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Could laughing gas help stop suicidal thoughts?

NCT ID NCT03736538

Symptom relief Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only This study
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether inhaling nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can quickly reduce suicidal thoughts in people hospitalized for depression. Fifty adults with major depression and active suicidal ideas will receive either nitrous oxide or a placebo gas, plus their usual treatment. The goal is to see if the gas is safe and helps lower suicidal thinking faster than standard care alone.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a fast-acting option to ease suicidal thinking in people with treatment-resistant depression.
What could go wrong
This is a very early Phase 1 trial with only 50 people, so results may not apply broadly. The effect may be small or no better than placebo, and side effects are still being studied.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 1

The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.

Participants

About 50 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2018

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients aged 18-65 years old; 2. current diagnosis of unipolar, major depressive disorder (MDD) without psychosis as defined by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and The Fourth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) DSM-IV determined by clinical interview and by a baseline score of ≥18 on the HDRS-21 (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 21-item; 3. moderate to severe SI defined as a score ≥3 on the HDRS-21 suicide item (item #3); 4. will have good command of the English language; 5. will have been voluntarily admitted to the inpatient Psychiatric Units at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Lifetime DSM-IV (obtained via MINI) diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, evidence of severe personality disorder (e.g., history of recurrent self-mutilation/cutting, significant and recurrent tumultuous relationships), and panic disorders; 2. past 12-month substance abuse/dependence other than nicotine; 3. active psychotic symptoms; 4. significant pulmonary disease and/or requiring supplemental oxygen; 5. administration of other N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist treatment (e.g., ketamine) within two weeks of entry into study; 6. currently receiving electroconvulsive therapy; 7. contraindications for nitrous oxide (pneumothorax, bowel obstruction, middle ear occlusion, elevated intracranial pressure, chronic cobalamin and/or folate deficiency treated with folic acid or vitamin B12); 8. past 12-month history of head trauma; 9. women who are pregnant or breastfeeding; 10. any other factor that in the investigators' judgment may affect patient safety or compliance.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression depressive disorder major depressive disorder mood disorder Suicidal Ideation

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Depression Major depressive disorder Mood disorders Suicidal ideation

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

More trials for these conditions

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