Your depression feels pervasive, and medication after medication has failed to relieve your symptoms. You have what’s known as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). But don’t lose all hope. There’s one medication you may not have tried that could be a game-changer for you.
At Labyrinth Psychiatry Group, serving Cranford, New Jersey, and the surrounding areas, the team offers Spravato® as an alternative treatment for those living with TRD. If you’ve failed on traditional antidepressants, here’s something new in the arsenal that just might do the trick.
Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by low mood and loss of interest in daily activities. While its exact cause is unknown, researchers believe that changes in brain structure and the levels and activity of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters may play a role in its development.
Though symptoms vary from one person to another, common symptoms include pervasive:
Symptoms are usually severe enough to cause noticeable problems in daily activities, including work, school, and relationships.
As the neurotransmitter serotonin is believed to play a significant role in depression (and many other mood disorders), doctors usually start treatment by prescribing one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These usually have fewer and less severe side effects than other types of antidepressants.
You generally have to take a medication for 6-8 weeks before you can determine if it’s having a positive effect, and you may need to try more than one to find one that works for you.
However, about 30% of people who’ve been diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), and who’ve tried at least two antidepressants without benefit, are diagnosed with TRD.
If you have TRD, you may feel that all hope is lost, but that’s not the case. This is where ketamine comes in.
Ketamine has been used since the 1950s as a veterinary anesthetic, and it transitioned in the 1970s to a short-acting anesthetic for use in operating rooms and on the battlefield. Mounting evidence suggests that the drug works on the neurotransmitter glutamate, creating a surge in the brain that leads to its antidepressant effects, showing positive effects sometimes within 24 hours. Because it targets a different pathway than serotonin, it can help relieve TRD in people who’ve only tried serotonin-related antidepressants.
In 2019, the FDA approved the S(+) form of ketamine (esketamine), which is available as the nasal spray Spravato, to treat people with TRD. We administer it in the office, as it’s a Schedule III controlled substance under the US Controlled Substances Act. You remain under supervision the entire time to ensure it has no harmful effects. You’ll need to have someone drive you home, as you’ll be groggy after the administration.
If you’re struggling with treatment-resistant depression and are interested in finding out more about how Spravato can help your symptoms, call Labyrinth Psychiatry Group or book online with us today.
