Ketamine for Addiction Recovery
Support in Baltimore
Addressing the untreated PTSD and depression that drive relapse — within a comprehensive recovery program
Ketamine for addiction recovery Baltimore costs $499.99 per session ($375 for Vitality Circle members) and is evaluated only as adjunct support inside a comprehensive recovery program — never a standalone treatment for substance use disorder, and never a substitute for medication-assisted treatment (MAT), residential programs, or 12-step support. It is delivered as anesthesiologist-led care, under the medical direction of Dr. Brijen Joshi MD, a Johns Hopkins anesthesiologist, with a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) on-site. The primary rationale is treating the co-occurring depression and PTSD that most often drive relapse; controlled trials also show effects on craving in alcohol and cocaine use disorder. Stated plainly: active substance use disorder is a general exclusion, so only patients in stable, documented recovery are evaluated, case by case. Ketamine has abuse potential and is used in a controlled clinical setting only. Self-pay with an itemized superbill you can file with your insurance.
"The team is extremely professional, compassionate and knowledgeable — they take the time to explain the process thoroughly and care about your well-being throughout." — Google review, Vita Nova patient
Founder & Medical Director, Vita Nova · Johns Hopkins Faculty Physician · Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine · Chief, Thoracic Anesthesia, Johns Hopkins Hospital · Board-Certified Anesthesiologist
Mon–Fri: 1PM–8PM · Sat: 10AM–2PM
513 Bayview Blvd, Canton, Baltimore MD 21224
(443) 563-1059
Tell Us About Your Situation
Answer a few quick questions — our clinical team reaches out within 1 business day to discuss whether ketamine therapy may be right for you.
Your information is confidential. A clinical team member follows up within 1 business day.
What This Page Is — And Isn't
Addiction is not a character flaw. It is a medical condition with measurable neurobiological changes — in glutamate signaling, reward circuits, stress response systems, and the prefrontal circuits responsible for impulse control and future planning. For many people in recovery, the most dangerous force is not cravings — it is untreated depression and unresolved PTSD that makes sobriety feel unbearable. This page is for those patients. It is not a claim that ketamine cures addiction. It is an honest account of what ketamine may offer as part of a comprehensive recovery program — and what it cannot offer, and for whom it is not appropriate.
An adjunct clinical evaluation for patients in active recovery who have co-occurring PTSD, depression, or treatment-refractory comorbidities driving relapse — administered in a controlled clinical setting as part of a broader program.
A standalone addiction treatment. A substitute for MAT (buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone). A replacement for residential programs, IOP, 12-step support, or therapy. A home prescription. An option for patients with active, uncontrolled substance use.
Patients engaged in an active, comprehensive recovery program who have documented co-occurring PTSD or treatment-resistant depression, and who are in stable, documented recovery — active substance use disorder is a general exclusion for ketamine therapy, so evaluation is case by case.
Patients with active, uncontrolled substance use. Patients not engaged with a primary recovery program. Patients for whom ketamine's own abuse potential represents an unacceptable risk given their specific substance use history. Evaluated individually — no blanket rule.
Untreated PTSD & Depression — The Engine Driving Relapse
The vast majority of patients who arrive at Vita Nova asking about ketamine for addiction recovery are not primarily asking about craving reduction. They are asking about the unbearable psychological pain that makes staying sober feel impossible. Co-occurring PTSD and treatment-resistant depression are among the most powerful predictors of relapse in addiction recovery — and addressing them is the most important thing ketamine can offer this population.
PTSD and substance use disorder co-occur at extraordinarily high rates — approximately 40–60% of people seeking addiction treatment meet criteria for PTSD. The relationship is bidirectional: trauma drives substance use as a coping mechanism, and active addiction exposes individuals to further traumatic events. The hyperarousal, intrusive re-experiencing, and emotional numbing of PTSD create a physiological state that substances temporarily — and destructively — relieve. Standard addiction treatments do not address PTSD. Without treating the underlying PTSD, relapse risk remains elevated regardless of the strength of the recovery program.
Ketamine's fear memory reconsolidation disruption and rapid prefrontal synaptogenesis directly targets the NMDA-mediated hyperarousal and avoidance that drives PTSD-related substance use. See the full PTSD page →
Depression and addiction are deeply intertwined — each worsens the other. Approximately 30–40% of people with substance use disorders have co-occurring major depression. Long-term substance use alters the brain's reward circuits in ways that produce persistent anhedonia and low mood during sobriety. For patients with co-occurring treatment-resistant depression, sobriety without treatment feels physically painful. Standard antidepressants often fail or take too long to work during the highest-risk early recovery period.
Ketamine's rapid synaptogenesis in reward circuits may restore hedonic capacity during early recovery, reducing the anhedonic "gray" that makes sobriety unbearable. See the full treatment-resistant depression page →
The Mechanism — Glutamate, Reward Circuits & Craving
Beyond treating co-occurring PTSD and depression, ketamine's NMDA-blocking mechanism has direct relevance to the neurobiological changes that addiction produces in reward and executive function circuits — particularly in alcohol and cocaine use disorder.
The Research — What the Evidence Shows by Substance
The evidence base for ketamine in addiction varies significantly by substance. Alcohol use disorder has the most rigorous published evidence. Cocaine has one important controlled trial. Opioid use disorder is the most clinically complex. All uses are off-label.
Dakwar et al. (2020, PMID 31786934) conducted the most rigorous trial to date — a randomized controlled trial of IV ketamine combined with motivational enhancement therapy versus midazolam active control plus MET. The ketamine group showed significantly greater reduction in heavy drinking days and significantly greater likelihood of abstinence at 2-week follow-up.
Dakwar et al. (2019, PMID 31230464) conducted a randomized controlled trial of a single IV ketamine infusion combined with mindfulness-based relapse prevention versus midazolam plus MBRP for cocaine use disorder. The ketamine group showed significantly greater reduction in cocaine craving at 24 hours and significantly greater likelihood of abstinence at 2-week follow-up.
Opioid use disorder presents unique clinical complexity for ketamine evaluation. Patients on buprenorphine or methadone MAT require specific evaluation — ketamine interactions with opioid receptor pharmacology must be reviewed. The primary rationale for opioid use disorder patients is typically co-occurring PTSD or depression, not direct craving reduction.
For nicotine, methamphetamine, benzodiazepine, and cannabis use disorders, the specific ketamine evidence base is limited. For these presentations at Vita Nova, the evaluation focuses primarily on co-occurring PTSD or depression as the principal indication. Individual eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Not all presentations are offered a care pathway.
Ketamine's Abuse Potential — Addressed Directly
This section exists because it must. Offering ketamine — a Schedule III controlled substance with known abuse and dependence potential — to patients in addiction recovery is the most clinically sensitive evaluation Vita Nova performs.
Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance under the DEA. It has known abuse and dependence potential. These facts are central to the evaluation process for every addiction recovery patient — not disclosed in fine print.
- Controlled clinical setting only. At Vita Nova, ketamine for addiction recovery support is administered in a supervised clinical environment at 513 Bayview Blvd, Canton, Baltimore MD 21224. It is never prescribed for home use in this context.
- Patient selection is the primary clinical variable. Not all patients in addiction recovery are candidates. The nature of the substance use disorder, current recovery stability, engagement with a primary recovery program, and individual risk-benefit profile are all evaluated. Patients with active, uncontrolled substance use are not offered a care pathway.
- The dissociative experience requires careful management. The altered state produced by ketamine infusions is monitored throughout every session under the medical direction of Dr. Brijen Joshi MD, in a clearly therapeutic framing.
- Coordination with your addiction medicine provider is required. Vita Nova does not evaluate addiction recovery patients in isolation. Coordination with your addiction medicine physician, MAT prescriber, and recovery program is part of the evaluation process.
- If you have concerns about ketamine's abuse potential in your specific situation, name them during the evaluation. Your Vita Nova provider will engage directly with this concern — not minimize it.
Cost at Vita Nova Baltimore
Substance use disorder is not an FDA-approved indication for ketamine — all use for addiction recovery support is off-label, and ketamine at Vita Nova is self-pay. Each session is delivered as anesthesiologist-led care, under the medical direction of Dr. Brijen Joshi MD — a Johns Hopkins faculty physician and Chief of Thoracic Anesthesia at Johns Hopkins Hospital — in a private treatment room with continuous cardiac and vital-sign monitoring and individualized dosing. The price reflects physician-level, monitored care, not a walk-in vitamin drip. Choosing the Complete Series lowers the effective per-session cost and adds 3 complimentary hydration IVs.
| Treatment | Non-Member | Vitality Circle Member | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketamine Infusion — per session Off-Label | $499.99 | $375 | $124.99/session |
| Complete Series — 6 infusions +3 complimentary hydration IVs | $2,849.94 | $2,250 | $599.94 |
Self-pay, with a superbill. Vita Nova is self-pay for ketamine. We provide an itemized superbill you can file with your insurance. HSA and FSA accepted; Community Heroes discounts available. Sessions determined individually. Pricing August 2026 — subject to change. Full pricing guide →
Complementary Treatments Supporting Recovery
Several wellness services at Vita Nova address the profound nutritional and neurological deficits that substance use disorders create. Vitality Circle members receive significant discounts on all of the below.
NAD+ is the most clinically relevant wellness service for patients in addiction recovery. Alcohol and opioid use disorders severely deplete NAD+ reserves — contributing to the profound fatigue, cognitive impairment, and anhedonia of early recovery. High-dose IV NAD+ has been studied as a recovery support in its own right. IV delivery achieves therapeutic concentrations that oral supplementation cannot approach.
Members: 25% off all dosesChronic alcohol use, poor nutrition, and GI irritation in active addiction commonly cause iron-deficiency anemia — a frequently missed driver of the fatigue, low mood, and brain fog of early recovery. Iron IV therapy restores iron stores faster than oral iron when a deficiency is confirmed by labs. Iron does not treat addiction — it removes a physical drag on recovery energy. Ask about iron testing if fatigue persists.
Members: discounted pricingAlcohol use disorder severely depletes thiamine (B1), B12, and folate — deficiencies that can cause Wernicke's encephalopathy in severe cases and contribute to cognitive impairment and mood dysregulation in recovery. IM B-Complex repletion provides the full spectrum of B vitamins at therapeutic doses. Always coordinate with your addiction medicine provider regarding thiamine status.
✅ Included for Vitality Circle members (2 shots/month)Alcohol use disorder is among the most common causes of severe magnesium depletion — contributing to anxiety, sleep disruption, and elevated stress reactivity in early recovery. Magnesium modulates NMDA receptor sensitivity directly relevant to ketamine's mechanism. IM delivery achieves immediate repletion bypassing the poor GI absorption common in alcohol recovery.
✅ Included for Vitality Circle members (2 shots/month)Oxidative stress is significantly elevated by chronic alcohol and substance use — depleting the body's primary antioxidant, glutathione. IM glutathione supports hepatic and neurological recovery — complementing the cellular restoration that NAD+ IV therapy aims to achieve in early recovery.
✅ Included for Vitality Circle members (2 shots/month)Important: These wellness services are not addiction treatments. Always coordinate with your addiction medicine physician, MAT prescriber, and recovery program before beginning supplemental therapy.
Special Pricing for Those Who Serve
Substance use disorders carry particular burdens for veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers — populations where occupational trauma, PTSD, and moral injury create elevated rates of substance use. The Community Heroes program ensures cost is not the final barrier.
Addiction Recovery & Ketamine — Questions Answered
Common questions from patients in recovery and their families evaluating ketamine therapy in Baltimore.
Recovery Deserves Every
Clinically Valid Tool
When untreated PTSD and depression are driving relapse, addressing them changes the equation. Careful individual evaluation. Coordination with your recovery team. Self-pay with an itemized superbill. Community Heroes discounts available for veterans and first responders.
Canonical URL: https://vitanovawellnessclinic.com/ketamine-addiction-recovery-baltimore/ · Last reviewed August 2026
Medically reviewed by Dr. Brijen L. Joshi MD — Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine · Chief of Thoracic Anesthesia, Johns Hopkins Hospital · Medical Director, Vita Nova Ketamine & Wellness Clinic · View credentials →
