Ketamine (Spravato)
At South Chesapeake Psychiatry we believe that all forms of treatment that may benefit a patient should be used, but that they should be used appropriately and within standards of care, best use and other guidelines. Therefore, we believe in the use of Spravato (Esketamine) as a treatment for Depression when clinically appropriate.
Spravato (Esketamine) is the ONLY Ketamine type product that has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Depression.
Other forms of Ketamine to include those that are IV administered do not have FDA approval for the treatment of Depression and therefore have not been proven to do so.
Spravato is a nasally administered product (spray) that takes place in the office under strict policy, procedure and guidelines.
It has additional oversight by the FDA through a program called “Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS),” that South Chesapeake Psychiatry is registered with.
Patients must be enrolled in the REMS program prior to treatment beginning via an enrollment form, which is something that your provider will do with you and submit.
Once enrolled, treatment may begin. Typically,Spravato is administered twice a week for the 1st month, once a week for the 2nd month and then once a week or once every other week after that, typically for a total of 6 months or in some cases longer.
During a treatment session the client must remain at the office for 2 hours and cannot drive home. For further details or questions please contact the office at 757-908-2124.
Additionally, you may find these resources helpful – https://www.spravato.com/ or https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/ketamine-depression.
