New Uses, New Hope

Antidepressants are being used increasingly to help patients with various health problems. Here’s a limited list of some the disorders and the drugs that researchers are exploring for their potential effects:

* Anorexia with compulsive exercise: Prozac

* Attention Deficit Disorder: Wellbutrin, Effexor

* Autism: Luvox

* Bulimia: Prozac

* Chronic fatigue syndrome: Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin

* Chronic pain: Effexor

* Compulsive shopping: Luvox

* Dysthemia: Prozac

* Irritability: Prozac

* Multiple sclerosis: Effexor

* Obesity: Prozac

* Obsessive hair-pulling: Prozac

* Panic and social phobias: Effexor, Paxil

* Premature ejaculation: Paxil

* Premenstrual syndrome: Prozac, Effexor, Zoloft

* Smoking cessation: Wellbutrin, Zoloft