Sean Goddard on Spravato: The Fast-Acting Antidepressant Changing Lives

How does Spravato work?

When you're caught in the relentless grip of depression, waiting weeks for a medication to work isn't just frustrating—it can feel like an eternity. Sean Goddard of Viking Psychiatry shares his personal and professional journey with Spravato, offering an intimate understanding of why swift treatment can be life-saving. As a dual-certified nurse practitioner and someone who has walked through the shadowed valleys of depression himself, Sean uncovers the potent effects of Spravato on the brain's neurotransmitters, particularly glutamate, and discusses how this revolutionary drug can foster neural growth within hours, not weeks.

Join us as we explore how Spravato is rewriting the narrative of mental health treatment. Sean illustrates the science behind this rapid-acting antidepressant with clarity, likening brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to 'miracle grow for the brain.' In a field where slow-acting medications have been the norm, hearing about a treatment that can forge new neural pathways so quickly is nothing short of hopeful. This episode isn't just about the mechanics of medicine—it's a testament to human resilience and the transformative power of innovative care that offers more than a glimmer of hope—it offers a rapid route back to life.

To learn more about Viking Psychiatry go to:
https://www.vikingpsychiatry.com/

Viking Psychiatry
9025 Coldwater Rd Suite 100 
Fort Wayne, IN 46825 
260-459-9225

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to the Viking Psychiatry Podcast, where you get the support you need when you need it. At the helm is Sean Goddard, owner of Viking Psychiatry, veteran and dual certified nurse practitioner specializing in mental health.

Speaker 2: 0:19

Dive into the science of Spavato with the owner of Viking Psychiatry. Learn how this innovative treatment is changing the game for those battling severe depression. Welcome back everyone. Garfield-borne co-host, slash producer, back in the studio with Sean Goddard. Sean, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3: 0:38

I'm doing great. It's great to be back here and hanging out with you again.

Speaker 2: 0:42

Okay, so Sean, how does Spravato work?

Speaker 3: 0:47

Spravato. What a great question. So you know I should probably lead off by saying that Spravato, or esketamine, is FDA-approved to treat treatment-resistant depression and acute suicidality. And Spravato is unique in that it's a rapid-acting antidepressant okay, rapid acting antidepressant, Okay. And so when I say rapid acting, you know most of the time when you go in and you see somebody and they prescribe you and say an oral antidepressant, right, they tell you, oh, you're going to have to wait six, eight, 12 weeks, right, to see the difference. And one of the unique things about Spravato is it's rapid acting, meaning within hours of initial treatment you can see improvement in depression. And, if I know you at all, you're going to say well, how can that happen? Right, Would probably be your next follow-up question for me.

Speaker 3: 1:33

And the thing about spravato, esketamine it's not 100% understood the complete mechanism of action, but what we do know is that it greatly affects a neurotransmitter called glutamate, right. And so when you think of neurotransmitters, you think of things that people have talked about before, like serotonin right, We've all heard of that what people sometimes call the happy hormone or dopamine, right. But serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, those only account for about one to 3% of the neurotransmitters in the brain. But glutamate this one that people have not really heard that much of actually affects about 50% it's about 50% of the neurotransmitters in the brain Excuse me, so you can see there's a significant abundance of this.

Speaker 3: 2:19

And Spravato affects glutamate, causes this releasing cascade that affects something called BDNF, which is brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and the easiest way to explain this. This is a miracle grow for the brain, right? If you've ever planted anything, right, you plant it, you hope that it thrives, and a lot of times especially if you have a non-green thumb like me it doesn't. But sometimes, if we put a little miracle grow on that plant, that thing that you planted really thrives. And that's what BDNF is to the brain, and it causes a lot of significant changes in a very short amount of time. We actually have new dendrites being formed within four hours of treatment, and so dendrites think of little communication mechanisms, right. So we have new communication, new pathways being created, and this is largely unseen and unheard of in the mental health field.

Speaker 2: 3:12

So, Sean, I know you have dozens of patients that you work with over the years. Just give us an example why rapid action is so important to benefit your client.

Speaker 3: 3:27

Yeah, you know I could even speak to my own behalf. You know, one of the things that makes me so compassionate in treating folks is that I've struggled with depression in my life, right. And years ago I went through an episode of depression, and for me, when I went and sought treatment, this was before I was in mental health. It was, you know, here, try this medication. Oh, it caused side effects. Well, here, try another medication, oh, but you're going to have to wait eight to 12 weeks, right. Oh, here's another one, right.

Speaker 3: 3:57

And so in this time period where I was receiving treatment and trialing medication after medication, I often saw side effects or little benefit from the medication. And when you're depressed, right, and you're down, you don't want to have to wait eight to 12 weeks, right. Just for one medication, right. And then, when you add in medication after medication, we often see and it was in my case that years went by without significant improvement, right. And so you begin to get worn down by life and by the lack of failures. And so when you're finally presented with another option, like Spravato, you really don't want to have to wait another eight to 12 weeks. And that's one of the exciting things is that I can offer my clients is you're not going to have to wait eight to 12 weeks, right, when they have little hope because so many things have failed them and they don't want to give hope in one more thing. It's great to have something that you can say. In as little as one treatment, you're going to begin to see a difference, and that's really important.

Speaker 2: 5:03

I guess it come down to hope, you know, having these options and these tools available. This is some good stuff. Love it. See you on the next episode, Sean.

Speaker 3: 5:11

Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time.

Speaker 1: 5:16

Thanks for listening to the Viking Psychiatry Podcast, where you get the support you need when you need it. For a complimentary consultation, visit vikingpsychiatrycom or call 260-459-9225. That's 260-459-9225.