Spravato Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine for Depression

What is Ketamine Nasal Spray?

Ketamine (esketamine), is an FDA approved anaesthetic available as a nasal spray that’s absorbed through the nasal lining and directly into your bloodstream. Ketamine Nasal Spray has been shown to relieve depression symptoms when combined with an oral antidepressant.

Ketamine Nasal Spray is designed to reduce the symptoms of:

  • Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)
  • TRD refers to patients whose depression has not improved despite taking at least two antidepressants.
  • About ⅓ of patients do not experience significant improvements with oral antidepressants.
  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with suicidal thoughts or actions
  • Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with suicidal thoughts or actions include:
  • Depresssed mood or feelings of sadness
  • Disrupted sleep
  • Lack of interest or inability to feel pleasure
  • Feelings of guilt or hopelessness
  • Lack of energy
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Changes in appetite or weight
  • Slowed thoughts or movement
  • Restlessness and/or purposeless movement
  • Suicidal thoughts or actions
Spravato Ketamine Nasal Spray

Is Ketamine Therapy right for me?

  • If you haven’t seen any improvements in your depression after trying at least two different antidepressants.
  • Schedule an evaluation with us to see if Ketamine Therapy may benefit you. We will review your family and medical history, as well as your previous medications, to determine whether Ketamine Nasal Spray is the right medication for you.

Your Path to Treatment with Ketamine Therapy

  • Your first appointment will be a Ketamine Therapy Assessment with a clinician and a follow-up evaluation appointment by our prescriber. Evaluation based on family and medical history is necessary to determine whether SPRAVATO® is right for you.
  • Prior to meeting with a clinician, you will be asked to complete forms and paperwork.
  • At that time your insurance benefits will be verified to confirm the cost of Ketamine Nasal Spray for you.

Find out if you're eligible for Ketamine Therapy for Major Depression

If you're NOT a current patient at Ann Arbor Counseling Associates

OR

Click here to fill out our intake request form

If you ARE a current patient at Ann Arbor Counseling Associates

Speak with your mental health provider to start the internal referral process for Ketamine Treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Ketamine Therapy evaluation look like?

Ketamine treatments are an office-based, outpatient procedure. The appointment takes place in a quiet room with comfortable seating. Each appointment will be 2 hours.

Patients self-administer the nasal spray under the supervision of a healthcare provider and in a comfortable, safe setting. They will then be monitored during and after the treatment for 2 hours. You may want to bring a book, phone/tablet, or another form of entertainment for the appointment because of the 2 hour monitoring period.

Due to the possible side effects of the Ketamine treatment, you are not allowed to drive after treatment and must be picked up by a friend or family member.

How can I prepare for a Ketamine Therapy appointment?

Ketamine Therapy appointments are 2 hours long. You may want to bring a phone/tablet, a book, or another form of entertainment due to the 2 hour monitoring period after administering the Nasal Spray.

To reduce your risk of nausea or vomiting, avoid eating two hours before and drinking 30 minutes before your session.

If you need to drive to our office, you should plan a ride since you can’t operate machinery until the day after treatment.

What does the SPRAVATO® treatment process look like?

Ketamine Nasal Spray is taken with a daily oral antidepressant.

The initial series of treatments takes place twice a week for an 8-week period, then transitions into visits once a week for a 4-week period.

After the 12-week treatment period, your treatment team will help you to determine maintenance treatments based on your unique needs.

How does Ketamine Nasal Spray work?

SPRAVATO® is the brand name for esketamine (Ketamine.) Esketamine raises the levels of certain chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin that occur naturally in the brain as neurotransmitters. 

However, esketamine is different from antidepressants because it increases the brain’s most prevalent chemical messenger: glutamate levels. This results in a greater reach and more substantial impact on brain cells with a single dose compared to antidepressants.

Does Ketamine Therapy work?

In a clinical study, SPRAVATO® (esketamine treatment) improved many participants’ depression symptoms within the first 24 hours compared to those taking a placebo.

Most patients who experience improvement from Ketamine Therapy describe that their symptoms improve within the first two weeks of treatment. During the clinical trials, most patients improved within the first 24-48hrs, with some patients needing four weeks of treatment before they got better.

In a clinical trial, after 16 weeks of therapy, patients who continued Ketamine Therapy treatment were less likely to experience a return of depressive symptoms than those who stopped therapy.

What are the side effects?

The most common side effects include:

  • Sleepiness
  • Nausea
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Bad taste in the mouth
  • Dissociation

These side effects usually only occur within one to two hours after the nasal spray has been administered.

Is Ketamine Nasal Spray addictive?

No, administered at small doses in a medical setting, there is no evidence that Ketamine Treatment is addictive. In contrast, those who abuse ketamine recreationally do so at very high doses to induce psycho-active effects.

Spravato Nasal Spray is also regulated and only administered to patients registered in the REMS program under supervision of a medical professional.

Is SPRAVATO® covered by insurance?

The initial assessment and evaluation by our clinician is an out-of-pocket expense of $350.00.

SPRAVATO® is covered by most insurance carriers. AACA will verify and discuss your insurance benefits with you prior to scheduling appointments.