Nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas,” has joined the ranks of effective treatments for post-traumatic stress disorders, according to a new study.
A new study involving 24 participants in the United States found that low doses of gas could alleviate the symptoms of depression.
Ah Science alert One article reports that psychotropic drugs historically used at parties appear to be becoming the right means of treating mental illness.
Phase III trials have shown that party drug ecstasy is a highly effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And in a recent study, oral ketamine is described in the drug fact sheet. Ministry of Justice / Drug Enforcement Administration, It has been found to significantly reduce suicidal tendencies.
Like “laughing gas,” the effect seems to last for weeks, but it has a significant number of side effects.
According to Peter Nagele, a trauma anesthesiologist at the University of Chicago, the reduction in side effects was unexpected and very dramatic, but even more exciting, the effect after a single dose lasted for a full two weeks.
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(Photo: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images)
The dentist anesthetizes the patient with “laughing gas” or nitrous oxide.
Unprecedented “cool” discoveries
A trauma anesthesiologist said this was a “unprecedented” finding. When “laughing gas” or nitrous oxide was first discovered in the late 1700s, British chemists held a laughing gas party for an elite crowd.
The event was reportedly marketed as an “experiment” to see how the drug actually worked.
Party attendees reported feeling euphoric and painless. This is why nitrous oxide was immediately modified for both surgical and dental use. Centuries later, most people know that this drug is a sedative or anesthetic.
Over the past few years, researchers have re-examined the drug, including its use in clinical settings.
Drop-in depression case
Principle proof research published in National Library of Medicine In 2015, we found that inhaling a gas consisting of 50% nitrous oxide for only one hour had antidepressant effects.
In this study, most participants had a significant reduction in depression the day after treatment, but the effect did not appear to persist among volunteers whose mood was checked one week later.
No serious side effects have been observed, but many volunteers said they felt nausea, paranoia, or lightheadedness.
Nevertheless, new follow-up studies suggest that this is not always the case. In a recent phase II clinical trial, approximately 24 participants with treatment-resistant major depression were randomly assigned three different treatments over a three-month period, with one month between treatments. I was sick.
The study “Phase 2 study of inhaled nitrous oxide for treatment-resistant major depression” Science translational medicine..
Permanent advantage
Two weeks after all treatments, researchers found that people who were given laughing gas at either dose showed a lasting effect compared to when they were given placebo. did.
The higher the intake of laughing gas, the more side effects occurred on average four times. With low dose treatment, most participants fell asleep.
According to Nagele, the study was motivated by observations from studies on ketamine and depression. Ketamine, like nitrous oxide, is an anesthetic, and promising studies have been conducted on the use of ketamine at doses below the anesthetic for the treatment of depression.
Nagele suspected that the past 50% concentration was very high. Nagele thought that lower doses could lead to “Goldilocks spots” that maximize clinical benefits and minimize adverse side effects.
However, due to the small sample size and the researchers’ follow-up of participants after two weeks, it remains unclear whether the effects of laughing gas treatment will be carried over to the next nitrous oxide dose.
This may enhance the lasting effect of the drug. In short, multiple doses of this treatment may be beneficial as a longer-term treatment.
You can find more information about “Nitrous Oxide” in the following YouTube video of Atlanta Dental Spa.
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