Depression is discouraging and often debilitating. There are many effective treatment options and lifestyle changes that can allow for positive, lasting results for many patients.

But what happens when treatments don’t work? What’s next when lifestyle changes, therapy, medications, and all other efforts fall short? Beyond that, what do you do when thoughts of suicide begin to consume your days?

Spravato (Esketamine) is the first prescription nasal spray taken with an antidepressant that treats TRD, helps diminish suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide) along with many other symptoms of TRD. This nasal spray is for adults of 18 years or older and is administered in-office under careful supervision and usually in tandem with therapeutic counseling. 

You may consider this to be a recent innovation, and to much extent, today’s use of ketamine is just that. However, Ketamine was actually discovered more than 50 years ago and FDA approved in 1970 for procedural sedation after more than 100 studies involving over 10,000 patients. 

Esketamine (Spravato) is an active ingredient that was isolated from Ketamine in 1997, FDA approved for the use of depression in 2019 and for the treatment of suicidal thoughts in 2020. It has been particularly useful for those patients who exhibit suicidal thoughts, have not found relief with multiple antidepressant medications, or for whom medication side effects have been problematic.

In the last twenty years or so, studies have shown that low doses of Esketamine can rapidly improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and resolve suicidal thoughts.