Could laughing gas help with severe depression?
Laughing gas is known mostly for enabling dentists to dig deep into a jawbone with sharp, painful tools, while the patient nods off a little, or lets out a delighted giggle. But a new study could change the way doctors think about laughing gas -- or nitrous oxide. It may be also useful for patients with severe depression. ...
Laughing gas is known mostly for enabling dentists to dig deep into a jawbone with sharp, painful tools, while the patient nods off a little, or lets out a delighted giggle. But a new study could change the way doctors think about laughing gas -- or nitrous oxide. It may be also useful for patients with severe depression.
Peter Nagele is the lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. Ketamine, which shares certain properties with nitrous oxide, has been found to rapidly improve outcomes in clinically depressed patients. It occurred to Dr. Nagele that it was time to take a closer look at laughing gas because, unlike ketamine, it is not addictive.
"It improves their symptoms," says Dr. Nagele, referring to the findings he and his team made during a blinded study using patients with antidepressant resistant mood disorders.
He suggests nitrous oxide could be used to treat very specific issues, not as a general replacement for traditional antidepressants.
"For instance, if a patient is acutely suicidal [and] you need something that acts quickly to get them out of a very severe depressed state before a standard antidepressant can kick in."
He also sees a potential for nitrous oxide as an alternative to electroshock therapy, which is sometimes used when depression fails to respond to standard antidepressants.
"I think it's one of the more exciting discoveries in this field," Dr. Nagele tells As It Happens. To find out more about his research take a listen to tonight's interview.