Last year my psychiatrist tried a few different medications for my depression. Unfortunately, they didn’t work. So in another appointment she dropped the term treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This was something I had never heard of and suddenly I was diagnosed with it. When I looked it up, I found out that TRD is major depression that doesn’t improve after at least two different forms of treatment like medications and/or therapy, and it includes those medications you’ve taken in the past. But what did that mean for me finding relief from the despair that was crushing me?

Enter Spravato!

Spravato came around in 2019 as a form of treatment for TRD and major depressive disorder (MDD). Spravato, also known as esketamine, is a nasal spry that is used along with an anti-depressant to help subside the effects of major depression.

Now esketamine is different from ketamine, or what people on the streets call Special K. Ketamine in a hospital is used for pain or as a dissociative anesthetic. On the streets, Special K is known as the “club drug” due to its sedating properties. However, esketamine is SPECIFICALLY for those that suffer from TRD and MDD. So… how does it help?

Well, Spravato mainly affects the glutamate system in the brain. The glutamate system is critical for learning, memory, and cognition. It acts as an “on” switch for brain functions such as mood, sleep, and energy (three things depression affects). It also works to create new neural connections in areas that regulate mood like the prefrontal cortex.

TRD shows up in the brain as disrupted neural circuits and altered connectivity. Therefore, Spravato helps create new neural circuits and connections in the brain to decrease symptoms of major depression.

I’m a member of some different groups on Facebook for anxiety, depression, bipolar, and ADHD. It’s nice to have groups you can post questions in or express your frustrations about the illnesses you suffer from and have people respond who have been through whatever it might be.

Anywho, I have found that people have posted questions about Spravato. What is it like? What do you have to do? And the biggest one, Does it really help? And do you know what everyone who responds to the later says? They say it’s a “GAME-CHANGER.” That’s their exact words! When I talked to my therapist about it, she said a few of her other clients are taking it and they described it as a (hold your breath)… “GAME-CHANGER.” And no, I didn’t tell her what I had heard before she said that to me.

Insurance approved me to start Spravato treatments so I’ll be able to experience for myself if it’s a game-changer like everyone says or not. In fact, I’ve already had two treatments and I’ll be in the middle of my third when this posts.

So now that you know what Spravato is and how it works in the brain, next week I’m going to walk you through my first two treatments including what to expect if you are about to start Spravato treatments.

Until next week!