Faster Acting Drugs For Depression
Ketamine, known by the street name Special K, is one of the new fast acting drugs being tested for the treatment of depression. Because Ketamine interacts more directly with the receptors that are responsible for normal electrical signal transfer between neurons, it is an appealing alternative to the slower acting SSRI’s, such as Prozac and Zoloft, as well as SNRI’s like Effexor and Cymbalta.
Until recently, pharmaceutical companies have been reluctant to embrace newer medications for depression fearing they would erode their own well established income streams from conventional anti-depressants. Recently, however, they have reversed course and see these faster acting drugs as providing relief that more traditional drugs cannot, especially for acutely suicidal patients where fast acting medications can provide immediate relief and reduce suicidal ideation.
Sounds like a quick but temporary fix for a problem that needed attention long before it reached the point of attempted or considered suicide. Hopefully it is tested for the outcome of users that abuse the drug or take it for recreational use.
Thanks for your comment Brenda. Ketamine is both “quick” but “temporary” which is why more research is needed. It shows remarkable improvement for those suffering from acute stages of major depression but researchers have not yet been able to establish it as a longer term maintenance medication. So far, it has proven to be safe and effective in the short term.