Stopping Shopping Addiction (Celexa)
Key points
- Shopping can be fun, but it can also become compulsive and addictive.
- Ada Spade says, "Even when my brain was telling me, 'You don't need this - you don't need to go to the store,' the rest of the body was not cooperating.
- Spade shopped every day, and spent up to $500 every week.
- Elias Aboujaoude says, "People's lives have been ruined.
Shopping can be fun, but it can also become compulsive and addictive. Now, there is a drug that can put an end to this obsession for some.
Ada Spade says, "Even when my brain was telling me, 'You don't need this - you don't need to go to the store,' the rest of the body was not cooperating." Ada Spade suffered from Compulsive Shopping, a clinically diagnosed impulse control disorder.
Spade shopped every day, and spent up to $500 every week. "We tried therapy, budgeting, and even using strictly cash. Everything we tried, it didn't last."
Psychiatrist Dr. Elias Aboujaoude says, "People's lives have been ruined. Their marriages have ended, and they've had to declare bankruptcy." Now, this Stanford doctor has something to help Ada and others like her. He tested the anti-depressant Celexa on 24 patients saying, "We saw a response of 71% in terms of patients being able to function, and not be so preoccupied with this drive to shop."
Celexa increases serotonin levels in the brain, and that simple boost could be all it takes. Dr. Aboujaoude says, "I have seen it work miracles. I have seen it change people's lives."
Celexa has changed Ada's life. She can now enjoy shopping, and even walk out of a store empty handed!
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
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