Nitrous oxide, in combination with oxygen, is usually given to patients who need to undergo more complicated dental procedures such as surgery in order to reduce the anxiety and help relieve pain. Now it looks like the same compound may be used to treat depression in a much quicker pace.
The laughing gas, called as such because of its ability to bring the patient to a more euphoric and relaxed state, may be used to treat people with depression symptoms but are resistant to other more popular and conventional modes of treatment.
In a small study, about 20 patients with treatment-resistant depression received two types of treatment: the first one included nitrous oxide therapy while the other was a placebo, which is composed of oxygen and nitrogen.
Seven of these patients reported mild symptom improvement a day after they received the treatment composed of nitrous oxide and oxygen. About the same number of people, meanwhile, revealed they experienced significant improvement while about 3 mentioned their symptoms seemed to disappear. Under the placebo treatment, only 5 experienced slight improvement while 2 said they had significant change in mood. Patients didn't experience any worsening of symptoms even after the nitrous oxide therapy.
Despite this level of success, there are still some issues to contend with. One, nitrous oxide still remains unapproved by the Federal Drug Administration, which means doctors and counsellors cannot conveniently recommend them to their patients. The researchers think that the primary role of this therapy is to treat depressed individuals who may need medical intervention right away. As mentioned too, these are intended for those who are already resistant to common treatments including medications and psychological therapies. Not only are these patients resistant, the effects of these types of treatments take a while, from a few days to a couple of weeks. By then, the symptoms may have already become very severe.
The researchers from Washington University also needed to know how nitrous oxide therapy affects a greater population.