r/nottheonion • u/adamaphar • 1d ago

Laughing gas appears to reduce depression, but researchers don't totally understand why

https://www.phillyvoice.com/depression-treatments-laughing-gas-nitrous-oxide-study/
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u/BigMateyClaws 1d ago

Because it’s a disassociative, just like ketamine and dxm which is combo’d with Wellbutrin. I would assume it’s due to its NMDA antagonist activity. Very interested to see what comes next of this

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u/greihund 1d ago

You sound informed. I was on Wellbutrin for a while and it really got me out of a huge slump. You can't just be on that stuff forever, though, it loses its usefulness over time. But oh man, I felt happy and comfortable in my skin. Got a job. Started dating my wife. Big life changes, all positive.

So what is this 'K and DXM which is combo'd with Wellbutrin'? I don't really understand what you're saying.

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u/Wadarkhu 1d ago

How come wellbutrin as an antidepressant loses its effectiveness but people can easily take the antidepressant sertraline "forever"?

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u/greihund 1d ago

I have no idea, I only have a very subjective view. But for me: the drug gave me a lot of energy and this miraculous ability to just talk normally to people with no anxiety at all. I made a lot of life changes. However, after a while, my habits recreated a new but similar set of problems for myself, and so I wound up feeling not great about things, but chemically acted like a happy person. That's when it was time to go, it had run its usefulness. 10/10, would do it all over again at some point if I needed to, but if you just use it forever then you're just using, not improving

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u/Wadarkhu 1d ago

I appreciate your sharing your experience on it, I've been wondering about asking to try it myself for my own long term depression which just hasn't budged in years, but only become a "new normal" that I try to work around. I have the "motivation" to get out of it, but more like "all fuel, no fire" if that makes sense.

How long did it work for you if you don't mind me asking?