Spravato side effects: a couple of hours in our office, then they’re behind you.
Most people feel something from Spravato, mostly sleepy or a little floaty, and it happens while you’re resting in our office with our team beside you. For most people it’s over by the time you leave, and you go home without side effects trailing you through the week. Here’s what to expect, with the numbers from the prescribing information.
A month of a daily pill, next to a month of Spravato.
28 days
Side effects that can come along every day.
What people reportWeight gain, poor sleep, feeling emotionally flat, tiredness, dry mouth, fog and sexual side effects. Not everyone gets every one.
8 visits
A couple of sleepy hours each, resting in our chair with the team beside you.
What people reportSleepy or a little floaty, mostly gone by the time they go home. The other days are clear.
That’s one of the reasons Spravato feels so different to people who’ve been through several daily medications.
Expected, temporary, and watched.
| Side effect | How often | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|
| Dissociation | 61%–84% of people | Feeling detached, floaty, or as if the room or time is a little off. Usually the first hour. |
| Sedation | 48%–61% | Drowsiness or heaviness. You rest through it in the chair. |
| Higher blood pressure | Common | Rises after the dose, peaks about 40 minutes in and lasts about four hours. We check it during your visit. |
| Dizziness, vertigo, nausea | Common | Usually short-lived. Not eating for two hours beforehand helps with nausea. |
| Other common effects | Common | Numbness or tingling, anxiety, tiredness, vomiting, feeling altered. |
Ask us before you start. We’ve seen every version of a first session.
Our team has given more than 30,000 Spravato treatments. Call us and connect with someone who is there to help you.
Name, date of birth and insurer. We check your plan and call you back. No commitment.
Check my coverageRegister once, and our team starts your insurance check and reaches out to schedule your evaluation.
Request an evaluationWhat the warnings on the label mean.
- Loss of consciousness: rare, in 0.3%–0.4% of people in trials. It’s one reason our team watches you after each dose.
- Breathing: the label warns about slowed breathing, which we monitor for.
- Misuse: esketamine can be misused, which is why it’s never sent home with you and is only given in certified offices.
- Mood: like all antidepressants, it carries a warning about suicidal thoughts. Spravato hasn’t been shown to prevent suicide or reduce suicidal thoughts, so we keep watching how you’re doing between visits too.
If you’re having thoughts of suicide right now, call or text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room. Crisis resources.
The conditions that rule it out.
- An aneurysm or similar blood-vessel disease, in the brain, chest, abdomen, arms or legs.
- A past bleed in the brain.
- An allergy to esketamine or ketamine.
High blood pressure, heart problems or a history of substance use don’t automatically rule it out, but we go through them carefully at your evaluation. Am I a candidate?
What happens around every dose.
- BeforeOne of our Sherpas, the specially trained team members who look after you on every treatment day, checks your blood pressure and oxygen level and checks in with you, and a clinician sees you to talk through how treatment is going. You skip food for two hours and drinks for 30 minutes beforehand.
- DuringYou take the spray yourself, sitting comfortably, with your Sherpa guiding you.
- AfterYou rest for at least two hours. We check your blood pressure again and watch for anything unusual.
- Going homeA clinician checks you’re ready. Someone else drives you; you can drive again the next day, after a night’s sleep.
Over before you leave, for most people.
Dissociation and sleepiness are strongest early and ease while you’re still with us, and we check your blood pressure before you go. Unlike a daily antidepressant, whose side effects can come along every day, these don’t follow you home. The full timeline.
What people ask about Spravato side effects.
Will I have side effects at home?
For most people, no. The effects are strongest in the first hour or two and ease while you’re still resting with us, so you usually go home feeling like yourself. Many people are able to go about their day with little more than a sense of profound relaxation, though some feel a little tired, and you shouldn’t drive until after a night’s sleep. The full timeline.
What are the most common side effects of Spravato?
Dissociation (feeling detached or floaty), drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vertigo and a temporary rise in blood pressure. Dissociation affects 61% to 84% of people, so it’s expected rather than rare.
Does Spravato make you high?
It can make you feel detached, dreamlike or a little altered for a while after a dose. That’s why you stay in the office for at least two hours and don’t drive until the next day. What it feels like.
Is Spravato addictive?
Esketamine can be misused, which is why it’s only given under supervision in certified offices and never taken home. In treatment, your doses are controlled and recorded every time.
Can Spravato raise blood pressure?
Yes, temporarily. It peaks about 40 minutes after a dose and lasts about four hours. We check it before and after each treatment.
Does Spravato cause weight gain?
In trial data in the prescribing information, weight gain was reported about as often with Spravato as with placebo. More on Spravato and weight.