Ketamine Therapy Expands in South Florida as Mental Health Treatment Evolves

South Florida’s mental health treatment landscape is changing as medically supervised ketamine therapy becomes more widely available to people who have struggled to find relief through conventional care.

According to a recent NewsRadio WIOD report, ketamine therapy provider Nushama has opened a treatment center in Aventura offering intravenous ketamine to medically eligible patients. The organization says it has administered treatments to more than 3,000 people.

The expansion reflects a broader transformation happening across American mental health care. Researchers and clinicians are increasingly investigating medicines that work differently from traditional antidepressants—including ketamine, esketamine, psilocybin and other psychoactive compounds.

However, the growing excitement requires an equally serious conversation about medical supervision, regulatory status, patient screening, costs and potential risks.

Why Ketamine Therapy Is Expanding in South Florida

Millions of people live with depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety and other mental health conditions. For some, psychotherapy and commonly prescribed medications provide meaningful relief. Others may try several medications without experiencing an adequate response.

This is frequently described as treatment-resistant depression, although the precise definition can vary between clinicians, researchers and insurance providers.

Ketamine has attracted attention because its effects may emerge more rapidly than those associated with conventional antidepressants. Instead of primarily acting on serotonin or norepinephrine, ketamine affects the brain’s glutamate system and blocks a receptor known as the N-methyl-D-aspartate, or NMDA, receptor.

Researchers continue investigating how these effects may influence neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form and reorganize connections.

A 2024 review of randomized controlled trials found that both intravenous ketamine and intranasal esketamine reduced depressive symptoms compared with control treatments. The authors also cautioned that the overall quality of evidence was limited by factors including relatively small studies and possible publication bias. That is an important reminder that “promising” and “proven for everyone” are not the same thing. Read the study through PubMed.

How South Florida’s New Ketamine Center Works

The Aventura center highlighted by WIOD administers ketamine through controlled intravenous infusions following medical screening.

Dr. Steven Radowitz, Nushama’s chief medical officer, told reporters that many patients seeking this treatment have experienced trauma or other difficult events and have already tried therapy or multiple medications.

That screening process matters. Ketamine can temporarily alter perception, produce dissociation and increase blood pressure or heart rate. A professionally operated clinic should evaluate a patient’s medical history, psychiatric history, medications, cardiovascular health and potential risk factors before deciding whether treatment is appropriate.

The medicine should not be separated from the medical system surrounding it.

Is Ketamine FDA-Approved for Depression?

This is where the terminology can become confusing.

Ketamine has been FDA-approved as an anesthetic for decades. However, intravenous ketamine is not specifically FDA-approved to treat depression or other psychiatric conditions. When clinicians prescribe or administer IV ketamine for mental health treatment, they are using it “off-label.”

Off-label prescribing is legal and common throughout medicine. It means a licensed clinician is using an approved medication for a condition, dosage or method of administration that does not appear in the medication’s approved labeling.

Esketamine is different.

Esketamine is closely related to ketamine and is sold as the prescription nasal spray Spravato. According to its current FDA prescribing information, Spravato is approved for treatment-resistant depression in adults, either by itself or with an oral antidepressant. It is also approved, in conjunction with an oral antidepressant, for depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder accompanied by acute suicidal ideation or behavior.

The FDA-approved label also explains that Spravato has not been shown to prevent suicide or eliminate the need for hospitalization when hospitalization is clinically appropriate.

Is Ketamine a Psychedelic?

Ketamine is often discussed alongside psychedelic therapies because it can produce altered perception, dissociation and profound subjective experiences. Pharmacologically, however, ketamine is not considered a classic psychedelic like psilocybin or LSD.

Classic psychedelics primarily produce their characteristic effects through serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. Ketamine primarily acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist within the glutamate system.

That scientific distinction does not mean the patient’s subjective experience is irrelevant. Some people describe changes in perspective, emotional distance from traumatic memories or a temporary interruption of rigid patterns of thought.

But an intense experience alone should not be confused with a successful medical outcome. The goal of treatment is measurable, sustainable improvement in a patient’s life—not simply producing an altered state.

What Are the Risks of Ketamine Therapy?

Ketamine is a serious medication, not a wellness accessory.

Potential effects and risks can include:

• Dissociation or perceptual changes
• Sedation
• Dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Temporary increases in blood pressure
• Impaired coordination, attention or judgment
• Anxiety or distress during treatment
• Misuse, dependence or compulsive use
• Cardiovascular or respiratory complications in some patients

The FDA-approved esketamine label carries boxed warnings concerning sedation, dissociation, respiratory depression, abuse and misuse, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in certain younger patients. Spravato must be administered under professional supervision, and patients must be monitored for at least two hours.

The FDA has also warned about potential risks associated with compounded ketamine products, particularly when products are used at home without adequate monitoring. Compounded ketamine products are not themselves FDA-approved.

People considering ketamine treatment should ask who will conduct their screening, who will monitor them during treatment, what emergency procedures are available and how follow-up care will be handled.

What Is Ketamine Integration?

Medication may be only one part of the process.

Some treatment programs include preparation before the ketamine session and integration afterward. Integration generally refers to reflecting on the experience and translating any insights into healthier behaviors, relationships or therapeutic work.

Depending on the program, this may involve a licensed psychotherapist, psychiatrist, psychologist or another qualified mental health professional.

Integration is not a guarantee that treatment will work. However, it reflects a larger principle: mental health care should address the person’s ongoing life, not just what happens during an infusion.

Patients should ask whether psychotherapy or integration is included in the advertised price, offered separately or unavailable through the clinic.

How Much Does IV Ketamine Therapy Cost?

Cost remains one of the largest barriers.

Because IV ketamine for psychiatric treatment is an off-label use, insurance coverage can be limited. Patients may be responsible for medical consultations, individual infusions, follow-up appointments and integration services.

A complete course can become expensive, particularly if maintenance infusions are recommended.

Before beginning treatment, patients should request a written explanation of:

• The total anticipated cost
• The number of initial sessions
• Whether maintenance treatments may be recommended
• Which services are included
• The clinic’s cancellation and refund policies
• Whether any portion may qualify for insurance reimbursement

People should be cautious of clinics promising guaranteed remission, permanent transformation or a universal treatment schedule.

Ketamine Is One Option, Not the Only Option

Ketamine’s expansion should not create the impression that every person with depression needs an infusion.

Other evidence-based options can include psychotherapy, conventional medication, medication augmentation, transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroconvulsive therapy. Lifestyle factors and underlying medical conditions may also need to be addressed as part of an individualized treatment plan.

The appropriate choice depends on diagnosis, medical history, symptom severity, previous treatments, personal preferences and access to qualified care.

Anyone experiencing an immediate mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide should not wait for a future ketamine appointment. In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 911 if there is an immediate danger.

What South Florida’s Ketamine Expansion Really Means

The opening of another medically supervised ketamine center in South Florida is more than a story about one clinic. It demonstrates how quickly the boundaries of mental health treatment are evolving.

For patients who have spent years cycling through treatments without adequate relief, that evolution may represent genuine hope. But hope must remain connected to evidence, informed consent and professional accountability.

Ketamine is neither a miracle cure nor something that should be dismissed because it can produce an altered state. It is a powerful medicine with encouraging evidence for certain patients, meaningful limitations and real risks.

South Florida’s growing interest in ketamine therapy shows that the public is ready for a wider conversation about mental health innovation. The next challenge is ensuring that education, safety and responsible medical care grow alongside access.

This article is provided for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Ketamine and esketamine are prescription medications that should only be used under the direction of appropriately licensed healthcare professionals.