Spravato Esketamine Nasal Spray for Hard-to-Treatment Resistant

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What is Esketamine? Esketamine is made from a
drug called ketamine, an anesthetic that has also
been used for many years to treat depression.
But it wasn't until recently that esketamine, a
more potent version of ketamine, gained FDA
approval specifically for use as a nasal spray
for people with treatment-resistant
depression. Esketamine is derived from a part
of the ketamine molecule, says Kaplin, who has
studied the drug for three years. Because it is
more potent, it can be used in lower doses and,
in theory, has fewer side effects. Now that it is
available in an intranasal version and approved
by the FDA, insurance companies are more likely
to cover the treatment.
What is Esketamine Treatment Like? Esketamine,
like ketamine, has the potential to distort
perception during the first two hours after
treatment, so it should be administered in a
clinical setting. Treatment for esketamine nasal
spray is performed on an outpatient basis. With
the nasal spray of the spravato treatment center,
you give yourself three doses, five minutes
apart, under medical supervision. You remain in
the clinic under medical observation until any
possible side effects have passed.
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• Esketamine should be used together with a
  conventional antidepressant. Esketamine is
  intended to provide quick relief from depression
  symptoms until the other medication takes
  effect.
• Treatments for depression, antidepressants and
  esketamine nasal spray
• The nerve endings work like car battery cables
  and transmit electricity through a chemical
  substance. However, instead of battery acid,
  nerve endings rely on compounds known as
  neurotransmitters. The medical community refers
  to the composition of the brain's
  neurotransmitters as brain chemistry.
• Three main neurotransmitters regulate mood and
  emotional response in the brain
• Serotonin, a chemical that regulates emotions
  such as anxiety, happiness, and general mood.
• Dopamine, a feel-good chemical that rewards the
  brain for actions such as running (runner's
  high) or eating.
• Norepinephrine, a chemical that affects energy
  and concentration levels (high levels of this
  neurotransmitter can cause euphoria and an
  increase in blood pressure)
• People suffering from depression may have an
  imbalance of these chemicals, which explains the
  symptoms they experience. Antidepressants work to
  correct the imbalance and improve the brain's
  ability to regulate mood and emotions.
• Unfortunately, antidepressant medications don't
  work for everyone.
• This is where less conventional treatments like
  esketamine come into play. Esketamine works by
  increasing glutamate, a fourth type of
  neurotransmitter. Glutamate regulates learning
  and memory, meaning the brain needs it and
  produces it in large quantities. An increase in
  glutamate causes an increase in neuronal
  activity, which intensifies the symptoms of
  depression.
• How Mental Health Professionals Administer
  Esketamine Nasal Spray Treatment

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Treatment with Spravato is performed under the
medical supervision of a doctor or mental health
professional. This way, the patient can count on
someone with medical training to deal with
possible side effects of the medication. The
treatment is simple and all the patient needs to
do is use one dose of the nasal spray every five
minutes. Most patients will need three doses of
the spray in a single treatment. Benefits of
Spravato Nasal Spray Treatment Esketamine nasal
spray treatments, such as Spravato, are
effective and fast-acting. This therapy improves
the patient's mood regulation while the patient
seeks long-term treatment for depression.
Positive effects of treatment may include an
increase in glutamate levels, which leads to the
creation of new neural pathways, leading to
increased brain activity. This, in turn, leads to
an increase in the production and release of
beneficial neurotransmitters. This results in a
considerable improvement in brain function and
mood regulation. In other words, treatment
addresses many of the symptoms that accompany
depression. Esketamine may also decrease the
frequency of suicidal thoughts, which helps with
major depression. Who is a good candidate for
esketamine therapy? Esketamine is currently
approved for people with treatment-resistant
depression. That means you've tried at least two
other antidepressants (for at least six weeks
each) and haven't experienced a remission or at
least a 50 improvement in your mood. For
people who haven't had success with other
antidepressants, esketamine gives them a chance
to see what it's like to not have depression,
Kaplin says. It gives them hope that they can
feel better with the right treatment. It is
effective for treatment-resistant depression
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• Up to 33 of people with depression do not
  respond to multiple types of conventional
  antidepressants. Esketamine reduced symptoms of
  depression in the majority of these people in
  clinical trials.
• The only other approved drug therapy for
  treatment-resistant depression is a combination
  of olanzapine (an antipsychotic drug) and
  fluoxetine (a conventional antidepressant).
  However, this treatment has significant long-term
  effects including substantial weight gain,
  metabolic changes, diabetes, and high blood
  pressure.
• What are the common side effects of Spravato?
• In clinical trials, these side effects occurred
  in more than 5 of people taking Spravato
• Feeling disconnected from thoughts and feelings
  (dissociation)
• Dizziness
• Spinning sensation
• Feeling tired, lethargic, or drunk
• Blood pressure higher than normal
• Nausea and vomiting
• Numbness
• Anxiety
• The bottom line