Since 2020, ketamine therapy has been the only thing that effectively treats Mark’s complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), a mental condition akin to PTSD that, in Mark's case, stems from childhood developmental trauma. When Mark, a 73-year-old who worked in finance before retiring, learned that his provider was under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and would no longer be prescribing the anesthetic drug, he feared he wouldn’t be able to get another prescription before his symptoms became debilitating. He was already out of the country in Mexico stretching his supply until he got back, and soon, his depression began to set in again.

“The only ketamine I could have gotten, had I pursued it at the time, would have been black market ketamine,” Mark, who is using his first name only to protect his privacy, told Salon in a phone interview. “I didn’t have a backup antidepressant, and I was terrified.”

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In Mexico, Mark could buy Prozac over-the-counter, and this antidepressant medication had helped him in the past to stabilize his depression. However, it could take a month or two to fully take effect, and ketamine plus intensive psychotherapy were really the only things that broke through to treating his CPTSD. Mark writes about his experience using ketamine online and is well-connected to existing resources, so he was able to rapidly find another provider. Within just a few weeks, he had another prescription of lozenges, or oral ketamine tablets, delivered to his home in Pennsylvania.

“It’s not like finding another primary care provider or orthopedic surgeon, and this is an exceedingly difficult task for someone who is mentally ill to accomplish,” Mark said. “I [was terrified] the DEA would suspend all other practitioners and maybe I wouldn't get my shipment.”

"We have many, many good experiences from using ketamine."

Ketamine, an anesthetic administered through infusions that can have psychedelic properties, has been hailed as a life-saving treatment for some patients. Although it has not been approved to treat mental health conditions, it is increasingly being used off-label to treat depression, suicidality and PTSD, said Dr. Brent Turnipseed, the medical director of a ketamine clinic Roots Behavioral Health in Austin, Texas.

Carl Montalbino, 67, receives his Ketamine treatment while nurse Melissa Dougher checks his vitals Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at MindPeace Clinic in Richmond, Virginia. (Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“We have many success stories where people have their function restored and can go back to school or get back to their job or their relationship improves — or they are not contemplating suicide anymore,” Turnipseed told Salon in a phone interview. “We have many, many good experiences from using ketamine.”

Like any drug, ketamine also carries risks, and some are concerned that the proliferation of clinics providing this........

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