Ketamine nasal spray  the drug is a form of ketamine, a generic drug that’s been used as a form of anesthesia for many years, Dr. Anand says.

Ketamine has also been used for years in smaller doses in IV form for patients with treatment-resistant depression. But as a generic drug, it has not been put through the FDA’s review process for that use. Ketamine nasal spray

It’s actually a controlled substance (it is sometimes abused as a recreational drug — you may have heard it called Special K). Because of that, and because it can create feelings of dissociation and hallucination in people who take it, the new esketamine nasal spray will only be administered in a doctor’s office or hospital setting.

“It’s a slightly different form of ketamine and will be given as nasal puffs, but the effects are essentially the same,” Dr. Anand says.

A patient will go to their doctor once or twice a week to get nasal puffs of a dose of esketamine. Because they may experience disorientation or confusion immediately afterward, they will stay at the doctor’s office for two hours. They are also advised not to drive, operate machinery, or undertake a task that requires similar mental effort for the rest of the day.