Overcoming the myths of esketamine administration: different and not difficult
Frontiers in Psychiatry November 23, 2023 Florian Buchmayer, Siegfried Kasper 19 citations
Intranasal esketamine, approved in 2019 and 2020 for treatment-resistant depression, helps more than half of non-responders after 2–4 failed antidepressant attempts. Guidelines recommend starting it as an add-on therapy in a medical setting for dose selection, monitoring, and managing adverse events. Long-term treatment is safe, with very rare severe side effects. This review critically evaluates published articles on preparation, management, and observation of the treatment, noting that psychiatrists face new but manageable procedures compared to standard prescribing.