The American FDA approves a new drug for severe depression.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousIt could help, in the short term, against depression and suicide risk, but what side effects will it entail?
A new antidepressant drug arrives in the States for those who do not benefit from traditional therapies.
The Food and Drug Administration has in fact just approved an esketamine-based nasal spray, part of the anesthetic molecule ketamine. The spray is looming as the first fast-acting depression drug available on the American market.
To be used in combination with an oral antidepressant, Spravato (this is the brand name of the new nasal spray) is intended only for those suffering from a treatment resistant depression, that is, to those who have tried other antidepressant drugs but have not benefited from them.
As the FDA itself explains, due to the risk of serious adverse outcomes from sedation and dissociation caused by the administration of Spravato, and the potential for abuse and misuse of the drug, the spray will only be available through a limited distribution system, in the as part of a risk assessment and mitigation strategy (the so-called REMS).
"For a long time there was a need for new effective treatments for depression that has become drug resistant," said Tiffany Farchione, director of the psychiatric products division of the FDA. Given the safety concerns, it was decided that the drug will be managed only by certified doctors or clinics, who can monitor the patient for at least two hours after taking it ".
How the antidepressant spray works
Spravato is a fast-acting nasal spray formulation based on ketamine, which is a non-competitive N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist.
The patient will be able to spray it independently but under the supervision of a healthcare professional in a doctor's office or in a certified clinic. It will then have to be monitored for at least two hours and will not be able to take the spray home.
Its side effects
The most common side effects seen in patients treated with Spravato in clinical trials were dissociation, dizziness, nausea, sedation, decreased sensation or sensation (hypoesthesia), anxiety, lethargy, increased blood pressure, vomiting and feeling drunk.
Patients with unstable or poorly controlled hypertension or pre-existing aneurysmal vascular disorders may have an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular or cerebrovascular effects. Spravato can also reduce the threshold of attention and judgment, make it difficult to associate thoughts, reaction speed and motor skills. In addition, it can cause fetal harm and should not be taken while breastfeeding.
Given these possible side effects, the doctor and patient must sign a form clearly stating that the patient must leave the health facility in a safe condition, and cannot drive or operate heavy machinery for the rest of the day after receiving the drug.
In short, a real drug with an infinite series of side effects. But is there a way to fight dark evil without drugs? It is not up to us to give precise judgments or evaluations nor to substitute for the opinion of the experts, but it is a real fact that a little help can probably also come from greater attention to one's diet or from the importance of spending a part of one's time in the air. open, to the point of taking care of one's inner self a little more.
Here you can learn about ten remedies to experiment, not forgetting to ask for an opinion from those who know more.
Read also:
- Depression: the bible of depression (symptoms, types and solutions)
- Depression: symptoms, causes and how to get help
Germana Carillo
