Anxiety Treatment
Clear the fog of anxiety. A different pathway for chronic, refractory anxiety.
For people whose anxiety hasn’t responded to SSRIs, SNRIs or CBT — the kind that doesn’t have a clear trigger and is just there, every day, in your chest, your stomach, your sleep. Our consultant-led IV ketamine programme in London works through a completely different mechanism, and most patients begin to notice change within the first 2–3 weeks.
- The Science
How ketamine treats anxiety — a different mechanism entirely.
SSRIs and SNRIs work on serotonin. Ketamine doesn’t. It acts on the glutamate system — modulating the overactive neural circuits behind hyperarousal and rumination. That’s why it can work when other anxiolytics haven’t, often within weeks rather than months.
Calms the Hyperactive Amygdala
Ketamine dampens overactivity in the amygdala — the brain's threat-detection centre — reducing the constant sense of danger that drives chronic anxiety.
Restores Prefrontal Control
By strengthening prefrontal cortex activity, ketamine helps restore the top-down regulation needed to interrupt rumination and worry loops.
Rebuilds Synaptic Plasticity
Ketamine drives rapid growth of new synaptic connections through BDNF and the mTOR pathway — helping the brain step out of anxiety's autopilot.
Resets the Stress Response
By modulating the glutamate system, ketamine helps recalibrate the HPA-axis stress response — reducing hyperarousal and physical symptoms like tremor, chest tightness and GI distress.
Severe → Mild
typical GAD-7 movement across our anxiety patients
2–3 weeks
typical window for many patients to feel the shift
70%+
overall response rate at Save Minds
- The Programme
What treatment actually looks like.
Every step is consultant-led. Every session is monitored. And between sessions, we track how you’re responding daily — not at your next appointment three months from now.
Consultant Assessment
A consultant psychiatrist reviews your medical history, anxiety presentation, and previous treatments. We screen for anything that would make treatment unsafe and take baseline measures on validated scales (GAD-7, HAM-A) so we can track your response objectively.
Preparation
You’ll fast for 4–6 hours before your session and arrange transport home. On arrival you’re settled in a private treatment room — dim lighting, quiet, comfortable — before your consultant confirms the plan with you.
IV Infusion
Ketamine is delivered intravenously over 40–60 minutes at a subanaesthetic dose (typically 0.5 mg/kg), titrated to your weight and response. Heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation are monitored throughout by a consultant anaesthetist.
Recovery & Debrief
You’ll rest in the clinic for 30–60 minutes as the acute effects wear off. Most people are back to their baseline within a few hours. Before you leave, we debrief the session and confirm the plan for the days ahead.
The Programme & Follow-Up
A full course is typically 6–8 sessions across 3–4 weeks. Between sessions, daily WhatsApp check-ins and validated scales let your consultant adjust the plan in real time. Booster sessions are scheduled based on how long your response holds.
- Refractory
Refractory Anxiety.
Chronic, treatment-resistant anxiety that hasn’t responded to medication or therapy. The kind that doesn’t have a clear trigger — it’s just there, every day, in your chest, your stomach, your sleep, your decision-making.
Who this is for
- Generalised anxiety that's persisted despite SSRIs or SNRIs
- Panic disorder unresponsive to CBT
- Health anxiety, social anxiety, or constant rumination
- Physical symptoms — chest tightness, tremor, GI issues — with no medical cause
- Inability to sleep or relax even when nothing is wrong
How we help
Ketamine modulates the overactive neural circuits behind hyperarousal and rumination. By enhancing synaptic plasticity, it helps the brain step out of the loop that keeps anxiety running on autopilot — often within the first two to three weeks of treatment
Consultant-led from day one
Your treatment is planned and delivered by a consultant psychiatrist and consultant anaesthetist — not delegated to junior clinicians.
Daily monitoring between sessions
Short WhatsApp check-ins plus validated clinical scales give your consultant real-time visibility of how you're responding — and let them adjust the plan session by session.
A programme designed to hold
The full course is 6–8 sessions across 3–4 weeks, with booster sessions timed to your individual response — so the benefits are sustained, not fleeting
Step out of the loop of chronic worry.
If anxiety medication and therapy haven’t given you lasting relief, the next step is a short eligibility check or a free, no-pressure call with our team.