AXON Clinics Trondheim

AXON Clinics Trondheim, known in Norway as Axonklinikken, is a ketamine clinic in central Trondheim offering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and anxiety. The practice opened in 2018 and also runs a clinic in Oslo.

Approach

Ketamine is always combined with psychotherapy. Each dose comes with about 40 minutes of therapy, the therapist stays before, during and after, and a doctor is always at the clinic. Doctors, psychiatric nurses and psychologists make up the team, under medical director Dr Lowan Stewart, an emergency medicine specialist with over 20 years in practice who worked with Østfold Hospital on new methods for treatment-resistant depression. Afterwards patients rest in a separate room.

Who it is for

The programme is aimed mainly at adults whose depression has not responded to at least two antidepressants. It can also be considered for PTSD and complex PTSD, anxiety alongside depression and, after individual assessment, chronic pain, chronic headache and eating disorders. No referral is needed, though GPs and psychologists can refer.

Practical details

The standard programme has a preparatory session at 2,100 NOK and four ketamine sessions at 7,590 NOK each over about two weeks, followed by an evaluation three weeks after the last one and check-ins at 3, 6 and 12 months. Payment can be spread over 3 or 6 months, and insurance may cover the talk therapy part. All sessions are in person, and a first phone call or clinic visit is free.

Care and safety

Treatment starts with a thorough psychiatric and medical evaluation by a doctor. Active psychosis and uncontrolled high blood pressure rule ketamine out, and blood pressure and pulse are monitored throughout. Its use for depression is off-label, although in August 2025 Norway’s Beslutningsforum approved intravenous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression in hospitals.