The Hidden Danger in Ketamine Infusion Clinics: When the Wrong Doctors Deliver a Powerful Drug

Ketamine infusions a powerful tool but only in the hands of a well-trained physician

In the growing world of ketamine therapy, a dangerous trend is emerging—one that puts lives, including children's lives, at serious risk.

Ketamine is not a toy.

It is a powerful anesthetic—classified as a Schedule III controlled substance—that was originally developed for use in operating rooms by board-certified anesthesiologists and critical care physicians, professionals rigorously trained to manage its profound effects on the brain, heart, and airway. Yet today, across the United States, family medicine doctors, psychiatrists, and even pediatricians—many with no formal training in anesthesia—are delivering ketamine infusions in office suites and converted therapy rooms.

And they are doing it with virtually no regulation, no oversight, and no standardized training.

❗ Untrained Hands, Dangerous Outcomes for Undertrained Ketamine Infusion Clinics

Let’s be clear: Family physicians, pediatricians, and psychiatrists are not trained to safely administer anesthetics, especially not at the high, dissociative doses required to treat chronic pain syndromes like CRPS, fibromyalgia, or treatment-resistant depression.

Administering ketamine isn’t like giving a vitamin shot or writing a prescription. It requires:

• Advanced airway management skills

• Continuous cardiovascular monitoring

• Knowledge of anesthetic depth and emergency intervention

• An ability to respond immediately to complications like apnea, arrhythmias, or blood pressure crashes

These are not skills taught in psychiatry residency. They are not covered in family medicine rotations. And they are certainly not learned in a weekend “ketamine workshop.”

Yet that's exactly what many of these providers rely on: 1-week certification courses with no national standard, no board endorsement, and no accountability.

Pediatricians Administering Ketamine Infusions to Children?

The situation becomes even more alarming when pediatricians—who specialize in general child health, not anesthetic pharmacology—begin infusing ketamine into developing brains. This is not only unsupported by the FDA, but it is dangerously experimental.

There are no long-term studies on the effects of repeated ketamine exposure in children for mental health treatment. None. So why are some pediatricians offering this as a cash-pay service to desperate parents?

Would you let your child undergo general anesthesia in a back room of a clinic without an anesthesiologist present? Would you accept that risk for yourself?

💸 Cash-Pay Clinics: Profits Over Patient Safety

Many of these providers operate outside hospital systems and insurance networks, taking advantage of the cash-pay model to avoid scrutiny. They advertise ketamine infusions for everything from anxiety to migraines, often with little to no medical evaluation or integration with psychiatric care.

In these unregulated clinics:

• There’s often no crash cart.

• No staff trained in advanced life support.

• No medical board oversight of dosing protocols.

• And, critically, no anesthesiologist on site.

This isn’t innovation. This is experimentation on vulnerable patients—patients in crisis, often seeking relief as a last resort.

⚠️ You Deserve Safe, Evidence-Based Care

The promise of ketamine is real. When administered safely, in the right setting, by the right hands, it can be life-changing. But the danger is also real when corners are cut in the name of profit.

Ask yourself:

• Is the provider trained in anesthesia?

• Are they capable of managing airway emergencies?

• Do they monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation during the infusion?

• Do they have emergency drugs and resuscitation equipment on site?

• Have they disclosed the experimental nature of ketamine for many off-label uses?

If the answer to any of these is “no”—walk away. Your life is worth more than a risky shortcut.

🚨 This Is a Call to Action

Medical boards must act. Regulators must step in. And patients must be informed. As it stands now, we are allowing undertrained physicians to deliver powerful anesthetics with little oversight and no safety net.

This is not just unethical—it’s dangerous.

If you or a loved one is considering ketamine therapy, demand care from a provider trained in anesthesiology, critical care, or emergency medicine. Anything less is a gamble you shouldn’t have to take.

Your life—and the lives of your children—depend on it.