Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
'Special K' may Help Relieve Depression | |
|
| |
Special K could be the answer in the fight against depression, say scientists.
University of NSW researcher Prof Colleen Loo said the drug prompted improvements in people suffering clinical depression from within hours to a day later, News.com.au reported.
University of NSW researcher Prof Colleen Loo said the drug prompted improvements in people suffering clinical depression from within hours to a day later, News.com.au reported.
Given intravenously to people with moderate to severe clinical depression, the drug has been trialled in a handful of patients as part of the Australian-first study.
Researchers hope to recruit up to 40 patients as part of the ongoing trial, which is comparing people with depression given ketamine with those given a placebo.
Prof Loo said several international studies had produced similar instantaneous results.
Although the drug is approved for medical use in Australia for anaesthesia, sedation, and pain relief, the research is investigating the safety and effectiveness of the drug to treat depression before it can be widely used.
However, the research is still in its very early stages with fewer than 100 patients involved in placebo-controlled trials worldwide, Prof Loo said.
But if studies proved ketamine to be effective it could provide another avenue to treat depression sufferers within years, she said.
Prof Loo, from the university's School of Psychiatry and the Black Dog Institute, said ketamine worked in a completely different way in the brain than other treatments.
All other anti-depressant medications work on serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine, but Ketamine works on a different neurotransmitter system, involving the chemical glutamate.
Prof Loo said studies in animals showed ketamine worked by promoting the regrowth and regeneration of brain cells.
"When people are depressed, cells in some parts of the brains ... become unhealthy and shrink. Ketamine reverses those kinds of changes. It's promoting the growth of new nerve projections and new synapses between nerve cells," she explained.
Participants in the trial are given up to six ketamine treatments intravenously, under strict medical supervision in hospital, a week apart.
The carefully-controlled doses are low - about one-tenth of the level used in anaesthesia.
Source-ANI
| |
|
|
More News on: Adolescence Depression, Depression, Stress Relief Through Alternative Medicine, Andropause / Male Menopause, Pregnancy and Complications, Bereavement, Holistic Management for Depression, Tourette Syndrome, Dealing with Menopause symptoms through lifestyle changes, Tired All The Time
 Comment & Contribute
|
Related Links
Recreational Drugs are not Completely Safe
Recreational drugs are commonly used in rave parties. Serotonin syndrome can occur in patients taking ...
Quiz on Depression
Depressed people talk of suicide. Should you press the panic button or seek medical help? What are the symptoms of depression? Why do we get ...
'Special K' Can Help In The Treatment Of Schizophrenia
Scientists know that the drug ketamine -- street name "Special K" -- can induce schizophrenia-like symptoms in drug abusers. Ketamine is ...
Drug Related News
EU Agency Says Acne Pill Benefits Outweigh Blood Clot Risk
The benefits of acne drug Diane-35, also widely used as a contraceptive, outweigh the risk of developing blood clots in the veins, said Europe's ...
Statins Cut Exercise Benefits
Simvastatin a type of statin was found to hinder the positive effects of exercise for obese and overweight adults. Statins, the ...
New Drug Enhances Radiation Treatment for Brain Cancer
A novel drug may significantly help increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for the most deadly form of brain cancer, say scientists at ...
Experts Issue Warning Against Online Sexual Enhancement Pills
Health experts have warned people against purchasing sexual enhancement pills from stores or from the internet as they often are a dangerous ...
Powerful Painkiller Discovered in Canadian Black Market
A Can$3 million (US$3 million) drug stash was found by Montreal police that included their first ever black market discovery of a synthetic drug that ...
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
|
|
 | Quiz on Depression Depressed people talk of suicide. Should you press the panic button or seek medical help? What are the symptoms of depression? Why do we get depressed? To find out take this quiz on depression. 
|
- News Quick Links
 |
Depression
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | Link Between Agent Orange Exposure and Prostate Cancer |
| » | Tumour Growth Mechanism Goes a Step Further |
| » | Link Between Skin Cancer and Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease Identified |
| » | Molecular Profiling Timely for Tailoring Therapy Shown By First Prospective Trial |
| » | Broad Support for Rationing of Some Types of Cancer Care Found By Penn Medicine Study |
| More Cancer News | |
|
Ask an Expert
