Oxycodone (Percocet, OxyContin) and Ketamine Therapy | Tovani Health
OxyContin (Oxycodone) (also: Percocet, Roxicodone) — Opioid analgesic (mu-receptor agonist)
Verdict at Tovani Health
Compatible with caution; additive sedation and respiratory depression are the real things to plan around.
Oxycodone and ketamine can be combined under appropriate monitoring. The interaction is additive CNS and respiratory depression, which matters most in the session window. We do not ask patients on stable oxycodone for chronic pain to stop it, but we may delay or modify session timing if doses are high or recently escalated.
If you take OxyContin regularly and are considering at-home ketamine therapy, the combination is safe with monitoring or dose adjustment. This page covers the brief pharmacologic context and what we do at intake.
How OxyContin interacts with ketamine
Oxycodone agonizes mu-opioid receptors, producing analgesia and dose-dependent respiratory depression. Ketamine independently can depress respiration at higher doses. The combination amplifies that effect, especially in opioid-naive patients or with recent dose changes.
What we do at intake
Disclose dose, frequency, and how long you have been on it. We ask you to hold or reduce a dose the morning of a session when feasible. Tell us about any recent dose escalations.
Bottom line
Oxycodone and ketamine can be combined under appropriate monitoring. The interaction is additive CNS and respiratory depression, which matters most in the session window. We do not ask patients on stable oxycodone for chronic pain to stop it, but we may delay or modify session timing if doses are high or recently escalated.
Frequently Asked Questions
I take Percocet daily for chronic pain. Can I still do KAP?
Yes, with careful planning. We coordinate with your pain prescriber and may adjust session timing or dose.
Ready to find out if at-home ketamine fits your situation?
We’ll note that you’re on OxyContin (Oxycodone) 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.
- Ketamine as an adjuvant to opioids for cancer pain. Bell RF, Eccleston C, Kalso EA.. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017. PMID: 28657160
Cochrane systematic review evaluating ketamine added to opioid therapy for cancer pain.
- Attenuation of Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine by Opioid Receptor Antagonism. Williams NR, Heifets BD, Blasey C, et al.. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2018. PMID: 30153752
Landmark study showing pretreatment with naltrexone (opioid receptor antagonist) blocks the antidepressant effect of ketamine.
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.