When used for anesthesia, ketamine is given as an intravenous injection (IV) or as an intramuscular injection (IM).

Esketamine (Spravato) is used to treat depression; it is one of the forms of racemic ketamine and was FDA-approved in 2019 for specific types of depression. Spravato is a nasal spray that is used under strict medical supervision and is not used by patients at home.

Ketamine is FDA-approved as a general anesthetic to be used as the sole anesthetic agent for diagnostic and surgical procedures that do not require skeletal muscle relaxation. It is also used to induce anesthesia prior to the administration of other general anesthetic agents and as a supplement to other anesthetic agents. Ketamine is not FDA-approved for depression; it is used off-label for this condition.