In order to stay at the vanguard of mental wellness recovery, D’Amore Mental Health now implements Esketamine treatment as one of our pharmacotherapy tracks. In recent studies, there has been an increasing amount of compelling evidence that low doses of Esketamine can bring about dramatic and lasting improvement in patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression.
We have seen incredible results in treating Chronic Depression with Esketamine Therapy. At D’Amore, our patients can recline in comfort while our staff of trained medical professionals monitors their vital signs. When administered as a supplement to one of our personalized treatment plans, Esketamine therapy can put you in the position to bring balance and autonomy back to your life.
Esketamine is a pharmaceutical drug derived from ketamine. It is typically sold under the brand names Ketanest and Spravato. Similar to ketamine, esketamine acts as an anesthetic and a dissociative that is used to treat Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD).
In March of 2019, the FDA approved esketamine in the form of a nasal spray for the effective treatment of Major Depressive Disorder for people who have not been successful with traditional antidepressant treatments.
Treatment-Resistant Depression affects more than 2 million people in the US alone. A patient is diagnosed with TRD after they attempt to treat their Major Depressive Disorder with at least 2 different antidepressant medications without a noticeable improvement in their symptoms.
Esketamine is able to ‘jump start’ the treatment of depression by serving as an NMDA-antagonist, this works to increase the brain’s ability to respond to antidepressant medication. Esketamine is used in conjunction with an oral antidepressant medication, together they are able to minimize the symptoms of depression in people who haven’t found relief from antidepressants in the past.
Esketamine can be taken as a nasal spray under the brand name Spravato. Each nasal spray device contains 28 mg of Esketamine. Most patients prefer the easy and non-invasive nasal spray over the intravenous IV infusions that are typically used in ketamine therapy.
Patients will generally begin treatment by self-administering one spray to each of their nostrils while under the supervision of a medical professional. This dosage will typically be administered twice a week for a 4 week period.
For long-term treatments, patients have often moved up to 3 sprays, once a week in order to maintain the positive effects. Patients have been reported to experience a significant reduction of the symptoms of their depression in the 5 to 7 week period after beginning their treatment.
