Broadly speaking, ketamine works with your body’s glutamate system. Glutamate is an amino acid and the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain.
When glutamate receptors become overactivated, the neural pathways may become dysregulated and result in depressive symptoms.
Ketamine helps by blocking the glutamate receptors while building new neural pathways that lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms. Relief is often felt within one to two days.