How Long Do You Stay on Spravato? Duration & Discontinuation

Most people stay on Spravato (esketamine) for several years, and some continue indefinitely. How long you stay on Spravato depends on how well it’s working, how stable your symptoms are, and whether you and your provider feel it’s still helping your day-to-day life. While many people choose to stay on Spravato long-term, you don’t have to take it forever—some eventually stop.

Quick answers

• The average esketamine treatment duration is 2.4 years, and many people continue to use Spravato indefinitely if it’s working.
• There’s no universal stopping point—treatment length depends largely on your response.
• You can stop Spravato without tapering, as there aren’t any withdrawal effects.

What determines how long you stay on Spravato?

The biggest factor is simple: whether the treatment is still helping, says Steve Harvey, MD, Midwest regional director at Radial. 

According to Harvey, other things your provider considers include:

• Response to treatment: People who continue seeing meaningful improvements are more likely to use Spravato long-term.
• Relapse risk: If symptoms return when treatment is spaced out or stopped, ongoing Spravato maintenance therapy may help reduce relapse risk.

When and how do people stop Spravato?

Stopping Spravato is a collaborative decision, not something that happens suddenly after a set amount of time, according to Harvey.

Harvey says you might talk to your doctor about discontinuing Spravato if:

• You’ve been stable and want to reassess: If your symptoms have stayed manageable for a while, your provider may discuss whether to continue, space out, or stop treatment.
• You want to stop: Personal preference matters too, says Harvey.
• Access or insurance changes: Cost or logistics sometimes play a role in the decision.

According to Harvey, if someone decides they want to end treatment altogether, they can generally stop without a tapering process or withdrawal symptoms.

If your symptoms return, that’s okay—and that information can help guide next steps. Some people restart Spravato treatment, while others explore different options with their provider, he says. Regardless, continued relief is possible with the right approach.

Can you stay on Spravato long-term?

Yes. Spravato is FDA-approved for long-term use, and there are many Spravato reviews about staying on it for years. There are on-going trials to ensure the benefit of Spravato doesn't wear off over time. In large studies, patients have continued to maintain remission for up to 5 years. Studies are still going to continue to monitor safety and response beyond this.

According to Harvey, patients who feel significantly better on Spravato often want to continue treatment because they don’t want to lose that progress. Long-term treatment isn’t considered a failure—it’s simply part of managing a chronic condition for some people with treatment-resistant depression.

That said, long-term treatment doesn’t necessarily mean sticking to the same routine forever. After the initial induction phase—which usually involves twice-weekly sessions—many people transition into a maintenance phase with appointments spaced every few weeks. 

“We try to find the best balance between how often the patient comes in and making sure they still feel good,” says Harvey. The goal is to space out treatments as far as possible while ensuring depression doesn't recur. This can be anywhere from weekly to every three months for some patients, but the average is every 2-4 weeks.

And if you eventually decide you want to stop treatment, that conversation can happen too. The goal is to find the approach that helps you feel stable and supported long-term.

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