LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – For a large percentage of people living with major depression, traditional treatment has fallen short, forcing them to live with symptoms that affect their daily lives.
It’s why this year, the Bryan Outpatient Medication Clinic launched a new treatment they say is already making a difference in the lives here in Lincoln.
Bryan’s Mental Health Services is now offering an innovative drug called Spravato. It was approved in 2019 to treat depression, but some medical professionals say the treatment flew under the radar during the pandemic. It’s a nasal spray treatment that consists of a drug called esketamine, a derivative of ketamine.
While its effectiveness is still being researched, clinical therapists across the country and at Bryan Health say it’s mostly beneficial for treatment-resistant depression patients.
“It means they’ve tried medications, they tried therapy, and they’re just really having a hard time with their symptomology and their depression,” said Dr. Dave Miers, the Senior Director of Behavioral Services at Bryan.
Dr. Miers says treatment is typically offered on a referral basis, and patients have to meet certain criteria, including treatment resistance to at least two or more antidepressants. Patients also must be 18 or older to receive Spravato.
“It’s a nasal spray, a self-administered spray that the individual does for themselves, but it has to be under the supervision of a psychiatric provider,” Dr. Miers added.
Spravato is administered twice a week for four weeks. Then, treatment is individualized thereafter.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Guila Dunningila, says the success of the drug is documented and measured through a depression scale assessment throughout treatment, to shape the treatment moving forward.
“It affects glutamate in your neurons, whereas antidepressants affect serotonin,” Dunning stated. “So, it comes at it from a different angle, and I think that’s why we’re having so much success with it.”
Providers at Bryan Health encourage folks living with depression who may be treatment–resistant to reach out to their psychiatrist or medical providers to see if Spravato could be beneficial for them.
“Mental health is no different from any other type of illness,” Dr.Miers said. “It can be treated, and there’s help, there’s hope, and there’s healing on the other end.”
Dr. Miers said Bryan Health is the only hospital in Lincoln that offers Spravato and the only hospital that offers ElectroConvulsive therapy, also known as ‘electric shock therapy’.
To learn more about the mental health therapy options, including Spravato, click here.
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