For people living with depression, Southern Live Oak Wellness offers a variety of treatments. However, in cases where a person’s depression has proven resistant to common medications and treatments, Southern Live Oak Wellness offers Spravato in Atlanta. Spravato is a nasal spray therapy for treatment-resistant depression. It helps with depressive major disorder and suicidal thoughts or actions. Read on to find out if Spravato treatment in Atlanta is right for someone or their loved one.
FDA-approved medications like citalopram (sold under the brand name Celexa), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft) are prescribed alongside therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) to ease the most severe symptoms of a patient’s major depressive disorder while addressing the source of their depressive feelings and behaviors.
However, a significant segment of people living with major depressive disorder do not respond well to this treatment approach. These people have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In fact, a 2015 study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that one-third of people living with major depressive disorder have TRD.
Millions of Americans receiving treatment for depression benefit from some combination of prescription medication and psychotherapy to reduce their symptoms. Treatment-resistant depression is depression that has not responded to at least two different antidepressant treatments. Perhaps the most devastating thing about TRD is that it compounds the feelings of hopelessness and isolation that characterize depression.
TRD is easy to misdiagnose. For instance, medical professionals sometimes prescribe the wrong dosage of antidepressant medication. This leads the patient to think their depression is resistant to treatment.
Also, patients sometimes forget to pack their medications when traveling. Sometimes, people simply tire of taking their medications. In fact, someone might think their treatment has failed them when all they need is an adjustment.
Rule out the following three possibilities before considering if TRD is present:
For those with TRD, Southern Live Oak Wellness offers a variety of treatment approaches. One of these approaches is Spravato.
Spravato is a physician-supervised nasal spray therapy. It treats treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder with suicidal thoughts or actions. The nasal spray is used alongside an oral antidepressant. Made by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Spravato is the brand name for nasal esketamine.
Taken with an oral antidepressant, it is the first prescription nasal spray for adults with treatment-resistant depression. Due to its potential for abuse—esketamine is derived from ketamine, after all—Spravato must only be administered by a licensed medical professional.
Though its exact mechanism of action remains unknown, research suggests Spravato works by targeting the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. This plays a role in the brain’s ability to regulate mood. Meanwhile, new synapses are created to alleviate the most severe symptoms of major depressive disorder.
Esketamine comes from ketamine. Ketamine first came into clinical practice in the 1960s as an anesthetic, then as a behavioral health treatment a decade later. It was around this time that ketamine became a “party drug,” due to its hallucinogenic properties. Additionally, esketamine and ketamine have similar chemical makeups, with esketamine being the more potent substance.
Some people have reported experiencing side effects after taking Spravato, the most being mild hallucinations and a vague feeling of disconnection. Therefore, one should not drive, operate machinery, or do anything requiring complete alertness until the next day after a good night’s sleep.
Other side effects include:
Side effects tend to peak within 40 minutes of treatment and wear off within two hours. Medical professionals monitor the patient for at least two hours after administering Spravato.
To get the most out of one Spravato treatment, several sessions should be scheduled. A typical Spravato treatment program might require three sessions pre-week for up to six weeks. Also, the occasional booster session may be necessary, once initial treatment starts to show results.
If you or a loved one suffer the symptoms of clinical depression or treatment-resistant depression, there are options for relief. At Southern Live Oak Wellness, we administer Spravato in Atlanta.
If you are unable to find relief from your major depressive disorder with traditional medications and therapies, contact us today.
Get the quality mental health treatment you deserve. Our compassionate staff is here to help you grow into the person you are meant to become. Reach out to Southern Live Oak Wellness today!
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