Esketamine Nasal Spray

Antidepressants are invaluable aids in the treatment of clinical depression and other mood disorders, but they’re not for everyone. According to the World Journal of Psychiatry, antidepressants don’t improve symptoms in 10–15 percent of people with depression and only partially improve symptoms in 30–40 percent. Also, many people experience side effects from antidepressants that can impact their overall well-being.

On the other hand, esketamine has shown significantly better results when used alongside antidepressants. Based on the pivotal trial for the treatment of depression in the clinical setting, which used esketamine with an antidepressant, about 70% of patients have at least a 50% reduction in symptoms. In the same trial, about 50% of patients have complete remission of symptoms, which means that their depression symptoms were no longer present at all.

While some patients begin to show improvement after just one treatment, it usually takes the full course of treatments (12 sessions over a two-month period) to achieve the maximum benefits.

It is important to understand that mental health treatment plans are not a one-size-fits-all situation. Because of this situation, treatment plans may take longer or require different treatment option combinations in order to work best for certain patients. It is important for patients to communicate clearly with their provider about how their treatment plan is working. Collaboration between patient and provider can greatly impact the results of a patient’s wellness journey.

While esketamine is only FDA-approved for adult treatment-resistant depression and MDD with acute suicidal ideation, it can also help with other mental health conditions. Many people who get esketamine for their depression also experience other conditions like OCD, anxiety, or an eating disorder.

Our Director of Psychedelic Medicine, Dr. Jennifer Guo, explains, “In my experience, it is sort of a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ kind of thing. As your depression gets better, other aspects of your mental health get a little bit better as well.”

Again, esketamine is only approved for depression. However, it is possible that you may experience relief in other areas of your mental health when going through esketamine treatments.

Esketamine is an alternative form of treatment for those with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who have tried medications without success. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a hard condition to manage and trying to find a medication that works well for each patient can be a difficult and time consuming task. With esketamine, patients have been finding relief from their symptoms that they couldn’t find from antidepressants alone.

The FDA approval for esketamine only covers it as a treatment used together with antidepressants and only patients who meet specific criteria can take it. The criteria include:

• Patients have tried at least two other antidepressants for a minimum of six weeks each, and have not experienced remission, or
• Patients did not have at least a 50% improvement in mood or depressive symptoms.

Esketamine only gets incorporated into the patient’s customized treatment plan if:

• A patient fits into one of those two criteria listed above.
• Their provider believes that esketamine could work for them and their unique needs.
• The patient is comfortable with trying esketamine.

If all the pieces fit, esketamine can be an excellent treatment option to find relief from depression symptoms.