MindHacks reports here on the use of paracetamol [(a.k.a. acetaminophen, a.k.a. the generic name for Tylenol)] to treat the pain of social rejection. This research received attention some months ago but apparently the underlying study was just published. As Vaughan notes:
If this was a brand new drug, you can bet the pharmaceutical industry would be jumping up and down with glee at these findings and would already be planning trials to see if it works as a useful treatment.
But because paracetamol is so old it can't be patented and so there is virtually no profit to be made from it. Unfortunately, paracetemol can be toxic if taken too often, but it would be interesting to see if anyone does take up the baton to see if it might be a useful psychiatric treatment in appropriate doses.
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