What Does Spravato Feel Like?

by Sandhya Prashad, MDOctober 9, 2022 Spravato0 comments

In recent years, ketamine has taken the stage as a powerful alternative to most mood and pain disorder treatments. With great success comes new innovations and derivatives.

Spravato is a prescription drug used to treat:

Treatment-resistant depression
Depression involves active suicidal behaviors.

Spravato is a nasal spray that can only be used under the strict guidance and instructions of a doctor at a medical facility. Spravato is made with an active ingredient called esketamine. Like other drugs, Spravato has side effects that could be mild or severe.

Side Effects Of Spravato

Spravato can cause some mild effects, most of which are transient and resolve before the end of the treatment. Side effects include:

Dizziness
Dry mouth
Fatigue (low energy)
Feeling anxious
Feeling as if you’re drunk
Headache
Discomfort or irritation in your nose or throat
Nausea and vomiting
Numbness, including in your nose or mouth
Extreme sleepiness
Vertigo

How Does Spravato Work?

Antidepressants help to offer relief from depression symptoms. However, oral antidepressants don’t work for everyone and about one-third of patients will not respond to antidepressants at all. Spravato is made to assist those with treatment-resistant depression and improves and helps them live a better life. Treatment-resistant depression is defined as not responding to two or more oral antidepressants.

When Spravato is administered, it begins its work immediately, increasing glutamate. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter in the brain. Traditional oral antidepressants do not work on glutamate. Glutamate helps stimulate other neurotransmitters in the brain, including the parts connected to depression symptoms. This process has been effective in reducing suicidal thoughts and creating new neuronal connections in the brain. This is very important for those struggling with depression because untreated depression has many negative, long term consequences.

What Does Spravato Feel Like:

Spravato can distort your perception within the first two hours of use, and it must be administered to you in a medical center and by a certified doctor. The doctor administers two or three doses with five-minute intervals in between, and you have to stay in the clinic under the close watch of the doctor. The doctor observes you until there’s no sign of any potential side effect.

Spravato is recommended for people with treatment-resistant depression. For people who haven’t experienced relief with other antidepressants, Spravato gives them a chance to experience what it feels like not to have depression. Spravato is an FDA approved treatment for treatment-resistant depression for several reasons:

1. People with Depression Get Rapid Relief

Conventional antidepressants are slow in taking effects. It takes several weeks before the patient notices any changes in their depression symptoms. However, Spravato immediately takes effect and offers instant relief from the depression symptoms within two hours of treatment.

2. Spravato Decreases Suicidal Thoughts

Conventional antidepressants can potentially increase suicidal thoughts, especially in children and young adults at the beginning of treatment. Spravato improves symptoms of depression and reduces suicidal thoughts. Spravato is indicated as a first line treatment in those with depression who are at imminent risk of attempting suicide.

3. It’s Effective for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Spravato is an approved treatment for depression, and it’s highly effective than other conventional antidepressant drugs. Spravato reduces depression symptoms and causes immediate relief.

Frequently Asked Questions About Spravato

1. Can Spravato be used to treat pregnant women with treatment-resistant depression?

Spravato is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. If a person becomes pregnant while undergoing treatment with Spravato, they may need to speak with their doctor for alternative treatment options.

2. What happens when Spravato isn’t working as it should?

Spravato may be an effective treatment for treatment-resistant depression, but not all patients experience the immediate effects and improvement of their symptoms. Anyone sharing this should speak with their doctor to discuss other treatment options.

Conclusion

Spravato can function as an antidepressant. Though its means of administration differ from ketamine, both work effectively in stimulating new neural growth. Spravato can often be a more affordable treatment for those with commercial health insurance. Contact us today to learn more.

Learn More

Nasal Spray Is A New Antidepressant Option For People At High Risk of Suicide

by Sandhya Prashad, MDAugust 10, 2020 Spravato0 comments

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a variant of the anesthetic and party drug ketamine for suicidal patients with major depression. (more…)