Dr. Alok Banga, MD, MPH, MS at Family Psychiatry Center is offering Ketamine and Esketamine as a treatment for Depression. Before      scheduling your first treatment, patients must have a consultation with Dr. Banga and meet all screening requirements. During your      appointment, you will discuss your treatment history, medical conditions and plan for Ketamine/Esketamine treatment.

 

Ketamine Treatment:

 Typically, it will take 3 to 4 treatments to know if Ketamine will help you. If you are having positive results, it is recommended to have  8-10 treatments within the first 4-5 weeks intensive treatment phase. After the intensive treatment phase, maintenance (booster) treatment will be scheduled to maintain response. The total length of treatment is highly dependent on each individual’s unique circumstances. We offer Ketamine as Intramuscular (IM) treatments. IM treatments are equally effective, but cheaper and less invasive compared to Intravenous ( IV) treatments. There are some misleading articles on internet from boutique clinics that only IV treatments are effective, which is contrary to the extant research evidence. Both routes of administration have almost similar Bioavailibility ( 93% for IM vs. 100% for IV).  Also, if only IV route was effective, FDA would not approve Esketamine in a nasal spray formulation. Dr. Banga will discuss these details and provide references during your first appointment. 

 

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Treatment Protocol:

1. Evaluation/Screening $400 (Insurance may cover this Initial evaluation)

2. First Treatment: $250 plus co-pay/co-insurance, typical response in 4-24 hours, maximum effect at day 3 post treatment.

3. Next nine treatments during intensive treatment phase to achieve remission of symptoms: $2250 total (for Ketamine only, does not include co-pay/co-insurance, deductible, which is additional).

4. Maintenance treatment: $250 each plus (co-pay/co-insurance/deductible).  

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Ketamine treatments are not covered by insurance, however, a portion of the office visit may be covered by Insurance.

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Esketamine Treatment and Protocol:

 Esketamine, also known as the brand name Spravato, is FDA approved to treat Major Depressive Disorder and Treatment Resistant   Depression. Esketamine may be covered by your insurance, but it can take time to get approval for a Prior Authorization.

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The Loading Dose for Esketamine

Week 1 to Week 4: Twice a week treatments

Week 5 to Week 8: Once a week treatments

Week 9 to Week 12: Once a week or once ever other week treatments

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Ketamine/ Esketamine treatment is provided in our outpatient office in Elk Grove, CA.  All Ketamine treatments are supervised by a physician. 

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