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2025
 

  • 16 Apr

Health: Inhaled drug shows promise for people with treatment-resistant depression Springer Nature Press Release.


Vaporized N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) shows rapid and sustained antidepressant effects lasting up to 3 months in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), according to results from a phase 2a clinical trial involving 14 participants. The findings, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, suggest that vaporized DMT may offer a non-invasive, time-efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional antidepressants and longer-lasting psychedelics in treating TRD.

Depression affects over 185 million people worldwide, with approximately one-third of cases classified as treatment-resistant. Current treatments, such as oral antidepressants, often take around three weeks to become effective, leaving patients potentially vulnerable to persistent depressive symptoms during this period. Psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca have shown promising antidepressant effects, but their long duration makes them impractical for clinical use.

Draulio Araujo, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes and colleagues conducted an open-label, dose-escalation study involving 14 patients with TRD. Participants received two doses of vaporized DMT (a 15 mg dose followed by a 60 mg dose 90 minutes later) and were monitored for up to three months. The treatment was found to be safe and well-tolerated, producing rapid antidepressant effects with an average reduction of 21.14 points on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS — a ten-item diagnostic questionnaire which mental health professionals use to measure the severity of depressive episodes) by day 7. For 12 of the participants (85.71%) there was a reduction of 50% or more in MADRS scores 7 days post-administration, and lower depression scores persisted for up to 3 months.

The authors suggest that vaporized DMT could be integrated into clinical practice as a rapid-acting antidepressant, offering potential advantages over traditional treatments. However, further research is needed to confirm these results in larger cohorts and explore the long-term effects and optimal dosing regimens.


CONTACT

Draulio Araujo (Instituto do Cérebro (ICe)/UFRN, Natal, Brazil)

Email: [email protected]
 

Fernanda Palhano-Fontes (Instituto do Cérebro (ICe)/UFRN, Natal, Brazil)

Email: [email protected]

 

View the related article: Rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of vaporized N,N-dimethyltryptamine: a phase 2a clinical trial in treatment-resistant depression

 

 

 

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