"Super Pills" Need More Work
A new article from MSNBC.com has reported that the "super pills" that doctors have been very excited about might actually increase the risk of suicide and depression among many of the addicts that take them. New pills have flooded the market for smoking and obesity in the past year and the manufacturers are both spending more time and money testing these drugs because of this risk.
Pills for cocaine addiction and alcoholism are also in the works but doctors are finding similar results. These pills block pleasure centers that provide the good feeling that one experiences when doing something that person likes, whether that is eating, drinking alcohol, using drugs or smoking cigarettes.
The studies are showing that these pills are working too well and perhaps blocking too much pleasure, causing some to become suicidal and others to develop depression. One of the pills being studied caused 43% of patients to develop psychiatric trouble versus 28% on the placebo. Some doctors feel that this is a shame because they will not be able to prescribe these types of pills to people with a history of depression, and depression is common among addicts (dual diagnosis).
However, many researchers feel that these drugs could be made to be even more specific and shut down only very specific pleasure centers, such as for cocaine.
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