What disorder does the drug n-acetylcysteine show promise for treating?”
The amino acid N-acetylcysteine is effective in treating trichotillomania, the disorder characterized by repetitive hair pulling leading to hair loss, and may be helpful in treating other compulsive disorders, according to a study published in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Jon E. Grant, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in Minneapolis conducted a study of 45 women and five men with trichotillomania who received between 1,200 and 2,400 mg/day of N-acetylcysteine or placebo for 12 weeks. Improvements began to show after nine weeks of treatment, with 56 percent of the treatment group patients “much or very much improved,” while 16 percent of the placebo group had similar results, the investigators found. However, they note that trichotillomania is a chronic condition that may need long-term treatment, the effects of which were beyond the scope of this study. “It is possible that a longer course of therapy could result in continu
