Depression is more than feeling sad or having a difficult day. For some people, symptoms persist despite trying multiple antidepressants, making it difficult to enjoy life, maintain relationships, or keep up with everyday responsibilities. If traditional medications have not provided enough relief, there is another option.
At Blanco Medical Center, we offer SPRAVATO®, or esketamine, as part of a comprehensive treatment approach for adults with treatment-resistant depression and certain adults with major depressive disorder who have acute suicidal thoughts or behaviors. You could learn how SPRAVATO works during a consultation, which may help mitigate your symptoms.
What Is SPRAVATO?
By working differently than traditional antidepressants, SPRAVATO offers new help when you have struggled to find an effective solution, and it is an FDA-approved prescription nasal spray that is unlike how patients take oral antidepressants at home. Trained healthcare providers supervise patients while administering treatment in a certified medical office.
Treatment involves using an oral antidepressant and follows a carefully monitored schedule to help ensure both safety and effectiveness. Because SPRAVATO can cause temporary side effects such as dizziness, increased blood pressure, or dissociation, patients remain in the office for observation for at least two hours after each treatment.
How Does SPRAVATO Treatment Help?
Most traditional antidepressants increase the levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine in the brain. While these medications can be highly effective, they often take several weeks before patients notice meaningful improvement.
However, rather than primarily targeting serotonin, SPRAVATO affects the brain’s glutamate system, the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter network. Glutamate contributes to communication between:
- Brain cells
- Learning
- Memory
- Mood regulation
By activating specific glutamate receptors, SPRAVATO helps stimulate the formation of new neural connections. Researchers believe these strengthened connections may help restore communication within brain circuits that depression can disrupt. We could explain SPRAVATO and how it works in more detail in a consultation.
How Is SPRAVATO Different From Traditional Antidepressants?
One of the most significant differences in the way SPRAVATO works is how quickly you may respond. While conventional antidepressants may require several weeks before you experience benefits, you could experience improvements within hours or days after treatment begins. This faster onset can be especially valuable when your symptoms have not responded to other medications.
SPRAVATO does not replace every antidepressant. Instead, it expands the available treatment options for patients who have continued to struggle despite previous therapies.
Who Could Be a Candidate for SPRAVATO?
You may be a candidate for SPRAVATO if you have treatment-resistant depression that has not adequately improved after trying at least two different antidepressant medications. It may also be appropriate for certain adults experiencing major depressive disorder with acute suicidal thoughts or behaviors when it is part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
The best way to determine whether SPRAVATO will work for you and how it might help is through a thorough evaluation with a skilled mental health provider. Several things are important in developing the most appropriate care plan, which include:
- Your medical history
- Your current medications
- Your symptoms
- Your treatment goals
Each SPRAVATO appointment takes place in a comfortable clinical setting. After self-administering the nasal spray under medical supervision, healthcare professionals monitor you for approximately two hours.
Most treatment plans begin with two sessions per week during the first month. As symptoms improve, visits typically become less frequent. Your provider may adjust your treatment schedule based on your progress and individual needs.
Call Us To Learn How SPRAVATO Could Help You
Living with depression can feel overwhelming, especially when previous treatments have failed to deliver the results you hoped for. Fortunately, advances in mental health care have made innovative therapies available.
At Blanco Medical Center, our experienced team is committed to providing compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to your unique needs. If you are interested in learning how SPRAVATO works or whether you may be a candidate, contact us today to schedule a consultation and explore your treatment options.