Nick Fournie, who suffered from severe depression for years, found relief through an alternative treatment called vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). After numerous antidepressants failed, VNS provided a promising path to recovery and restored his quality of life.
Fournie had been married to his longtime sweetheart for two years, and had no reason to suspect he had any mental health issues.“I just thought to myself, ‘If this is it, if this is all there is to life — if it ended now, I’d be OK with it,’” Nick, now 62 and based in Illinois, said of that fateful day outdoors nearly 40 years ago.
Nick was generally able to keep working but couldn’t feel happiness about anything, he said. “Every single day seemed like it was two days.” Nick remains on VNS treatment to this day in addition to being on two antidepressants he alternates using with his doctor’s instructions, depending on which one s working for him. “It completely changed my life. I find joy every single day,” he said.
About 75% of these participants had been so ill they were unable to work, and 40% had previously attempted suicide at least once. “They allow for a more nuanced assessment of depression severity because it’s administered by a clinician,” Badran said. “It’s kind of a bummer to see that the primary endpoint failed to meet that significance.”
Most of the benefits were observed in the final three months of the 10-month treatment period, which wasn’t surprising or concerning since VNS treatment works cumulatively, experts said. The research “provides a sham-controlled, blinded comparison of how well VNS works for in a rigorous study design,” said Dr. Sarah Lisanby, director of the Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit of the Division of Intramural Research Program at the US National Institute of Mental Health, via email. Lisanby also wasn’t part of the research team.That the study’s primary endpoint wasn’t met and only up to 53 per cent of the active VNS participants experienced improvements may be due to a few factors.
Vagal nerve stimulation implants can sometimes cause side effects, such as shortness of breath, site irritation or vocal hoarseness when the device is on, experts said. “The vagus nerve also helps control inflammation in the body,” higher levels of which have been linked to depression, Sasaki added. The treatment may help the brain become more adaptable and resilient by promoting the formation of new brain connections as well.The trial participants continue to be monitored, and data on their ongoing results may become available over the coming years.
If you’d like to participate in a clinical trial, talk to your doctor or psychiatrist to see if that’s an option for you, said Dr. Nils Kroemer, a professor of medical psychology at the University of Bonn in Germany, via email. Kroemer wasn’t involved in the study.The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.
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