Ketamine Therapy for Bipolar Depression
Depressive episodes in bipolar disorder (treated with careful psychiatric oversight). 133 listed clinics treat this condition.
What the Evidence Says About Ketamine for Bipolar Depression
The key evidence is an NIMH randomized add-on trial in treatment-resistant bipolar depression (Diazgranados et al., Archives of General Psychiatry, 2010), in which patients maintained on a mood stabilizer received a single IV ketamine or placebo infusion. The result was striking: "within 40 minutes, depressive symptoms significantly improved in subjects receiving ketamine compared with placebo," and "seventy-one percent of subjects responded to ketamine and 6% responded to placebo at some point during the trial."
Two caveats matter. The trial tested ketamine added to a mood stabilizer — not as a standalone treatment — and effects of a single infusion faded within days. Because of the theoretical risk of triggering mania in bipolar disorder, reputable clinics require psychiatric oversight and typically an active mood-stabilizer regimen before treating bipolar depression with ketamine.
FDA status: No form of ketamine is FDA-approved for bipolar depression; Spravato's approvals cover unipolar MDD/TRD only. Generic (racemic) ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic; its use for this condition is off-label, prescribed at a clinician's discretion.
Sources:
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Alabama
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Arizona
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Arkansas
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in California
- Point Ketamine - Ketamine Therapy Clinic (Agoura Hills)
- LUMUS (Corona)
- Point Health (Encino)
- Los Angeles TMS Institute, Inc. (Los Angeles)
- Westside Mind Health Ketamine Clinic (Los Angeles)
- Ketamine Uplift (Marina del Rey)
- ZenKetamine (Rocklin)
- Propel Therapeutics (Sacramento)
- NeuroRelief Ketamine & Infusion Therapy (Sherman Oaks)
- Luma Health and Wellness (Solana Beach)
- VENTURA KETAMINE CENTER (Ventura)
- CLEAR Ketamine + Psychiatry (Westlake Village)
- Ketamine Layering Effect (Westlake Village)
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Colorado
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Connecticut
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in District of Columbia
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Florida
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Georgia
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Idaho
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Illinois
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Indiana
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Kansas
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Kentucky
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Louisiana
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Maryland
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Massachusetts
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Michigan
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Minnesota
- Ketamine North Infusion Center/Psych North (Duluth)
- Modern Therapeutics (Dundas)
- Institute for Integrative Therapies - Ketamine Treatments (Eden Prairie)
- Psy-Fi TMS (Edina)
- The Minnesota Ketamine & Wellness Institute - Spravato/Mental Health Clinic (Maple Grove)
- Aurora Mental Health & Wellness (Waite Park)
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Montana
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Nebraska
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Nevada
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in New Jersey
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in New Mexico
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in New York
- Albany Ketamine Infusions (Albany)
- Keta Medical Center | Ketamine Therapy | Spravato (Brooklyn)
- Long Island Ketamine Center (Great Neck)
- Hudson Valley Ketamine Lounge - Mahopac (Mahopac)
- Keta Medical Center | Ketamine Therapy | Spravato (New Rochelle)
- Creative Healing Psychiatry | David H. Lifschutz, MD | Ketamine and Psychotherapy (New York)
- Creative Healing Psychiatry | Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Manhattan (New York)
- Keta Medical Center | Ketamine Therapy | Spravato (New York)
- Keta Medical Center | Ketamine Therapy | Spravato (New York)
- Keta Medical Center | Ketamine Therapy | Spravato (New York)
- Keta Medical Center | Ketamine Therapy | Spravato (New York)
- Marpa Minds (White Plains)
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in North Carolina
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Ohio
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Oklahoma
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Oregon
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Pennsylvania
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in South Carolina
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in South Dakota
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Tennessee
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Texas
- Austin Ketamine Clinic (Austin)
- CARMAhealth (Austin)
- Mindful Health Solution (Austin)
- Houston Ketamine Therapeutics (Bellaire)
- Cedar Park TMS & Spravato (Cedar Park)
- Texas Ketamine Specialists (Dallas)
- Nura Therapy (Fort Worth)
- Vigeo Wellness (Fort Worth)
- Catalyst Ketamine (Houston)
- Wells Medicine PLLC (Houston)
- Your Wellness Practice (Houston)
- Harmonica Psychiatry (Mckinney)
- Central Texas Mental Health (Round Rock)
- Beckley Clinical (San Antonio)
- San Antonio Ketamine Specialists (San Antonio)
- Ketamine Infusion Therapy Houston and Sugar Land (Sugar Land)
- Transformative Wellness (Texarkana)
- Holos Wellness, PLLC (Waco)
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Utah
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Vermont
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Washington
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression in Wisconsin
Ketamine for Bipolar Depression: Common Questions
- Is ketamine safe for bipolar depression?
- In the NIMH trial it was studied as an add-on to a mood stabilizer, and that is how careful clinics use it — with psychiatric oversight, screening for mania history, and continued mood stabilization. It is not FDA-approved for bipolar disorder.
- How well did ketamine work in the bipolar depression trial?
- In the 2010 randomized trial, 71% of participants responded to ketamine versus 6% to placebo, with improvement measurable within 40 minutes of infusion. Effects of a single dose were temporary.
- Can ketamine trigger mania?
- Manic switch is a recognized theoretical risk when treating bipolar depression, which is why trials and clinics keep patients on mood stabilizers and screen carefully. Report any elevated-mood symptoms to your treating clinician immediately.