medical and surgical procedures. Ketamine is a special medicine in this class as it does not suppress respiratory rate and is a generally safe tool for anesthesia. It has also been used for years for its rapid acting analgesic (pain reducing) effects from battlefields to emergency care.

To achieve the dissociation and sedation required, doctors needed a direct and effective way to provide and regulate larger amounts of ketamine to the patients. This is where IV and IM injections of ketamine began.

At anesthetic levels, patients often come back from an experience with little to no recollection of what happened while they were sedated. During an invasive procedure this is the preferred outcome. However, when working with mental illnesses, some level of subjective or conscious experience may be preferable, particularly when ketamine’s psychedelic medicinal effects are desired.

IV/IM administration allows dosing of the medicine at amounts that can produce full dissociation and sedation. There is scientific evidence supporting the mental health benefits of dissociation, and more research is being conducted. These are typically the longest sessions, ranging anywhere from 1-3 hours, and are the most expensive, with individual sessions running around $800-1200+USD, with psychotherapy afterward as an available option.

Methods of administering ketamine

Ketamine infusions and injections aren’t the only method of delivery used in mental health treatments. Here’s a quick overview of the different methods one can expect when working with ketamine.

IV infusion or IM injection 

Intravenous (IV) infusions or Intramuscular (IM) ketamine injections have similar effects. The difference is that IV is typically infused into a vein with a bag that drips the substance in while IM is injected directly into the arm with a needle (similar to a flu shot).

Nasal Spray 

Ketamine nasal sprays are a synthesized mist stored in a spray bottle that is applied according to the delivery timeline outlined by the clinician. This is the latest delivery method to gain FDA approval with the introduction of Spravato. 

The bioavailability and desired effect (sub dissociative, sub psychedelic, anesthetic) of each delivery method, which is the proportion of the compound that enters the body’s circulation, is what determines the typical dosing ranges. You can apply the highest doses (several thousand milligrams) with infusions, a mid-range with sublingual tablets (around 1000-1500mgs) and the lowest doses with nasal sprays.

Subcutaneous injection (Mindbloom Injectables)

Subcutaneous ketamine is a form of ketamine therapy where the medicine is delivered just beneath the skin, rather than into a vein or muscle. A small dose of ketamine is injected under the surface of the skin—usually in the arm, abdomen, or thigh—using a tiny needle. Because the medicine is absorbed gradually through the tissue, subcutaneous administration provides a smooth, steady experience that can be easier on the body than intravenous infusions, while still offering powerful therapeutic effects. Its bioavailability is between 65-93%, and represents a faster onset than tablets but slower than IV/IM treatments.

Mindbloom Injectables are one of two offerings prescribed by our clinicians—the other being Mindbloom Tablets.

Sublingual tablets (Mindbloom Tablets)

Ketamine tablets are absorbed sublingually, or held in the mouth. Dosing can vary from 10-200 milligrams (mg) per tablet on average, depending on the compounding pharmacy and the prescription from the clinician. Due to its bioavailability, or how much medicine an individual can absorb sublingually, it nearly impossible to take larger doses than necessary.

Mindbloom Tablets prescribed by our clinicians allow for a greater flexibility in treatment based on the client’s response to the medication and treatment spacing. Tablets also provide an identical delivery mechanism as IV/IM/SQ, but without a needle. Our protocols specify that you spit out the medicine after 7 minutes, so you get the intended dose.

Determining which method is right for your ketamine treatment

It’s important to distinguish the two ways in which ketamine treatments provide therapeutic value, as this will help you make a decision as to which one is right for you, and when.

The biological effects of ketamine

There are neurobiological effects and benefits when receiving ketamine. Through these effects, we expect a general improvement in overall mood, an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),  and bolstering of neurons that have been worn down over time by the body's physiological response to things like anxiety and depression.

The biological effects are dose-dependent, and happen regardless of an individual's subjective experience with the medicine.

Learn more about the neuroscience of ketamine here.

The subjective effects of ketamine

There are also subjective or phenomenological healing effects that ketamine can provide at medium/high doses. These effects include novel ways of thinking, disconnection from thoughts or emotions, dilation of time or space, out-of-body experiences, and more. These experiences vary between each individual and each treatment, but can be essential catalysts for deep transformation when treating mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety with ketamine.

The subjective effects have a ‘sweet spot.’ They need a certain dosage to surface, and can be overtaken by the dissociative or sedative effects at higher doses.

This ideal range for the subjective or phenomenological effects of ketamine is an important point to consider when looking at methods of treatment, and the results you want to achieve. An experienced clinician can help you make the right choice in this regard.

Ketamine’s role as a psychedelic therapy catalyst

As off-label treatments for ketamine are increasingly researched, ketamine’s subjective and psychedelic effects should be considered.

When looking at long-term, enduring benefits and personal transformation, ketamine’s psychedelic effects play an important role.

Individuals in treatments have the potential to experience more classically ‘psychedelic’ experiences: novel ways of thinking or feeling, immersion in new experiences, time or space dilation, out-of-body experiences, hallucinations, and visual imagery. 

Not to be discounted, these experiences and insights can provide the scaffolding for long-lasting changes, especially if properly integrated back into their lives. 

Which ketamine treatment method is right for me?

By cost

If you’re considering overall cost of treatment:

1. Infusions: Each infusion session can range from $400 to $1000-plus, often sold in 4-6 session packs.
2. Nasal spray: Monthly nasal spray use can cost $4000-5000 based on recommended dosages. There are some insurance coverage options here to help manage costs.
3. Subcutaneous injection:  Mindbloom offers 6, 12, and 18-session programs for new clients. View our pricing page for the full breakdown.‍
4. Sublingual tablets: Mindbloom offers 6, 12, and 18-session programs for new clients. View our pricing page for the full breakdown.

Subjective or psychedelic benefits

If you want a complement of biological benefits and subjective, experiential insights:

1. Infusions: Have the potential to provide a higher degree of dissociation, as dissociation is dose dependent and higher doses can be provided via IV or IM.
2. Nasal spray: Little to no dissociation.
3. Subcutaneous injection: ‍Has the potential to produce mild to moderate levels of dissociation which is generally supportive of a deep meditative state or a trance-like state which can include some psychedelic properties.‍
4. Sublingual Tablets: Has the potential to produce mild to moderate levels of dissociation which is generally supportive of a deep meditative state or a trance-like state which can include some psychedelic properties.
   

When speaking with your clinician or provider, you can use this information to help determine the best method for your unique circumstances.