Last August, Innerbloom Ketamine opened its doors in San Luis Obispo, offering legal, IV-administered microdoses of ketamine to people in the community seeking treatment.
Cal Poly graduate student Tanya Winje says ketamine cured her decades of chronic nightmares.
“In my research, I had studied ketamine and I wanted to see if I could try and relieve my nightmares because they were becoming increasingly debilitating in my life,” Winje explained.
Winje, who studies psychology, says early childhood trauma left her struggling with nightmares for the past 35 years. She says she tried medication, therapy and other methods to alleviate the issue, to no avail.
During a Cal Poly lecture this past spring, she met Dr. Ray Rivas.
“Dr. Rivas came to one of our courses and gave a lecture about alternative treatments,” Winje added.
She says she then scheduled a consultation with Dr. Rivas to explain her situation and elaborate on why she was seeking ketamine treatment.
“I participated in six rounds of the intravenous ketamine treatment and got relief!” Winje told KSBY.
Dr. Rivas says before founding Innerbloom Ketamine, he worked around the country as a trauma surgeon, oftentimes administering the drug to individuals with acute anxiety issues caused by gunshot wounds, car wrecks, and other serious injuries.
He said he took notice of the rapid impacts of the drug, and after years of performing surgeries in the operating room, he changed course.
“It was so life-changing to me that it made me change my career and pursue a different career,” Dr. Rivas said. “At first, I was doing surgery in addition to this clinic, but I found this to be just so rewarding.”
Dr. Rivas admits ketamine is not for everyone, adding that he and other licensed therapists at his clinic conduct multiple rounds of screenings before people are allowed to enroll for treatment.
“The people who come in expecting a magic pill and are not willing to do the work, which involves working with a therapist. Those are the people we screen out,” he explained.
He says potential clients are provided with the risks and possible side effects of the drug.
While IV-administered ketamine is legal, Dr. Rivas is advocating for its FDA approval.
For now, ketamine is only approved for use in general anesthesia, not the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
“I am hopeful that in the next couple of years, this will be covered by insurance, so it allows access to people who really need it,” Dr. Rivas said.
But in light of the sedative and psychological impacts of the drug, some experts argue more research is needed before IV-administered ketamine treatment receives FDA approval.
Winje tells KSBY while IV ketamine treatment brought relief for her, she is not speaking on behalf of others.
“I am not here to say everyone needs to do this. I think everyone needs to educate themselves, make their choice, talk with their doctors, do their homework, and make a calculated decision for themselves,” Winje recommended.
Dr. Rivas says his clinic is also starting to get more referrals from local psychiatrists and therapists.
Innerbloom Ketamine’s standard treatment plan includes six infusions and three psychotherapy sessions and costs just under $4,000.
