Do any psychiatrists have experience using ketamine for treatment resistant depression? this seems to be a growingly popular and relatively successful treatment / approach.

Short term: This is a short term treatment, and has to be repeated in a few days or weeks depending on how long the effects last for you. it has not been FDA approved for long term treatment, and has to be given as an infusion in a monitored setting. It does however act fast, as soon as you get it, which is why it has been looked at as an alternative to traditional SSRIs that take weeks to start working.

Ketamine: Just a caution, recently had a patient who was given ketamine as anesthesia for surgery without their permission and had an exceptionally terrifying experience coming out of anesthesia, and then what was basically a bad flashback trip later that day. University studies on things like these are extremely controlled, subjects very carefully chosen and dose and administration very controlled.

Experimental: I have not used it. It is still experimental and in research. It may be used in very controlled circumstances for resistant depression. Usually depression is quite treatable by medication, therapy or both.

Definitely yes: Ketamine is sometimes used to treat a treatment resistant depressions, but in the outpatients settings the other means are used, like small doses of seroquel, abilify, (aripiprazole) rexulti, lithium or most recently TMS, transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Experimental: Studies are promising using a single or two doses in one study of patients with treatment resistant depression. It is not FDA approved however, and further investigation is warranted.

Yes: Like other Psychiatrist has answered, it is still not FDA approved, but it is worth a try if the depression has been refractory. But insurance normally do not cover the cost.