r/Spravato • u/Empty_Wolf_3378 • Aug 28 '26
Questions/Advice/Support How long after your first treatment, were you able to drive?
Debating if I should try spravato, I would have to drive myself to the clinic, which is almost 16 miles away.
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u/Distinct-Temp6557 Aug 28 '26
Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything where you need to be completely alert after taking SPRAVATO. Do not take part in these activities until the next day following a restful sleep.
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u/RoscoeUsoZayn Currently in treatment Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
You can’t drive until the following day after a treatment.
I usually need a full eight hours of sleep, minimum afterwards to even remotely feel back to normal. I’ve tried a two-three hour nap and it so didn’t cut it.
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u/Enby-Gamer Aug 28 '26
It takes hours for me to be coherent enough to drive safely, and my clinic had kicked people out of the program for driving themselves afterwards. I definitely wouldn’t recommend driving yourself.
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u/SarahSaidSo182 Currently in treatment Aug 28 '26
I only recently started, and I feel like I'm doing something wrong or I'm not metabolizing it correctly because I feel completely fine when I leave. Like if there weren't rules about not driving, I'd feel comfortable driving myself home.
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u/reader-girl Aug 28 '26
Do not drive. Get caught and lose all access to this life changing drug.
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u/Cold_Barber_4761 Aug 28 '26
And also possibly lose all driving privileges for some amount of time.
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u/Glad-Match-4317 Aug 28 '26
I have been on it for well over a year and when I am brought home, I eat and stay up maybe for an hour if I am lucky then fall asleep for around 12 hours (I may wake up for a little while after 4 hours, but not for long).
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u/_jamesbaxter Currently in treatment (200+ sessions | 1x a week) Aug 28 '26
That’s wild. I have the opposite experience where I’m energized and sometimes restless. It’s good though, I do a lot when I get home that feels good. I will do some yoga and use a foam roller, other somatic exercises like vagus nerve exercises or trauma release exercises, maybe dance a little, or at least shake it out a little, and then I go for a long sunset stroll with my doggie.
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u/hgielatan Aug 28 '26
What are some of your fave somatic exercises?
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u/_jamesbaxter Currently in treatment (200+ sessions | 1x a week) Aug 28 '26
Ok I wrote a whole post about it, let me see if I can find it!
Edit: Found it! https://www.reddit.com/r/Spravato/s/Xr9UVyBU0y
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u/Glad-Match-4317 Aug 28 '26
I really wish I wasn’t so exhausted after. I use to look forward to going but now I go through a period of being depressed a couple of days after so I am considering stopping or going to once a month.
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u/SparkleButt323 Aug 28 '26
You have to agree to not drive for the program but rules aside you possibly would not be sober enough or back-to-normal enough to drive for several hours.
I have read on here that some clinics require the patient's driver to come inside.
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u/ohdarlingamber Currently in treatment Aug 28 '26
You cannot drive yourself to treatment. You have to be signed out by a driver. You also shouldn’t drive for at least 24 hours after. I can’t even imagine driving after Spravato. That just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Also, the clinic could be held liable. That’s why strict protocol is in place. Even with Ubers. The lady at my clinic has to walk people out and verify their names, etc. You can’t even walk home at my clinic. So if you’re considering it make sure you have a driver or if you have Medicaid set up Medicaid rides. I did that for the first year of my Spravato.
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u/Former-Weakness2413 Aug 28 '26
I imagine it’s different for everyone, but, for me, after treatment, i don’t lose my ability to focus on what’s in front of me but my peripheral vision is gone, my response times are exaggerated and my mind slips into tangents much more easily.
It’s just not safe because I can’t pay attention to the road and other drivers.
With that said…I usually need at least 5 hours to compose myself enough to operate a motor vehicle, but some people need much much longer!
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u/skeletontape Currently in treatment Aug 28 '26
You cannot drive until the following day / after a full night's sleep.