On Dec. 16, 2002, researchers at Stanford University Medical Center announced they were continuing a multi-year clinical trial on a medication that may curb the urge to compulsively shop.  People with a compulsive shopping disorder often are unable to think about anything other than shopping and can no’t control the impulse to purchase even useless or unwanted items.

The study tested a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor or SSRI (like Prozac) which is approved for use as an antidepressant.  According to study leader Lorrin Koran, MD, patients in the preliminary trial who took the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, marketed under the trade name Celexa, reported feeling less anxiety, less depression and less impulsiveness. More than 90 percent of those afflicted with the disorder were women.