Looking for any veterans who have used the FMP for esketamine for PTSD treatment.

[Arcadius]

Hello, I'm a US Army veteran currently living in the Philippines. I just found out there is two eskatamine clinics in the country. As a veteran, we have access to the FMP or foreign medical program. I have reached out to the office and they said yes, ketamine is covered under the program.

Now here's where things get tricky. The VA will only cover FDA approved treatments. As of right now, eskatamine treatment is not approved for PTSD treatment BUT the way the VA rates PTSD are on a percentage scale. I'm rated at 70% and according to the VA's own wording, in this percentage it says "continuous anxiety and or depression".

I'm just trying to figure out if the VA through the FMP will cover the treatment based off their own wording. If there are any veterans here who have successfully had the FMP reimburse for this, please let me know. Thank you!

 

[torturedsoul4]

Hello, I'm a US Army veteran currently living in the Philippines. I just found out there is two eskatamine clinics in the country. As a veteran, we have access to the FMP or foreign medical program. I have reached out to the office and they said yes, ketamine is covered under the program.

Now here's where things get tricky. The VA will only cover FDA approved treatments. As of right now, eskatamine treatment is not approved for PTSD treatment BUT the way the VA rates PTSD are on a percentage scale. I'm rated at 70% and according to the VA's own wording, in this percentage it says "continuous anxiety and or depression".

I'm just trying to figure out if the VA through the FMP will cover the treatment based off their own wording. If there are any veterans here who have successfully had the FMP reimburse for this, please let me know. Thank you!

Unsure about FMP but the VA can approve Ketamine for "treatment resistant depression" via 'care in the community'. Best of luck to you, and thanks for your service.

 

[Arcadius]

I appreciate it. I just don't want to be on all these pills anymore and we are moving back to the US, which is gonna be a very tough time even getting half of my medication.

 

[arfie]

hello arcadius. welcome to the forum. sorry for what brings you here, but glad you are here.

i am an army veteran and have received the bulk of my psychotherapy through the va. i have also experienced the transition from living abroad to returning stateside you speak of. i have no experience with either fmp nor eskatamine, but i wanted to welcome you aboard and encourage you to return for support during the difficult transitions ahead.

welcome aboard. i hope you find stabilizing companionship here.

 

[PamelaS]

Welcome to the forum Arcadius. So glad you found this invaluable community. I am not a veteran, but I have good friends who are, and you’re among comrades here. My son and I have had extreme trauma through every season of our lives. He was just approved for ketamine treatments to begin in the next few weeks. I’ve heard good things about it, and truly hope and pray that it helps him with all of the symptoms of the PTSD, suicidal ideation and attempts, and severe depression with risk of suicide with medication. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that all goes favorably with approval for the ketamine, and smoothly with moving state side. Thank you for your service.

 

[PlainJane]

Not a veteran, but Spravato has a program/coupon where it'll cover a significant portion of the medication. I think I pay 10 dollars a dose. Then they also have a rebate program that if you sign up prior to treatment they'll cover office visits up to a certain amount. I think everything you need is found on the Spravato site, though my provider emailed everything to me and preset everything up. Sorry I don't have more, but it might be a starting point for you if you can't get the VA on board.

 

[MutedWaves]

I haven’t used the FMP for esketamine myself, but it sounds like a really promising option. Since the VA usually sticks to FDA-approved uses, I’d suggest getting written confirmation from both the clinic and the FMP office before starting treatment - maybe even have your doctor link it to your depression or anxiety diagnosis. That could make reimbursement more likely.

 

[Arcadius]

Hi everyone,

First off, thank you all for the kind words — it really means a lot. And sorry for the delayed reply; I had my treatment on 11/3, then we got hit with a few typhoons here… so that was fun.

My VA psychiatrist wrote a really well-crafted letter on my behalf, so reimbursement isn’t an issue, thankfully.

For anyone dealing with PTSD, treatment-resistant depression (TRD), or chronic pain, I honestly recommend looking into Spravato (esketamine). It’s only been about 10 days since my first session, but I already feel a bit of an improvement.

You’re supposed to complete 8 sessions, twice a week, so I’m trying to coordinate that now. The clinic is about five hours away, so my wife and I will probably stay in Manila for a month — we both work remotely, so it makes sense to just rent an Airbnb and knock out the full course.

If anyone has questions about Spravato or the process in general, please feel free to ask — I’m happy to share what I’ve learned so far.

Take care,
Arcadius

 

[torturedsoul4]

I just had my first treatment today. Was quite a journey. Some of the highlights: Lots of shapes, faces that turned to shapes, mountains, valleys, among others. Childhood, military deployment, and crying. Had some heightened anxiety during the more intense phase of medicine peeking. My first thought is I'd like that but in a smaller dose so I can control it better, but getting some antidepressant effects after being at home for about 3 hours. That stuff is strong. No joke! I'm scheduled for 2x week for next month then 1x week. That's unfortunate you have to travel so far for yours. I feel lucky to have been able to experience this.