SPRAVATO® (esketamine)

Spravato Is Available To Current AFP Patients and Patients From Outside The Practice

About SPRAVATO® (esketamine)

Atkinson Family Practice is proud to offer patients SPRAVATO® (esketamine).  SPRAVATO® is the first FDA approved prescription nasal spray for treatment of Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) in the United States. It is used in conjunction with an oral antidepressant, to treat adults with TRD and to treat depressive symptoms in adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with acute suicidal ideation or behavior.

 
 

FAQ’s About SPRAVATO® (esketamine)

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  • Contact your PCP or behavioral health provider at AFP and request a consult for Spravato. You can also call or text 413-379-0009.

    After the consultation with an AFP Spravato Provider, you will know if you are qualified and we will attempt to get authorization of Spravato from your insurance. You should have a therapist and a medication prescriber (can be pcp for medication) and should continue to take your antidepressant while getting Spravato.

  • TRD is generally defined as depression that has failed to respond to “treatment as usual”. In other words, there has been inadequate response to use of antidepressant medications at adequate doses for an adequate amount of time, in the current depressive episode. In these instances Spravato therapy  is a safe and effective alternative that can bring rapid relief.

  • Spravato® (Esketamine) is administered by nasal spray and must be given under the supervision of a doctor in a REMS- certified site. We will meet with you prior to the treatment to show you around the area, discuss the treatment process and make sure you're comfortable. Treatment plans may vary, traditionally, treatment  is administered twice a week for four weeks, and then weekly for four weeks. Treatment following the first eight weeks is customized according to patient response and need.

    Each treatment session lasts for two hours during which our  staff will monitor your BP and comfort throughout the treatment. Following administration of treatment patients can experience a sense of sedation, sleepiness, disconnection and dissociation.  

    • The effectiveness of SPRAVATO® in preventing suicide or in reducing suicidal ideation or behavior has not been demonstrated. Use of SPRAVATO® does not preclude the need for hospitalization if clinically warranted, even if patients experience improvement after an initial dose of SPRAVATO®.

    • SPRAVATO® is not approved as an anesthetic agent. The safety and effectiveness of SPRAVATO® as an anesthetic agent have not been established.