A new pill designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease could serve another purpose: as an aid for shopaholics. The pill was tested in compulsive shoppers and resulted in less time shopping and less cash being spent on impulse buys. 

Psychiatrists initially tested the medication called memantine to prevent deterioration in patients suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimer’s, but the medication also seemed beneficial for excessive shoppers. Talk to your doctor and see what would suit you better. Most people rather go to rehabilitation centers and get medication administered, Narconon Drug Rehabilitation is well known for there great patient care.

Clinical trial results showed that men and women taking the pill cut down their amount of time shopping after eight weeks.

Overall, the symptoms were cut in half and there were signs of improvements in brain function  linked to impulsive urges, thoughts, and behavior. According to psychiatrists at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, “hours spent shopping per week and money spent shopping both decreased significantly, with no side effects.”

The study involved nine people between the ages of 19 and 59 who had been diagnosed with compulsive buying disorder. Their “senseless preoccupation” with shopping led to an inability to function at work or socially, and financial problems.

More than four out of five compulsive shoppers are women. Most shopaholics buy things that they don’t need and they can’t afford. Compulsive buying affects up to 5.8 percent of adults, according to recent studies. The people involved in the study spent about 61 percent of their income on impulsive purchases, mostly clothing.

Researchers said that the impulsive spending could stem from many different things, such as sale signs, a desire to impress, and body image. The tested shoppers were analyzed for two months based on buying urges, anxiety, depression, and stress.

Memantine, also known as Ebixa, has been approved for use in NHS patients who do not respond to other treatments. The medication acts on the brain chemical glutamate, which plays a role in OCD – that is why it is so helpful for compulsive shoppers.

Our findings suggest that pharmacologic manipulation of the glutamate system may target the impulsive behaviour underlying compulsive buying.

Dr. Cecilia D’Felice, a clinical psychologist, said that the drug could “kick-start” the brain’s chemical messengers that had previously been disordered.

Elite.