Depressive Disorders

New Depression Treatment Possible By Combining Two Existing Meds

In the Pipeline: Agents for Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders
In the Pipeline: Agents for Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders
Combining buprenorphine and naltrexone produced antidepressant-like effects in mice, but has yet to be demonstrated in humans.

Scientists at the University of Bath have identified that a combination of two existing licensed drugs could be used as a potential new treatment for depression.

Current antidepressants, called SSRIs, increase the amount of serotonin in the brain although the exact mechanism by which they work is still unclear. However around 30-50% of these patients do not respond to treatment, it can take several weeks before the drugs take effect, and many patients suffer significant .

The team at Bath found that using a combination of buprenorphine (a painkiller used post-surgery) and naltrexone (a used for treating addiction) produced antidepressant-like responses in mice.

Related Content

READ FULL ARTICLE Curated publisher From Medical Express