Tag Archives: spravato

Insurance snafu

anxiety, insurance, ketamine, spravato, , , ,
image: Man at desk stressed with piles of paperwork

After the first few sessions of Spravato I was feeling in a better mood. More motivated and doing more around the house. People noticed I was smiling more and seemed less anxious.

Then, when the clinic asked for refills, the pharmacy wanted another pre authorization.  It was bad timing because the man who organized spravato was on vacation and even after he got back it took time to get approved. So, I waited 3 weeks before next dose.

I felt like I lost momentum and am starting over.  I was going 2x/ week,  moving to 1x next week.

The sessions are varied.  Sometimes I really feel dissociated and almost numb, but it is a good feeling. Other times it is really mild and I get bored waiting for the 2 hours.

You can’t drive afterwards. Usually my husband drives but i have taken Uber and a medical transport shuttle.

Spravato

depression, ketamine, mental health, mental illness, spravato, Uncategorized, , , , ,
Image woman relaxing in a recliner with headphones

I had first Spravato (ketamine nasal spray) treatment yesterday.  The man running the clinic was nice and explained everything.  You self administer the nasal spray.  I felt clumsy but it worked.  They gave 3 doses, 5 min apart. Checked blood pressure periodically and mostly just let me relax

It seemed to take effect pretty quickly. Things looked further away and I felt happy. Then, I felt an intense high where everything got brighter that seemed to last for about 15 min. Then I started coming down. Things looked normal. I had to be there for 2 hours until I was safe to leave. I was still wobbly but my husband picked me up and walked me out.

Some people get nauseous but I felt okay. It drips down your throat and tastes bad but it was tolerable.  I brought headphones and listened to a music playlist. I got a headache today so I took some electrolytes.

Overall it was pleasant.  I go back wed and go twice/week for a month and then psychiatrist decides taper. Some people stay on it long term maintenance, others feel they don’t need it and taper off.