Illumma Ketamine Infusion Clinic - Central Austin — Local services in Austin

Odds are you're reading these reviews for one of two reasons:

-You've signed up for your ketamine infusions and are nervously trying to gather information about what your experience will be like. -Or you're on the fence, unsure of whether or not infusions are for you, and if so, which clinic you should go with.

This review will answer both of those for you.

Late last year when I was in your shoes, I was looking at Illumma and Roots as my two options for treatment. Quite simply: Illumma was cheaper and Roots didn't offer Intravenous options.

If you are seeking true healing, IV is the best way to go about that.

My nerves were through the roof when I walked in for my first of six infusions. I was afraid of what could come up for me during the infusion, what trauma the medicine might bring up. I also struggle with trust a great amount, so being at the mercy of a paramedic for this new-ish way to treat depression, ptsd, etc, was nerve-wracking.

But the staff here was as reassuring as I hoped they would be. They allowed me to bring someone I trusted into the infusion room for my first session. They didn't rush me. They reminded me at all times of why I was here (to heal) and why this was a safe place for me to do that (they are all trained professionals whose job it is to make you feel safe).

You have a paramedic in the room with you at all times whom you can talk to at any point during your infusion (though I recommend talking as little as possible). There is a TV if you want to watch nature videos or drone footage (though, again, I recommend against this). They offer headphones and these will be key for your infusion.

I highly suggest you listen to calming classical music for your first infusion (John Dowland, Isaac Albéniz,) and then research some of MAPS spotify playlists for your latter infusions.

Bring an eye mask with you and wear it for the duration of your infusion for sensory deprivation. You are here to heal and the best way to let the medicine do its work is to go internal (which is scary to most people, but SO important for this work).

The IV itself seems like it would be uncomfortable at first but you quickly forget you even have it. The sofa chair you sit on does a good job of relaxing you and they offer some blankets as well (which I highly recommend taking advantage of).

One final note about the staff:

When they say they care, they mean it. I developed a couple of friendships with my infusionists and remain friends with them even after my last infusion. I don't think my experience would have been the same without them.

I feel like I got to know them all as individuals, not just as people doing a job I was paying them to do. Most of them, it seems, got into this work because they care about helping others. And that REALLY came across during my time at Illumma.

One final note about your potential ketamine infusions:

Don't drown yourself in research. Everyone's experience with the medicine depends on what kind of stuff they bring to it (past trauma, depression, anxiety, ptsd, etc.).

But rest assured, if you know you want to try this, you can't go wrong...

I had been hearing about Ketamine infusion treatments for anxiety and depression as well as chronic pain for a while now. A friend of mine who suffered from extreme PTSD went through infusions and had a lot of success. The subject of Ketamine kept coming up in different conversations and I finally decided to reach out and see if Ketamine was something that might help me. I'm glad I did.

I have suffered a lifetime of depression and anxiety, many of those years it was debilitating. Not many people knew this about me because I, like many others, was adept at "behaving" well in public and falling apart when I got home. I was one of the fortunate ones who found a medication that helped my depression, but still the occasional breakthrough episode would rear its ugly head. My anxiety was only helped with medications that essentially left me tired and loopy. I have also suffered from chronic migraine for 10+ years. Tired of just throwing pills at my problems, I wanted to try something that had the potential to have long-lasting effects that would help my problems at their core and not just my symptoms.

In December 2019 I began my series of ketamine infusions. I finished in January, just 4 weeks later. When I started my treatments I was having migraines literally every single day. My depression was mostly managed with meds. My anxiety was intermittent. My social anxiety kept me from doing a lot of things that I used to love. Fast forward to today. My migraines have decreased to 1-2 per week. I haven't taken an anxiety pill since my treatment began. Over the holidays I managed to not only attend a holiday party, but I also stayed the entire time and even said my goodbyes to everyone (instead of slinking out the door when the party was in full swing, only saying goodbyes to the host). My clients are remarking on how happy I am and asking me what my secret is. I don't have any shame when it comes to my struggles so I am happy to share. Ketamine infusions have really transformed my daily outlook. I have more confidence and I feel like my "old" self. I can't thank the folks at Illumma enough. I have already recommended them to several friends, two of whom are starting the process very soon!

If you're still reading this, then you're like I was... searching for something... more... something different... something transformational.... I think you've landed at the...

On the whole the staff were professional and kind I felt they genuinely cared about my well-being. The facility was clean and comfortable. On the downside I feel I wasn't well prepared for the aftermath. The experience for the first hour or so was very interesting and euphoric at times. I didn't experience any especially unpleasant content or disturbing emotions, but it was much more intense and psychedelic than I expected. It's sort of like lucid dreaming. At times I lost touch when my own sense of self, sort of like a dream-within-a-dream where you lose track of what's real, and can't remember basic things about yourself.

After that I think was about an hour-and-a-half, they moved me to a recovery room, but I was surprisingly dysfunctional. The videos I watched didn't really prepare for me the comedown. I felt very fatigued and dull. It took great effort just to walk. I felt unsteady on my feet and slowly shuffled to the recovery room like a geriatric stroke victim. I had trouble with my memory and found it difficult to engage in intIelligent conversation. It was hard just to form complete sentences. Sometimes I just forgot what I wanted to say mid-sentence.

Three days later and I'm still feeling dull and tired. For the last few days, I feel like I've lost 10 or 20 IQ points. I'm having trouble focusing on my work, making decisions, staying on task, and remembering things--even having trouble spelling common words when writing in my journal.

I thought the session would leave me feeling energized and having a positive outlook, but the depleted, hungover, spaced out feeling is very troublesome. It's left me feeling damaged and depressed. I've been in a fantastic mood for the past few weeks, but after feeling a bit drunk, tired and dizzy more than 72 hours alter, I'm really left me feeling on the verge of tears.

Finally after three days I feel nearly normal again, but still a bit tired. Seems I had an uncommon reaction. A nutritionist supposed maybe a condition of low-blood sugar could have be a...