A quick history of oxytocin, the so-called love hormone

In the 1990s, oxytocin, the so called love hormone that reduces stress and anxiety, used to be a popular treatment in America. But this changed a couple of years ago. “Oxytocin used to be FDA approved for use in the United States. It wasn’t removed for any health related, or side effect related reason, it just sort of fell out of favor”. That’s Jennifer Mitchell, neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. She is conducting an oxytocin study to treat active military members suffering from PTSD and alcohol abuse. Mitchell says the hormone is practically side effect-free and should be put back on the market. “That’s an interesting conundrum because the question is what’s the path to reapply through the FDA to make it available for everyone to use. And there are several drug companies now that are also developing intranasal oxytocin for other indications.”