Tier 2 — strong

N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Excoriation Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Jon E Grant, Samuel R Chamberlain, Sarah A Redden, Eric W Leppink, Brian L Odlaug, Suck Won Kim
JAMA Psychiatry 2016 73(5):490-496

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 27007062
DOI
10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0060
Funding
Funding disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full funding statement.
Competing interests
Competing-interest disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full declaration.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
ModelHuman
Sample66 adults
InterventionOral NAC versus placebo
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsSkin-picking symptom severity; Clinical improvement

What the study showed, in plain terms

Controlled trial testing NAC in adults with excoriation disorder.

Key findings

NAC improved skin-picking symptom measures and clinical response compared with placebo.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Single disorder, modest sample and 12-week duration; replication and long-term outcome data are limited.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology