What is Spravato?

Is Spravato, aka esketamine, a “miracle drug” for those with treatment-resistant depression?

Spravato is being described as a breakthrough depression medication because, up to this point, there haven’t been truly significant changes in depression medications for several decades. So imagine having treatment-resistant depression and there’s nothing around that really helps you.

A person with major depression is diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression if they haven’t responded to adequate doses of two different antidepressants taken over a sufficient period of time, usually six weeks. The reality is that many with treatment-resistant depression have taken many types of antidepressants, and even add-on medications like antipsychotics, and found no relief. How many people are in this group? It’s estimated that one-third of all adults with major depression are treatment-resistant.

Enter Spravato. Spravato is a ketamine-like medication taken via nasal spray. It was approved by the FDA in March 2019. In this video, we interview Board-Certified psychiatrist and HealthyPlace Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, to find out whether esketamine is all some say it is. Here are the topics we covered:

• What is Spravato?
• Who is a candidate for taking Spravato?
• How effective is Spravato?
• How is Spravato taken, the treatment protocol and what are the FDA mandated precautions?
• How much does Spravato cost and will insurance cover it?
• What are the side-effects of Spravato (esketamine)?
• What are the differences and similarities between esketamine and ketamine?
• Is Spravato addictive?
• Can those with bipolar depression take Spravato?