Good evidence exists to support the use of N-acetylcysteine as an adjunct treatment to reduce the total and negative symptoms of schizophrenia .
N-acetylcysteine also appears to be effective in reducing craving in substance use disorders , especially for the treatment of cocaine and cannabis use among young people , in addition to preventing relapse in already abstinent individuals .
Oral N-acetylcysteine is safe and well tolerated without any considerable adverse effects .
N-acetylcysteine , a sulphur-containing amino acid for the treatment of paracetamol overdose and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , is a widely available off-the-shelf oral antioxidant supplement in many countries .
With the potential to modulate several neurological pathways , including glutamate dysregulation , oxidative stress , and inflammation that can be beneficial to the brain functions , N-acetylcysteine is being explored as an adjunctive therapy for many psychiatric conditions .
This narrative review synthesis es and presents the current evidence from systematic review s , meta-analyses , and latest clinical trials on N-acetylcysteine for addiction and substance abuse , schizophrenia , obsessive-compulsive and related disorders , and mood disorders .
Complementary and alternative medicine use in Australia: a national population-based survey.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the use of and expenditure on 17 of the most popular forms of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) by adult Australians , sociodemographic characteristics of CAM users , and communication between  CAM users and their doctors . METHODS In May-June 2005 , a sample of 1067 adults , 18 years and older , from all Australian states and territories , was recruited by r and om-digit telephone dialing and interviewed about their CAM use in the previous 12 months . RESULTS In the 12-month period , 68.9 % ( 95 % CI : 66.1%-71.7 % ) of those interviewed used at least one of the 17 forms of CAM  and 44.1 % ( 95 % confidence interval : 41.1%-47.1 % ) visited a CAM practitioner . The estimated number of visits to CAM practitioners by adult Australians in the 12-month period ( 69.2 million ) was almost identical to the estimated number of visits to medical practitioners ( 69.3 million ) . The annual " out of pocket " expenditure on CAM  , nationally , was estimated as 4.13 billion Australian dollars ( US $ 3.12 billion ) . Less than half of the users always informed their medical practitioners about their use of CAM . The most common characteristics of  CAM users were : age , 18 - 34 ; female ; employed ; well-educated ; private health insurance coverage ; and higher-than-average incomes . CONCLUSIONS CAM use nationally in Australia appears to be considerably higher than estimated from previous Australian studies . This may reflect an increasing popularity of CAM ; however , regional variations in CAM use and the broader range of CAM included in the current study may contribute to the difference . Most frequently , doctors would not appear to be aware of their patient use of CAM
Good evidence exists to support the use of N-acetylcysteine as an adjunct treatment to reduce the total and negative symptoms of schizophrenia .
N-acetylcysteine also appears to be effective in reducing craving in substance use disorders , especially for the treatment of cocaine and cannabis use among young people , in addition to preventing relapse in already abstinent individuals .
Oral N-acetylcysteine is safe and well tolerated without any considerable adverse effects .
N-acetylcysteine , a sulphur-containing amino acid for the treatment of paracetamol overdose and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , is a widely available off-the-shelf oral antioxidant supplement in many countries .
With the potential to modulate several neurological pathways , including glutamate dysregulation , oxidative stress , and inflammation that can be beneficial to the brain functions , N-acetylcysteine is being explored as an adjunctive therapy for many psychiatric conditions .
This narrative review synthesis es and presents the current evidence from systematic review s , meta-analyses , and latest clinical trials on N-acetylcysteine for addiction and substance abuse , schizophrenia , obsessive-compulsive and related disorders , and mood disorders .