SPRAVATO®
Depression Treatment for Antidepressant Resistance
What is SPRAVATO®?
It is incredibly demoralizing to have a mood disorder that resists treatment again and again. It can feel like your last hope has failed you. But one of the great things about mental health care is that they are constantly working on new ways of treating people–and we’d like to introduce you to a wonderful alternative treatment.
SPRAVATO®, also known as esketamine, is a nasal spray that is self-administered by the patient while being monitored by a specially trained medical assistant at regular intervals. It is taken alongside other antidepressants and therapy, targeting different neural receptors in the brain. It has been shown to aid in decreasing depression and restoring stability to patients’ moods.
How does SPRAVATO® work?
“Esketamine is the first new medication for depression in many years with a totally different mechanism of action,” says Dr. Vaishnavi, Mindpath Health’s neuropsychiatric expert. “It can act quickly, potentially in days rather than weeks or months, and it may work for patients when previous medications have not.”
Various trials have shown SPRAVATO® to be quite effective. After 16 weeks of therapy, those patients who stayed on SPRAVATO® did better than those who stopped therapy and showed a greater reduction of depression symptoms than those who received only an oral antidepressant.
SPRAVATO® is only available at certified SPRAVATO® treatment centers under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
For more information, including potential side effects and other risks and benefits, please visit the SPRAVATO® website >
