Yes, you need a prescription for Spravato. Dr. Randy Freeman is a licensed physician who can prescribe Spravato to qualified patients. Please request a free consultation to learn more and find out if you are a candidate.

Under the direct supervision of a healthcare provider, Spravato is administered twice a week during weeks 1-4 in the induction phase, followed by maintenance treatments once weekly during weeks 5-8, and then every 2 weeks or once weekly from week 9 forward.

At each visit, your healthcare provider(s) will ask about your symptoms of depression, side effects and whether or not you are experiencing noticeable improvement. In the clinical studies of SPRAVATO®, a standardized scale called the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale was used to track treatment-resistant depression symptoms and response to treatment.

It’s a good idea to ask your healthcare provider(s) at the start of SPRAVATO® treatment how they will be evaluating your response to treatment, and what you can do to help with that. If your referring healthcare provider is not the same provider treating you with SPRAVATO®, you should ask when, and in what way, your new healthcare provider will be letting your referring provider know how your treatments are going and how you are doing.

You should ask your healthcare provider(s) what else you might do, beyond taking Spravato and your oral antidepressant, to help your treatment. If your healthcare provider has included some form of talk therapy in your treatment plan, you should continue that. Some people find that lifestyle changes, including exercise, dietary changes and better sleep can also help decrease depressive symptoms.

Not all patients will respond to Spravato. Your healthcare provider will evaluate your symptoms of major depressive disorder over the four-week course of treatment to see if you have had satisfactory improvement.

After four weeks, talk to all the healthcare providers involved in the management of your treatment about appropriate next steps. Do not stop your Spravato treatments without first discussing your reasons and concerns with your healthcare provider and formulating a treatment plan with them.

If you are using another nasal spray medicine or prescription, such as a nasal steroid or decongestant spray, you should not administer these within the hour before you will be taking Spravato.

Do NOT take Spravato if any of the following applies to you:

• You are allergic to esketamine, a similar medicine called ketamine used for anesthesia, or any of the other ingredients in Spravato.
• You have a blood vessel disease (aneurysm), an abnormal connection between your blood vessels (arteriovenous malformation) or a history of bleeding in the brain.

Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have heart, brain or liver problems; if you have psychosis; or if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. You should not take Spravato if you are pregnant. You should not breastfeed if you are taking Spravato.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines that you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.