Esketamine Specialist

What is esketamine?

Esketamine is a medication that is made from a more common drug called ketamine. Ketamine’s most common use is for anesthesia and pain relief, but it can also treat depression. 

Although uncommon, Esketamine may cause side effects that would require monitoring by a medical professional such as a doctor or a nurse, so you must take it under direct supervision. The team at Labyrinth Psychiatry Group can help you use esketamine safely and effectively while also taking conventional antidepressants. 

Labyrinth Psychiatry Group offers SPRAVATO esketamine, which comes in a nasal spray. You inhale three doses spaced five minutes apart while your provider observes you. They also observe you for at least two hours after your spray in case of side effects before sending you home. 

What does esketamine treat?

Esketamine works well to treat depression when it resists treatment in other forms, like conventional antidepressants and psychotherapy. While conventional antidepressants work by altering your brain chemistry to release more neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, esketamine works a bit differently.

Esketamine is the first FDA approved medication for depression that targets an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain called Glutamate.  Studies have shown that many people that have not responded to traditional antidepressants improve dramatically after starting treatment with esketamine.

Am I a good candidate for treatment with esketamine?

The Labyrinth Psychiatry Group team carefully considers every treatment plan and only recommends SPRAVATO (esketamine) in specific cases. You might be a candidate for esketamine therapy if:

• You’ve tried at least two other antidepressants
• You have not experienced at least a 50% improvement from prior treatments
• Your depression triggers suicidal thoughts or behaviors
• You’re over age 18

Experts don’t yet know for sure if esketamine works as a treatment for depression in children and adolescents, so for now, it can only treat adults. Esketamine works very quickly, so it’s not the same as starting a new antidepressant and waiting for weeks to find out if it’s a good fit for you. Instead, you know right away. 

Does esketamine have side effects?

It’s possible to experience some side effects from esketamine, but they usually go away within 40-120 minutes of your nasal spray use when they occur. That’s why you must stay at the clinic for a little while following each session for monitoring. 

If side effects happen, they’re usually the most intense during your first couple of treatments. After that, they become much milder or do not happen again.  

To learn more about esketamine therapy at Labyrinth Psychiatry Group, call the office or book online today.