Written by Patrick Massey, M.D., Ph.D. Significant improvements were found in those taking NAC in a study of 50 patients with hair pulling disorder compared to the placebo group.
Imagine being unable to resist an impulse to pull your hair out and there is no good medical therapy to help you fight the urge. That is what it feels like to have trichotillomania.
Trichotillomania is relatively uncommon in the general population (about 1 percent). It happens more often in children and in girls more than boys. It is also more common in those with impulse control disorders like obsessive compulsive disorder (think TV’s “Monk”). Unfortunately, medications do not really help and some actually make it worse.
The answer to trichotillomania may be found in a compound made by the body, N-acetyl cysteine. A recent clinical trial demonstrated that regular consumption of N-acetyl cysteine significantly reduced the symptoms of trichotillomania.
N-acetyl cysteine is a derivative of the amino acid, cysteine. It is important in a number of critical biochemical pathways in the body especially detoxification. In the brain, however, N-acetyl cysteine plays an important role in maintaining glutamate levels inside and outside of the nerve cells. Glutamate is an amino acid that seems to modulate compulsive behavior. N-acetyl cysteine has been shown to be beneficial in some compulsive behaviors like the impulse to use cocaine and even gambling addiction. It was hypothesized that it might be effective for reducing the hair pulling compulsion that characterizes trichotillomania.
The effect of N-acetyl cysteine on trichotillomania was revealed in a recent clinical trial published in the medical journal, Archives of General Psychiatry (2009). In this study, 50 participants were given either N-acetyl cysteine (1200 to 2400 mg. per day) or a placebo. At the end of the 12-week study, 56 percent of patients taking N-acetyl cysteine had significant improvements in symptoms compared to only 16 percent of patients taking placebo.
Significant improvements were seen after only nine weeks of N-acetyl cysteine. In addition, it seemed that N-acetyl cysteine, at the doses used, did not have any significant side effects.
Compulsive disorders are frustrating and potentially embarrassing. Traditional medications can be effective but the side effects can be considerable. In addition, there is little research in this area for new and effective medications. Therefore, evaluating the benefits of a dietary supplement like N-acetyl cysteine is timely and relevant.
It has been theorized that many psychiatric disorders are the result of imbalances in brain neurotransmitters. This may be true since many psychiatric medications affect neurotransmitter levels in the brain. This recent medical study (and others) have suggested that brain neurotransmitter levels can also be regulated by a compound as simple as N-acetyl cysteine.
This is important because N-acetyl cysteine is less expensive and has fewer side effects than trichotillomania medications. It seems that the more we research, the more we find effective, natural solutions to medical conditions.
Posted August 10, 2009.
