Anti-Depressants Used Against StarCraft Addiction 258
dotarray writes "Hope may be at hand for the poor souls addicted to video games. Recent research from South Korea has shown that a common anti-depressant, Bupropion (sold as Welbutrin, Zyban and Voxra) can 'decrease craving for Internet game play' as well as the brain activity triggered by video game cues. This is a drug often used to help quit smoking, to lose weight or to recover from drug addiction, in addition to typical anti-depressant and anti-anxiety uses. And, with Korean scientists already on-board, how better to test this theory than to gather up a bunch of StarCraft players?"
Blizzard doged a bullet there... (Score:3, Informative)
Blizzard saw this coming, it was the only thing getting them off their asses for Starcraft 2!
It's great they have a "cure" for Starcraft addiction... too bad it took them 10 years to crack it, now Starcraft 2 is out with "super-extra-addiction" added!
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:4, Informative)
There's a world of difference between addicted and dependent. If you're using it for short-term off-label usage to kick an addiction (like smoking), you're unlikely to become dependent.
However, if you've got a wildly varying or raging depression going on, you're quite likely to become dependent, including physical dependency. (See SSRI discontinuation syndrome)
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:3, Informative)
Bupropion is not a SSRI - so there is no discontinuation syndrome. Also - it has little chance of being abused. Taking too much lowers the seizure threshold - it's not like people can get high off it. Plus - it has no sexual side effects like the SSRIs do.
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:3, Informative)
Just a note, Welbutrin isn't an SSRI, it's a completely different class of drug. Apparently it -does- behave in a similar manner to cocaine, though, but without any euphoria.
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:5, Informative)
I don't think you can get addicted to anti-depressants.
Oh my, no.
I have a pal who forgot to take his Zoloft with him on vacation. The three days it took to refill his prescription were, according to him, horrible. He didn't suddenly get depressed--he got vertigo and his skin felt itchy and prickly. No fun at all.
When he finally came off the Zoloft, he had to be weaned off it, a little at a time. It look months IIRC.
If that's not physical addiction, I don't know what is.
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:4, Informative)
Addiction != Dependency
If you have a burning, nagging need for it, that's addiction.
If you simply get ill when you don't take it, that's dependency. They aren't necessarily intrinsic to each other, but that tends to be the case with most examples people are familiar with.
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:5, Informative)
"Zoloft shock" is not the same as an addiction. If you decrease your dose over time, you wean yourself off of it. A precipitous drop in Zoloft messes with your brain chemistry, it's not the same as a withdrawal craving.
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:How long afterwards does it last? (Score:4, Informative)
Someone is addicted to old school BASIC. ;)