Agoura Hills, CA – BNI Clinics is a local mental health treatment center specializing in adolescent and adult care that recently published an article investigating the similarities and differences between ketamine and esketamine. Their facility is psychiatrist-led and backed by evidence-based practices.

“Ketamine is an anesthetic developed in the 1960s and used for pain relief. It has also been known to reduce persistent symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation rapidly. Typically, it is administered intravenously. Ketamine is not considered a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medication when it comes to treating mental health conditions.

Esketamine is derived from ketamine to treat depression. It is an FDA-approved medication sometimes referred to by its brand name, Spravato, a nasal spray. It is recommended that it is used in conjunction with oral antidepressants to treat resistant depression symptoms,” the article states.

Ketamine and esketamine are effective treatments for individuals with treatment-resistant depression, offering relief when traditional antidepressants have been unsuccessful. Clinical trials show up to a 50% chance of rapid improvement in patients who haven't responded well to 2–4 prior medications. Unlike standard antidepressants, ketamine and esketamine target multiple receptors, including NMDA receptors, leading to longer-lasting effects and promoting new neural pathways. Both treatments must be administered by trained professionals in certified outpatient clinics, with the individual typically observed for a few hours post-treatment to ensure no adverse reactions occur.

Ketamine and esketamine differ in several key ways. Esketamine is FDA-approved, making it more likely to be covered by insurance, while ketamine typically is not. Administration methods also vary, as ketamine is given intravenously, whereas esketamine is a nasal spray. Though esketamine is derived from ketamine, they have different side effects. Ketamine may cause double vision, nausea, pain at the injection site, or a strange, loopy feeling. Esketamine can lead to sleepiness, dissociation, increased blood pressure, or a bad taste in the mouth.

“A 2024 study comparing the two substances found that the majority of participants had side effects (88.89% for ketamine and 81.68% for esketamine). However, on average, people experienced less than three side effects for each, and all were described as mild and subsided within 20 minutes of their treatment. This suggests that side effects are common but don’t have lasting consequences.

A small study that examined both ketamine and esketamine found that when ketamine was used as the primary tool for reducing suicidal thoughts, 5 of the 9 participants found relief within 72 hours. The same study found that when ketamine was used as a secondary tool, 7 of the 13 participants saw a reduction in their suicidal ideation. While this study also examined esketamine, the researchers found no significant response compared to the control group.

This isn’t to say that esketamine is inadequate in the long term. The above study had only focused on the short-term effectiveness of these substances on a small sample size. In another study from 2022, the researchers focused more on the long-term efficacy of esketamine. There, they found that esketamine was able to sustain reduction through the 3-month follow-up, with 64.2% maintaining a reduction in their depression symptoms. Researchers noted that many of the people who were finding relief at the 3-month mark did not have the same experience at the 1-month mark, which suggests that continuing esketamine treatment beyond the initial period provides a more successful response,” the article continues.

BNI Clinics has a dedicated team of experts in ketamine treatment in the Los Angeles area. Their facility specializes in adult, child, and adolescent psychiatry, providing care for mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Alternative therapies, including ketamine and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), give their clients an option for success in treatment where other methods are not helping.

To learn more about BNI Clinics, call (310) 691-5005 or visit their website.

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For more information about BNI Clinics, contact the company here:

BNI Clinics
Maria Sarkisian
310-691-5005
maria@bnitreatment.com
28038 Dorothy Dr Ste#200
Agoura Hills, CA, 91301