DMT and Ayahuasca and Ketamine Therapy | Tovani Health
Ayahuasca (DMT) (also: Changa) — Serotonergic psychedelic (5-HT2A agonist; DEA Schedule I)
Verdict at Tovani Health
Federally illegal; we space sessions from any active use as with other psychedelics.
DMT (including ayahuasca, which combines DMT with an MAOI to make it orally active) is a DEA Schedule I controlled substance in the United States. Pharmacologically, isolated DMT has a very short duration (15-30 minutes smoked, 1-3 hours injected), while ayahuasca's MAOI component extends the experience to 4-6 hours and adds a separate set of medication-interaction concerns. We do not run ketamine sessions during active use or in the recovery window. Recent recreational or ceremonial use does not permanently disqualify you from KAP. The MAOI in ayahuasca specifically requires more caution: see the MAOI page for our approach to washout periods.
If you take Ayahuasca regularly and are considering at-home ketamine therapy, the combination is depends on your specific situation. This page covers the brief pharmacologic context and what we do at intake.
How Ayahuasca interacts with ketamine
DMT agonizes 5-HT2A serotonin receptors, producing classical psychedelic effects. Ayahuasca brews combine DMT with beta-carbolines (harmine, harmaline) that reversibly inhibit MAO-A, making the DMT orally active. The MAOI component is the bigger concern for ketamine planning because of additive catecholamine-handling risk.
What we do at intake
Disclose recent or planned DMT or ayahuasca use. We ask for at least 7 days between any DMT experience and a ketamine session. For ayahuasca specifically, the MAOI activity warrants a longer washout (we use 14 days). We are not an enforcement service; honest disclosure lets us plan safely.
Bottom line
DMT (including ayahuasca, which combines DMT with an MAOI to make it orally active) is a DEA Schedule I controlled substance in the United States. Pharmacologically, isolated DMT has a very short duration (15-30 minutes smoked, 1-3 hours injected), while ayahuasca's MAOI component extends the experience to 4-6 hours and adds a separate set of medication-interaction concerns. We do not run ketamine sessions during active use or in the recovery window. Recent recreational or ceremonial use does not permanently disqualify you from KAP. The MAOI in ayahuasca specifically requires more caution: see the MAOI page for our approach to washout periods.
Ready to find out if at-home ketamine fits your situation?
We’ll note that you’re on Ayahuasca (DMT) at intake. The eligibility check takes 5 minutes and gives you an honest answer about whether at-home ketamine fits your specific situation.
FL and NJ residents only. Benjamin Soffer, DO — Tovani Health.
Sources
The verdict and clinical guidance on this page are based on the following peer-reviewed literature and FDA prescribing information.
- Psychedelics. Nichols DE. Pharmacological Reviews. 2016. PMID: 26841800
Landmark pharmacology review covering DMT and other classical psychedelics.
Clinically reviewed
Reviewed by Benjamin Soffer, DO on May 16, 2026. Dr. Soffer is a board-certified physician (American Board of Internal Medicine) licensed in Florida and New Jersey, prescribing at-home ketamine therapy through Tovani Health.
This page is general information about how this medication interacts with at-home ketamine therapy at Tovani Health. It is not a substitute for medical advice from your prescribing physician about your specific situation. Always discuss medication changes with the doctor who prescribed them.