1000 Town Center Drive (Suite 400), Oxnard, CA 93036
SPRAVATO/ESKETAMINE TREATMENT
Spravato is a prescription medicine used:
- with or without an antidepressant taken by mouth, to treat adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD)
- with an antidepressant taken by mouth, to treat depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) with suicidal thoughts or actions.
- It was approved by the FDA in 2019. Because of this, unlike intravenous or oral treatments which usually incur high out-of-pocket costs, Spravato may be covered by your health insurance.
Spravato works by boosting glutamate in the brain, which helps to improve mood. You may report feeling better after your first dose of Spravato. The benefits of this treatment can last for hours, days, or weeks.
What does treatment look like?
Dosing schedule:
Week 1-4: in-office twice weekly
Weeks 5-8: in-office once weekly
Weeks 9 and beyond: in office once weekly or every 2 weeks depending on response
The FDA requires that Spravato be administered in a REMS-certified facility (we are REMS-certified) and that the patients remain in the office for two hours on treatment days to monitor. You will have to arrange for transportation after treatment.
The difference between Ketamine and Spravato
Ketamine was developed as anesthetic and analgesic, receiving FDA approval in 1970.
There are two forms used for mental health purposes:
- Ketamine: Racemic ketamine, used in IV infusions (racemic mixture, S-ketamine and R-ketamine in equal parts)
- Spravato: Esketamine, a derivative of ketamine, is used in SPRAVATO® nasal spray (composed solely of the S-ketamine form)
Research indicates that the S-Ketamine form (Spravato) has pharmacological properties which exhibit more potent NMDA receptor antagonism with fewer side-effects than the racemic mixture. It is believed that S-Ketamine's more potent binding to the NMDA receptors contribute to its rapid antidepressant action.