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One in three individuals with major depressive disorder does not get relief from standard daily antidepressant medications. The up-and-coming psychedelic therapeutics like psilocybin or LSD do show promise of quick relief, even for difficult-to-treat depression. The psychedelic effects, however, are often strong and linger for a long time, requiring patients to remain under medical supervision in a clinic for four to 12 hours.

A recent study published in JAMA investigated whether intranasal mebufotenin benzoate, known for its brief but fast-acting psychedelic experiences, could be a solution to this problem. The researchers enrolled adults ages 18 to 75 with treatment-resistant depression across 38 clinical sites in the U.S., Australia and Europe. In a comfortable clinical room, a clinician delivered a single spray into one nostril, and that one puff delivered one of three possible doses of the drug.

Regardless of whether participants received the low, medium or high dose, the spray's effects wore off quickly. Across the three dose groups, 78% to 85% of participants were considered ready for discharge within two hours of receiving the drug. Even though the psychedelic effects faded within hours, the relief didn't. After a single medium or high dose, depression symptoms began to ease within a day, and the improvement held for up to eight weeks.

Major depressive disorder is a debilitating condition that can happen to anyone and wreak havoc on one's mood and quality of life.

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