Treatment Resistant Depression

What is Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)?

Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) is generally described as a diagnosis of depression that does not respond to treatment from two different antidepressants from different drug classes. Patients with TRD continue to have significant symptoms despite being on an approved treatment regimen, causing significant problems with daily functioning and altered relationships with loved ones.

Current TRD Treatment Options

For almost 60 years the only available medications for the treatment of patients with depression have been Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) and Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI). SSRI medications include Zoloft®, Paxil®, Celexa®, Prozac®, and Lexapro®, among others. SNRI medications include Effexor® and Cymbalta®, among others. While these medications are commonly prescribed, only about a quarter of the patients who take these medications achieve remission from their symptoms of depression.

Unfortunately, individuals who suffer from Treatment-Resistant Depression rarely find relief using either of these types of medications. In response, physicians will often try modifying the patient’s medication regimen by increasing the dosage of currently prescribed medication, adding another antidepressant, or prescribing a medication that is typically prescribed for another condition. Some form of psychological counseling will often be used in conjunction with prescribed medications, the most common being Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET).

Why Choose The Albany Clinic for PTSD?

At the Albany Clinic, we treat Treatment-Resistant Depression with IV Drug Infusion Therapy. IV Drug Infusion Therapy delivers medications as a constant infusion. Ketamine is the primary medication used in these infusions, and it achieves rapid symptom relief. There are now dozens of studies that have been performed in multiple countries which have demonstrated ketamine’s efficacy. Ketamine has a distinct advantage over the traditional medications used because of the rapidity with which it relieves symptoms.

Another procedure we use to bring relief to patients is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy (TMS). It is a highly effective treatment for depression that uses magnetic pulses, similar in strength to magnetic resonance imaging or MRI machines, to electrically stimulate nerve cells in small underactive regions of the brain that are thought to control mood in order to relieve symptoms of depression. Overall, studies have shown that TMS has an 82% success rate in treating people with resistant depression.

Both can be life saving, especially when suicidal ideation is present.