Depression is a mental health condition that plagues thousands of people in Idaho. While there are many medications on the market that are formulated to treat it, a new one has emerged.
In 2019, the FDA approved a new medication for treating severe depression and suicidal ideation. It is a nasal spray that contains a form of Ketamine called Esketamine. There are also people in Idaho who are turning to Ketamine IV injections to get relief from their symptoms. So many of them report that other medications they have used did not work for them. They are placing their hope in this drug because for a lot of them, they see it as the last solution they have available.
Idaho physician, Dr. Ryan Cole describes how Ketamine was discovered to have an effect on depression by stating, “It was accidental that we discovered that it actually works in depression. So people would go in for general surgery, have Ketamine as a treatment or as an anesthesia, they would come out of it, and go, ‘Why is my depression gone?’”
One patient – who was on the brink of suicide in 2019 – explains that he believes his brain has been healed. But that healing does not come without a high price tag. At the Boise Ketamine Clinic, infusions cost $2,400 for the entire process. Insurance does not cover these costs.