Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Results of a new study show that patients with major depressive order who have not been helped by antidepressants could benefit from short-term use of nitrous oxide, researchers announced Sunday.
The study, conducted by the University of Birmingham and published in the the journal eBioMedicine "has assessed the best available clinical information to show how clinically administered nitrous oxide (N20) can offer fast-acting depressive symptom relief for adults with major depressive (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD)," a press release said.
Researchers found in three trials that a single treatment of inhaled clinical nitrous oxide with a 50% concentration rate produced a rapid and significant drop in depressive symptoms within 24 hours, though the results did not sustain for a week, the press release said.
However, repeated treatments over several weeks showed longer lasting effectiveness, which suggested that multiple, ongoing treatments may be required to achieve clinical effectiveness and long-term relief from depressive symptoms, researchers said.
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