“Vitamin K” (not the real one) May Help Chronic Depression

Hmm. Not sure it’s worth the potential side effects, but if I suffered from severe chronic depression I imagine I’d try just about anything. This trendy illegal drug, really called Ketamine, appears to work in different ways from traditional drugs that block serotonin reuptake. K “targets glutamate” (that’s according to the WaPo article, but they don’t quite explain what that means, and this isn’t an area I’m well versed in), leading to a belief that we might be able to create non-K drugs with less side effects to do the same thing. For now, NIMH, who funded the original study, is working on combating side effects and replicating.

Caution: The Post article is a little weird and rambling; maybe the writer is manic….

via BoingBoing

Can a Sedative End PVS?

Wow! It appears, anecdotally, at least, that sedatives such as Ambien may be able to reverse a persistent vegetative state. I’m eager to hear more about this kind of discovery, but the timing of the “awakenings” appears uncanny. This could be huge medical news!

via BoingBoing

Old Drug Ads

My, how our perceptions of drug treatment have changed! Take a look at some of these ads, many of which are for treatment of psychological disorders.

via Folderol