Articles related to DEPRESSION

News, comments, and analysis from the field of psychiatry, including the FDA’s clearance of a new neuromodulation device for people with significant depression, a phase III safety and efficacy trial of an injectable subcutaneous formulation of olanzapine for schizophrenia, melatonin dependence, and much more.

Sixty-one unmedicated adults — 75% female, mean age of 45 years — with major depressive disorder, body mass index > 25 kg/m2, and plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) ≥ 3.0 mg/L were randomly assigned to receive EPA 1 g/d, 2 g/d, or 4 g/d or placebo for 12 weeks. The EPA 4 g/d demonstrated a medium effect versus placebo. This dose may alleviate MDD in overweight individuals with elevated inflammatory markers. Further, decline in hs-CRP may be correlated with clinical response.

Dextromethorphan HBr-buproprion HCl has been FDA approved in extended-release tablet form for MDD. The study supporting the approval showed improved MADRS total score at 6 weeks (15.9 points for Auvelity vs 12.1 points for placebo) and a statistically significant difference in the change from baseline in MADRS total score at weeks 1 and 2 between Auvelity (AXSOME) and placebo. “The approval of Auvelity represents a milestone in depression treatment based on its novel oral NMDA antagonist mechanism, its rapid antidepressant efficacy demonstrated in controlled trials, and a relatively favorable safety profile.” Maurizio Fava, MD, Psychiatrist-In-Chief, Massachusetts General Hospital

Paolo Manfredi, chief scientific officer at Relmada Therapeutics, remarked, “This designation further supports the potential of REL-1017 as a paradigm-shifting, novel standalone treatment for MDD, and highlights the significant unmet medical need in a therapeutic area where little has changed over the last several decades: available treatments remain inadequate for the majority of patients with MDD.”

The author concludes that “careful use of T3  and L-T4  can be critical mood-stabilizingoptions, especially for depressive illness that has not responded to first-line therapies,and can provide an alternative to other augmentation strategies such as atypicalantipsychotics, lithium, or esketamine/ketamine.”

In this study enrolling 478 young adults, of which 265 self-reported anxiety and 146 self-reported depression, high-dose vitamin B6 supplementation raised brain GABA levelsand reduced self-reported anxiety.