Nelson Vergel
Founder, ExcelMale.com
“In slightly more than a decade, the emergence of ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects has been viewed by some experts in the field as arguably the most important psychiatric discovery in half a century.“ Niciu et al.
The FDA panel’s recent overwhelmingly positive (14-2) vote and the subsequent approval of a ketamine drug nasal spray called Spravato to treat treatment-resistant depression brought to market the first fundamentally new approach to depression in decades. Spravato was tested in people with severe depression who have not been amenable to other treatments. (Only people who have tried and failed two other depression drugs are eligible for Spravato.)
The need for more effective antidepressants is large. About a third of depressed patients do not get relief, and about 50% more stop their drugs because of side effects or other issues. Plus, the current crop of antidepressant drugs typically take weeks to months to take effect, and withdrawing from the drugs can produce major problems in some. (Check out this New Yorker article for more on that.) The possibility of a new, fast-acting, antidepressant drug is enticing indeed.
With the advent of Spravato, instead of paying out of pocket for IV ketamine infusions, some people with depression will be able to get their ketamine treatments reimbursed by insurance. (They will need it – the drug will reportedly cost several thousand dollars for the first month.)
Ketamine infusions certainly fit the bill for one woman with treatment-resistant depression who’d unsuccessfully tried dozens of drugs. She described the positive mind-altering changes she experienced while on ketamine:
“It feels like your body rises up, like you’re on a very peaceful roller coaster, and you’re riding a wave into a different dimension… During treatments, I feel like I learn about myself. Because I feel safe and positive, I’m able to confront things that I typically fear or that give me anxiety, like death. Because I’m able to face negative things during treatment, I’m better able to face them and cope with them outside treatment.
“After the first treatment, I felt a weight lift off me within hours. After three to four treatments, I could hear birds chirping and see vibrant colors again; I could walk out of the house without making a million excuses for why I couldn’t. I had hope again. It was the first time in 20 years that I’d felt relief. And the results just kept getting better and better with each treatment.”
Another young man’s inconsolable grief was rapidly ameliorated by ketamine. The death of his young wife left him so grief-stricken that he refused food, spoke in a tiny voice, broke out in crying spells, was borderline catatonic and ultimately ended up in the hospital."
A Ketamine Revolution for Depression and Pain? Spravato, Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS - Health Rising
The FDA panel’s recent overwhelmingly positive (14-2) vote and the subsequent approval of a ketamine drug nasal spray called Spravato to treat treatment-resistant depression brought to market the first fundamentally new approach to depression in decades. Spravato was tested in people with severe depression who have not been amenable to other treatments. (Only people who have tried and failed two other depression drugs are eligible for Spravato.)
The need for more effective antidepressants is large. About a third of depressed patients do not get relief, and about 50% more stop their drugs because of side effects or other issues. Plus, the current crop of antidepressant drugs typically take weeks to months to take effect, and withdrawing from the drugs can produce major problems in some. (Check out this New Yorker article for more on that.) The possibility of a new, fast-acting, antidepressant drug is enticing indeed.
With the advent of Spravato, instead of paying out of pocket for IV ketamine infusions, some people with depression will be able to get their ketamine treatments reimbursed by insurance. (They will need it – the drug will reportedly cost several thousand dollars for the first month.)
Ketamine infusions certainly fit the bill for one woman with treatment-resistant depression who’d unsuccessfully tried dozens of drugs. She described the positive mind-altering changes she experienced while on ketamine:
“It feels like your body rises up, like you’re on a very peaceful roller coaster, and you’re riding a wave into a different dimension… During treatments, I feel like I learn about myself. Because I feel safe and positive, I’m able to confront things that I typically fear or that give me anxiety, like death. Because I’m able to face negative things during treatment, I’m better able to face them and cope with them outside treatment.
“After the first treatment, I felt a weight lift off me within hours. After three to four treatments, I could hear birds chirping and see vibrant colors again; I could walk out of the house without making a million excuses for why I couldn’t. I had hope again. It was the first time in 20 years that I’d felt relief. And the results just kept getting better and better with each treatment.”
Another young man’s inconsolable grief was rapidly ameliorated by ketamine. The death of his young wife left him so grief-stricken that he refused food, spoke in a tiny voice, broke out in crying spells, was borderline catatonic and ultimately ended up in the hospital."
A Ketamine Revolution for Depression and Pain? Spravato, Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS - Health Rising
