Call six ketamine clinics in South Florida and ask what a course of treatment costs. You will likely get six versions of the same non-answer: “We’ll go over pricing at your consultation.” That is a strange way to sell a treatment most people pay for out of pocket, where the total decides whether they can start at all. And there is no shortage of clinics to call. Ketamine clinics have expanded rapidly across South Florida, with an estimated 500 to 750 operating nationwide. More options should mean more transparency. It usually means more confusion.
This article won’t quote you a price for every clinic in Broward County, but it will tell you what drives ketamine therapy cost, what’s typically included and what is not, who should not do this at all, and what questions to ask before you commit money. If you are weighing ketamine therapy in Fort Lauderdale for treatment-resistant depression, the point is to walk in informed. Our ketamine therapy program exists because we treat both addiction and mental health under the same roof, which changes how candidacy decisions get made, including when the right call is to say no.
What ketamine therapy is, and what the FDA has actually approved
Only one form of ketamine is FDA-approved for depression: esketamine, sold as Spravato. Everything else is off-label.
That distinction matters, and AI answers and clinic websites blur it constantly. Esketamine (Spravato) is a nasal spray available only through a restricted program called the SPRAVATO REMS because of the risks of sedation, dissociation, and abuse. Racemic ketamine, the older generic anesthetic used in most “ketamine therapy,” is prescribed off-label. That doesn’t mean unproven. It means a drug approved for one purpose gets prescribed for another based on clinical evidence. Racemic ketamine has years of trial data behind it; it just hasn’t gone through the FDA’s formal approval process for depression.
What drives the cost of ketamine therapy
Ketamine therapy is priced per session, and a full induction series typically runs about six sessions over two to three weeks. Most clinics charge separately for three things: the sessions themselves, the initial psychiatric evaluation, and any therapy hours. Some fold the evaluation into the series price; others add it on top.
The price gap between clinics comes down to a few factors. Delivery route is the biggest: an intravenous infusion with a prescriber monitoring you the entire time costs more than a lower-supervision protocol. Whether talk therapy is included in each session matters. So does the clinic’s overhead and where it sits in the South Florida market.
Expect a significant out-of-pocket commitment, plus ongoing maintenance sessions after the initial course. Before you commit anywhere, ask the clinic to put the all-in cost in writing and spell out what happens if you need sessions beyond the standard series.
Insurance, and why the answer is usually no
For racemic ketamine, insurance usually doesn’t cover the drug because off-label use falls outside most plans’ coverage rules. In Broward County, where roughly 13.8% of working-age adults lack health insurance and that number may grow as marketplace subsidies shrink, the out-of-pocket reality hits harder than in most markets.
That said, there are edges worth pushing on. Some plans reimburse the psychiatric evaluation or monitoring codes even when they won’t pay for the ketamine itself, so ask about those codes specifically rather than “does insurance cover ketamine.” Ketamine therapy is frequently HSA- and FSA-eligible, which lets you pay with pre-tax dollars. A clinic can also provide a superbill, an itemized receipt you submit yourself for possible out-of-network reimbursement. When you call a clinic’s billing office, ask exactly what they will and won’t help you document. If coverage is the deciding factor, esketamine (Spravato) is the pathway that actually bills to insurance. For a straight answer on your specific plan, our insurance team can walk you through what to ask.
Who ketamine therapy is not for
Ketamine isn’t right for everyone, and a responsible clinic will tell you that before taking your money.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure and certain cardiac conditions. Ketamine raises blood pressure and heart rate, so it is contraindicated in people with uncontrolled hypertension, aneurysms, or recent heart attack, where a spike in blood pressure could cause serious complications. Esketamine trials excluded people with uncontrolled hypertension, hypertensive crisis history, or significant valvular heart disease for the same reason.
Active psychosis or mania. Ketamine can worsen psychotic symptoms, so it’s not appropriate for people with schizophrenia or active psychosis. Caution applies during manic episodes too.
Pregnancy. Ketamine is not safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
A history of substance use. This one deserves a real answer, not a reflexive no. Ketamine has abuse potential, so a substance use history calls for careful assessment and monitoring rather than automatic exclusion. That assessment matters in South Florida. Even as drug-related deaths across Florida fell 14% in 2024, with fentanyl remaining the leading drug involved in fatalities statewide, Broward County still recorded 371 drug poisoning deaths that year. The overlap between people seeking relief from treatment-resistant depression and people with a substance use history is not hypothetical here. Most ketamine clinics screen for it. We build treatment plans around it.
There is also a question of level of care. If someone is actively suicidal or unable to function day to day, an outpatient infusion series is the wrong first tool. Our residential mental health program in Fort Lauderdale exists for exactly those moments. A clinic that only does ketamine has no alternative to offer when the answer is “not yet.” We have a full continuum of care, so the conversation keeps going.
What a ketamine therapy session is actually like
Plan on two hours at the clinic, and arrange for someone else to drive you home.
A clinician takes your baseline vitals, and you settle into a quiet room. The dose is administered, and within minutes most people feel a dissociative effect: a sense of floating or detachment. Strange, but generally not frightening in a monitored setting. The acute experience lasts roughly 40 minutes to an hour, with a clinician monitoring your vitals throughout. Afterward you stay for observation before you are cleared to leave. You cannot drive for the rest of the day. Most people feel foggy for a few hours and back to baseline by the next morning.
Most protocols run six sessions before anyone expects to know whether ketamine is working. If it does not, that is real information, not a failure. For more, see our 10 things to know about ketamine therapy. At Recovery Unplugged, a psychiatrist manages your care, your treatment plan accounts for your full history, and you have access to therapy beyond the infusion itself.
Ketamine therapy side effects, and how long they last
Most side effects are short-lived. The common ones, including dissociation, transient high blood pressure, anxiety, blurred vision, dizziness, headache, and nausea, tend to be mild to moderate and typically clear within four hours. That’s what the monitoring period is there to catch.
Two longer-term concerns are worth knowing about. Heavy, sustained use is linked to ketamine-induced cystitis, a bladder condition documented mostly in recreational users but reported in at least one patient on a treatment dose. Questions about memory and cognition are similarly tied to chronic high-frequency use, not a supervised medical series. If you notice urinary symptoms during treatment, tell your clinic right away. Early cessation often reverses early damage.
What else is on the table
Ketamine is one option for treatment-resistant depression, not the only one. Esketamine (Spravato) is the FDA-approved, insurance-billable version, and the route to consider if coverage is your priority. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a non-drug, FDA-cleared alternative; our guide on whether TMS can treat depression and addiction covers how it works. And where symptoms are severe, a higher level of care comes before any outpatient series. Working with a program that offers all of these means you get a recommendation based on your situation, not a default.
FAQs
How much does ketamine therapy cost?
Ketamine therapy is priced per session, and a full induction series of about six sessions adds up before you factor in the psychiatric evaluation and any maintenance sessions afterward. The total varies depending on delivery route, whether therapy is bundled, and the clinic’s market. Ask any provider to confirm the all-in cost in writing before you commit.
Is ketamine therapy covered by insurance?
For racemic ketamine, usually not, because off-label use falls outside most plans’ coverage. Some plans reimburse the associated psychiatric or monitoring codes, and ketamine therapy is often HSA- and FSA-eligible, so ask your clinic’s billing team about those specifically. If coverage is essential, esketamine (Spravato) is the billable pathway.
Who is not a good candidate for ketamine therapy?
Ketamine is generally avoided for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, certain cardiac conditions, active psychosis or mania, and during pregnancy. A history of substance use calls for careful clinical assessment rather than automatic exclusion. If someone is actively suicidal or cannot function day to day, a higher level of care comes before an outpatient series.
What does ketamine therapy feel like?
Most people feel a dissociative effect within minutes: a sense of floating or detachment that is strange but generally not frightening in a monitored setting. The acute experience lasts roughly 40 minutes to an hour, followed by a monitoring period. You cannot drive afterward, and most people feel foggy for a few hours and back to baseline by the next morning.
How many sessions will I need?
Most protocols start with an induction series of about six sessions over two to three weeks. Clinicians usually wait until that series is complete before judging whether ketamine is working. If it helps, maintenance sessions keep the benefit going.
Does ketamine therapy work for depression?
For many people with treatment-resistant depression, yes. Meta-analyses report response rates of 35% to 55% and remission rates of 25% to 35%, with effects appearing rapidly but often fading within one to two weeks without maintenance. It does not work for everyone, which is why the induction series is treated as a trial.
How is Spravato different?
Spravato is esketamine, the only FDA-approved form of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, delivered as a nasal spray under a restricted REMS program and billable to insurance. Racemic ketamine is used off-label. We cover the Spravato pathway in a separate guide.
Can I do this if I am in recovery from addiction?
Possibly, but it requires careful clinical judgment rather than a blanket yes or no. Ketamine has abuse potential, so a history of substance use disorder means the decision depends on close assessment and monitoring. This is where working with a program that treats both addiction and mental health, rather than just one, matters most.
What to ask before you book anywhere
Before committing to any ketamine clinic, ours or anyone else’s, get clear answers to five questions: the total cost for the full series, what is and isn’t included in that number, who is in the room during your session, what happens if it doesn’t work, and whether they’ll help you attempt reimbursement. A clinic that dodges the first two is telling you something.
When you’re ready, our Fort Lauderdale mental health program will tell you what ketamine therapy will cost, whether you’re a good candidate, and what the alternatives look like if you’re not. After more than a decade treating co-occurring addiction and mental health conditions, our clinicians evaluate candidacy through both lenses at once. Talk to someone who will give you the real answer, not just the one that books a session.
