In recent years, there has been a growing focus on finding effective treatments for mental health conditions, particularly for those that are considered to be treatment-resistant. One such condition is depression, which affects millions of people worldwide. While traditional therapies such as oral antidepressants have been the go-to option for managing depression, they do not work for everyone. This is where Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray comes into play, and Bloom Health Centers will go over some of the key points of it.
Spravato is a relatively new treatment for depression that has been approved by the FDA. It is used in conjunction with oral antidepressants and is specifically designed for individuals who have not found relief with traditional therapies. This includes those who have tried multiple medications, therapy, and other forms of treatment without success.
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The main ingredient in Spravato is esketamine, a derivative of the anesthetic ketamine. It works by targeting the NMDA receptor in the brain, which is believed to play a role in depression. By targeting this receptor, Spravato helps to regulate the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, ultimately improving mood and reducing symptoms of depression.
One of the major advantages of using Spravato as a treatment option is its mode of administration. Unlike traditional medications for mental health, Spravato comes in the form of a nasal spray, making it incredibly easy to use. This eliminates the need for any specialized equipment or training, making it accessible to a wider range of patients. Additionally, the convenience of using a nasal spray can help reduce any stigma that may be associated with seeking mental health treatments.
Another advantage of Spravato is its relatively fast-acting effects. While traditional antidepressants can take weeks or even months to show results, Spravato is known for producing results in a matter of days. This can be life-changing for individuals who have been struggling with severe, treatment-resistant depression for a long time.
Spravato® is a ketamine-based treatment for depression that works differently than oral medications to fight depression fast. Ketamine is a synthetic drug that is chiral and is typically produced as an equal mix of two mirror-image ketamine molecules. These mirror images, or enantiomers, are referred to as the S-image and the R-image. Spravato® is based exclusively on the S-image that is often referred to as S-ketamine or esketamine.
While traditional antidepressants boost the levels of neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) in the brain, Spravato® works differently by blocking a type of glutamate receptor called the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. By doing so, Spravato® boosts the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate in brain regions that are important for mood. Since glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, the increased glutamate activity begins exciting cells in the brain and throughout the central nervous system, which encourages learning functions, boosts your memory, and trains the brain to become comfortable with this new state, which helps to battle the symptoms of depression.
Spravato® takes 15 mins to administer, 3 nasal sprayers that are given 5 minutes apart, at a Bloom Spravato® Clinic. Patients then receive two hours of personalized care and monitoring from our psychiatric professionals. One significant benefit of Spravato® is that clinical trials have shown that patients can see results within 24 hours, which has never been the case for any other antidepressant. In a clinical study of adults with depression, individuals who took Spravato experienced a greater reduction of depression symptoms after 24 hours and four weeks compared to those who received a placebo.
For the first month, your Spravato treatment is twice weekly for 30 days, then once weekly for 30 days; thereafter, it can be once weekly or every two (2) weeks for maintenance. However, this is dependent on your individual treatment plan that your doctor will provide for you.
You’ll need to plan for rides to and from the office for your treatment. Because of possible side effects affecting mental alertness and motor coordination, you won’t be able to drive, operate machinery or do anything where you need to be completely alert until the day after a treatment session, following a restful sleep. To monitor for any adverse side effects, we will monitor you for two hours following treatment.
Some patients taking Spravato may experience nausea or vomiting. You should not eat or drink 4 hours prior to treatment.
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