Kentuckiana Integrative Medicine

Kentuckiana Integrative Medicine, which runs its ketamine service as the Kentuckiana Ketamine Institute, is a physician-led clinic in Jeffersonville, Indiana, across the river from Louisville. It offers IV ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, addiction and complex regional pain syndrome, alongside many regenerative treatments.

Approach

Dr Rafael F. Cruz, MD, who has 30 years of medical experience, gives the ketamine to every mental health patient himself. He spent his first decade in emergency medicine, held board certification in it from 1997 to 2017, and trained in anaesthesia and pain procedures at the University of Louisville. His 5R protocol adds IV amino acids, NAD+, magnesium and nutrition to the ketamine. A course follows a consultation and lab tests, with treatments three times a week for two weeks or twice a week for three weeks, plus a booster when needed. Two counsellors, one an addiction specialist, work alongside a psychiatrist, a naturopath and a nurse practitioner.

Who it is for

The clinic treats depression, including bipolar, reactive and postpartum depression, as well as OCD, PTSD, addiction and complex regional pain syndrome. For addiction it offers a rapid detox under conscious sedation with IV naloxone, ketamine and propofol, and implants naltrexone pellets to curb cravings.

Practical details

The basic programme of seven ketamine treatments costs $2,500, enhanced programmes with IV vitamins and ozone $2,500 to $6,000, and a four-day CRPS protocol $5,000. A consultation has been listed at $300, with telemedicine for residents of Indiana, Kentucky and Florida. Insurance does not cover IV ketamine for mental health, but financing is available.

Care and safety

The clinic notes that ketamine is approved by the FDA only as an anaesthetic and that its mental health use is off-label. Patients are monitored one to one, with a defibrillator, airway equipment and heart and blood pressure medication on hand.