Esketamine and Nausea: What Users Say

• Jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2020

Esketamine for Depression "On Spravato, I felt like I was going to die. It took 4 minutes to kick in. I couldn’t feel my face, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, the room was spinning, music felt far away even though I had headphones in. I heard the ocean. I was sweating, felt like I was sinking, mind racing, nauseous. I felt like I was strapped to a Ferris wheel that wouldn’t stop spinning or falling really fast. I was crying and sweating, 22 minutes in I had a ringing in my ear. It gave me a headache. I couldn’t hear my music anymore, that scared me. I couldn’t move. I was crying for my mom. It was really scary. I don’t feel 100% back to normal today (appointment was yesterday). I feel lethargic, spacey, with no appetite. I feel sad and disappointed that this didn’t work. This was literally the last thing to try treatment-wise. I have to go back to doing TMS every day. Please don’t try this unless it’s your last resort."

• Mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 26, 2021

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "September 24, 2020, started Spravato after dealing with self-hate, suicidal thoughts, depression, and rage for over 35 years. Being admitted to a mental facility and being prescribed several different medications which worsened the idea of suicide, I felt this was the last option. I am taking 3 sprays per month, and it has helped me a great deal. I take a Zofran shot before treatment and also take 2 Phenergan when I wake up the morning of the treatment to help with nausea, however, I still vomit during the session. I have tried an empty stomach, and that doesn't help either. I am very sensitive to smells now as well. The smell of the doctor's office now makes me sick to my stomach. Other than the side effects, I do think it is a good drug for me. I do seem to lose my train of thought, and if speaking, sometimes I cannot complete sentences and cannot think of words. I am a bit skeptical of the long-term affect of using this drug."

• Sar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2025

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "I've been taking Spravato now for approximately 16 months. I have MDD and panic disorder, all starting about 7 years after being diagnosed with chronic pain from spinal stenosis, and two failed lumbar fusions. I had been on traditional SSRI therapy for almost 20 years without much improvement. The depression actually started exacerbating, as well as the panic attacks. I started on Spravato in 2024 with the lowest dose (56 mg) bi-weekly, then quickly moved up to the highest dose (84 mg) once a week. I am currently transitioning to once every other week. When first starting off with the treatments, I had a lot of issues with anxiety/panic from the drug's known side effect of rapid heart rate. I thought maybe that this was not the drug treatment for me. I was put on a low-dose beta blocker, which has worked wonders. To tackle the nausea, I was instructed to buy ginger soft chews. This took care of the nausea. The depression is now finally in remission."

• ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2019

Esketamine for Depression "I had my first experience with Spravato yesterday, and the side effects were just awful. Felt extremely drunk-dissociation, severe nausea and sweating, dizziness, tiredness. Could barely make it home (I got a ride) and get myself into bed to lie there for the rest of the night. The next morning-extremely tired, nauseous. Felt hungover. No effect on my TRD (treatment-resistant depression) after 1 treatment. I will continue as long as I can stand it because I am pretty much out of options. But I am dreading it more than I did with ECT."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 25, 2021

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "Been on Spravato for over a year. Still have been on a regimen of 84 mg twice a week. It has not given me really any adverse effects, light equilibrium issues when on it. When I first started, it was very helpful, but weaning down to anything less than twice a week hasn't been able to work for me. It's helpful for a few days and goes away, wouldn't call it a miracle drug. But it's very helpful compared to the countless other medications I've been on. Definitely bring some Listerine patches or strong mints to help with the nausea/bad taste. Have MDD, PTSD, and anxiety disorder. Spravato is an effective medication, but with the caveat that weaning down really makes the depression kick in. Advice: make a nice playlist of music and try to relax."

• AJa...
• January 18, 2020

Esketamine for Depression "I did the IV Ketamine for several months and found it very helpful, but it wore off very quickly. My physician has recommended that I start Spravato, as he has sometimes seen its benefits last longer. I have now had 2 treatments with 53 mg. I do not feel dissociative symptoms, like with the IV, but I have significant symptoms of motion sickness. The night of the treatment, I feel exhausted, and this is lasting into the following day. With the IV treatment, my symptoms fully resolved the night of treatment. I am trying to determine if these treatments are worth continuing. The side effects are prolonged, and there is no certainty that the benefits will last very long."

• hki...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2023

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "Cannot speak to effectiveness just yet, but this is my experience. I was very nervous going into it. I do not have experience with substances other than alcohol and THC (which I respond very badly to), so I was pretty scared that Spravato would really mess me up and I'd have a bad time. I am also super prone to nausea. My first dose went just fine. Took a few minutes for me to feel the effects, but they were manageable. I was pretty lucid the entire time. My head felt a little swimmy, I sometimes couldn't feel parts of my body, and my perception of time was out of whack. But no nausea, paranoia, etc. I actually felt very pleasant the entire time. The next dose, I did have a few minor moments of panic (once because there was a loud noise, once because it was too quiet and that scared me for some reason), but they subsided quickly. I have felt pretty good in the days after my first doses, but no marked improvement yet."

• Goo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 5, 2021

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "I complete week 4 Monday. 84 mg is super strong - can be trippy. Start with 56 mg. Do NOT drive for several hours. Do NOT move around much during the session as you could get nauseous. My depression is much improved so far. Improved, but this is not a magic bullet."

• Kar...
• August 8, 2019

Esketamine for Depression "I have had 3 sessions of 56 mg. First time had the most dramatic side effects, very strong dizziness and dissociation. Next day I felt great. Second session had the worst reaction. Side effects last through the evening, dizziness and nausea. Next day I felt like my head was full of mud, couldn't make any decisions, had a blank look on my face all day... didn't feel like I was in this world. And the third session seemed to be somewhere in the middle. The side effects during and the evening of weren't too bad. The next day I functioned and went to work like a typical day. I can't say I have seen relief from my depression. Dr. thinks I should still give it a few more times. But I am going through a difficult time in my life, so maybe my depression would be way worse if I didn't have the Spravato treatments?"

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2022

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "I am using this for PTSD. The drug experience is horrible. After I spray it in my nose and it begins to take effect, I pray it will end. The feeling is so horrible. I want to throw up, I can't physically move, I can't assess where I am, I can't 'sense' anything, but I am aware of how bad I feel and pray it ends. For 24 hours after each treatment, I am a worthless dish rag. I feel my brain will never come back. No ability to think and want to vomit. I can't take many drugs. I have severe reactions. I opted to try Spravato because it is not every day. You won't want a soul near you when under the effects in the office. I feel I am in prison. Trapped. Can't scream. Buried alive with no help. It is a bad trip. If it treats PTSD, it is worth more than the nightmare side effects, that is the only reason I tried it. I have had allergic reactions to everything ever given to me. I am not allergic to Spravato. I just am terrified of how it makes me feel. I dread treatment."

• Emm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2022

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "Ok, so I have only done it twice - the first time was 56 mg, the second was 84 mgs or whatever. I want to start off by saying I have a very long history of substance abuse, so something like “tripping” or “dosing” was not something I hadn’t experienced. Being on Spravato - I’ve never been so messed up in my life. Seriously, what in the world… At one point, I thought I melted into a pool of something on the floor, and I could hear the air twitching. For me, the initial “high” lasts about 2 hours, where you trip the hell out, hallucinate, and completely dissociate - but the extreme dizziness and nausea is enough to knock me on my ass for an entire 2 days afterwards. I’m trying to decide since I have not yet felt any relief - if I’m going to continue. My doc says to give her a month of trying it before I stop, but the entire day of and next day I’m sick as anything. Hope some of you find relief with this stuff."

• Owl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2021

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "I did Spravato for six weeks, and it had zero effect on my depression, but did have several negative side effects. I became very aggressive and hostile. The actual process of taking the drug was a miserable experience. The taste was horrible and made me horribly nauseated. The entire experience was not worth it. Add to that, I'm now fighting with the pharmacy that supplied the drug. I qualified for Janssen's assistance, and my portion should have been $10, but Alliance RX/Walgreens is billing me $1000."

• Win...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 4, 2022

Esketamine for Major Depressive Disorder "I only tried Spravato once, but it was too bad to continue. A few minutes after the nasal sprays, I had a horrible taste in my mouth, then nausea, then crying, dissociation, sweating, etc. Now I’m back home after a few hours with somewhat of a hangover feeling: headache, still nauseous, and now also a sore throat. I can’t accurately “rate” this drug since it needs to be taken for quite some time to get the results, but the side effects were just too horrible to go on. *Side note: I have also done several ketamine infusions prior to this, with only a bit of nausea once."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2020

For Depression "I started taking Spravato nearly two months ago. Started at the 56 mg loading dose. At four weeks, it had done nothing positive. So the doc upped it to the 84. First off, that first double-dose treatment had me on one hell of a trip. I really felt that I wasn’t coming back! After that treatment, I was hungover, then treatment 2. After that, I was sick as a dog. Severe headaches and terrible nausea. Took me 5 days to recoup, and as of today, still with the headaches and nausea. Called the doc and stopped treatment altogether. I just can’t spend day after day feeling sick, not able to work, etc. This was a last-ditch effort, and now I don’t know just what I am going to do."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2022

For Depression "I tried 4 doses of high-dose esketamine. It was absolutely useless! Waste of time! Waste of money! The only effect I experienced was that it tasted bitter when it dripped down my throat. I did not have dissociations, hallucinations, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, or anything else. My vital signs also never changed at all. I simply got angry because I was forced to sit in an empty room, bored silly for 2 hours each time. It did nothing for my depression, suicidal ideation, or panic attacks. Giving me bad-tasting saline would have the same effects as esketamine (and be much cheaper). I think it works purely on a placebo effect! I also haven't responded to numerous antidepressants, CBT, or any other treatments either."