A novel treatment for people with depression who are resistant to conventional antidepressants is set to be trialled by University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka researchers.
Depression is an increasing public health concern in Aotearoa New Zealand, but about 30 percent of people with the illness are resistant to existing antidepressants, says Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Neda Nasrollahi, who works in the Department of Psychological Medicine.
Dr Neda Nasrollahi
"Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in New Zealand and has a significant impact on an individual's ability to perform everyday tasks," she says.
"It can impair social, occupational, and educational functioning, and it increases the risk of suicide.
"There is an urgent need to identify fast-acting and effective treatment options for those with treatment-resistant depression."
Dr Nasrollahi was recently awarded a two-year fellowship from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board and has also received partial funding from the Whau Mental Health Research Foundation to investigate a novel combination of two established medicines that shows potential as a treatment option.
The two medicines are Dextromethorphan, which is commonly used as an over-the-counter cough suppressant, and Bupropion, which is used to treat depression.
The novel combination has the potential to be a take-home alternative to ketamine for treatment resistant major depressive disorder, where long-term treatment is impractical due to its side effects and the necessity to be administrated under supervision in a clinic, she says.
"This innovative treatment differs from conventional antidepressants in that improvements in mood may occur more rapidly after starting treatment, typically within one to two weeks," she says.
The treatment has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States but has not yet been approved by Medsafe for New Zealand use.
Researchers plan to recruit 36 community participants aged between 18 – 65 who are resistant to antidepressant medications.
The study also aims to evaluate whether combining Behavioural Activation therapy with the treatment approach can further improve outcomes.
"If we can show that the combination of this novel treatment and psychological therapy is successful, particularly fast and effective, we believe it has the potential to reduce the personal, social, and economic costs of mental distress in Aotearoa."
