Esketamine
Esketamine is a nasal spray approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat major depression. It is a derivative of ketamine, an anesthetic with many antidepressant effects. Recent studies have shown that the substance can be a promising treatment for many mental issues as well, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
With most antidepressant medications, the anti-anxiety effect only lasts when the drugs are still in the system. After that, symptoms can recur. For ketamine, it would stimulate the cortex to react and allow for the regrowth of brain connections. In other words, these are responses to ketamine rather than the presence of the substance in the body. This feature makes ketamine a unique treatment for depression.
It is important to know that ketamine should be a part of a more comprehensive plan for treating depression. Taking only this drug will not provide effective results in a short time as expected. Normally, doctors tend to combine it with cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT to maximize the benefits. [4]
