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Updated June 13, 2023
Many pregnant women and mothers might be familiar with the synthetic version of oxytocin, Pitocin. It may surprise you to know that this labor and delivery drug is also available in a nasal spray. Oxytocin nasal spray uses range from anxiety treatments to long-term autism support. In clinical trials, oxytocin shows promise as a treatment for obesity and may have other off-label uses. It’s a naturally occurring hormone that’s also available as a supplement.
Taking oxytocin doesn’t create a high, but it may make you feel happier and more socially connected. Men and women release oxytocin during sexual intercourse or cuddling. Taking oxytocin can make you more sensitive to the emotions of those around you. Emotional sensitivity isn’t always a positive experience. In some cases, it could leave you feeling better; in others, you might feel significantly worse. One study found that some subjects with borderline personality disorder became more suspicious of those around them after using the prescribed nasal spray.
Identifying Oxytocin Nasal Spray
Oxytocin-like sprays are available over the counter at reduced dosages but aren’t FDA approved. Instead, these lower-dose alternatives hit shelves as supplements or breastfeeding aids. Some marketers even list oxytocin sprays as a way to make more connections. The smell of oxytocin could possibly make you seem more trustworthy to strangers—at least, according to the packaging. While there’s little research to support that use, taking this hormone intranasally may make you more trusting.
Oxytocin is often prescribed in hospital settings for new mothers during labor as an injectable or through an IV. Patients take it to intensify contractions, speeding up labor. After delivery, you might take oxytocin to speed up milk let-down so you can feed your hungry baby.
Prescription oxytocin nasal spray may be available through your doctor. Name brands of the nasal medication, Pitocin and Syntocinon, are currently only available to those enrolled in research studies. To date, oxytocin nasal spray is not widely used or prescribed outside of childbirth applications. If you’re wondering how to get an oxytocin prescription, it might be challenging. For mental health disorders, you may be able to work with your doctor to find a study that will allow you controlled access.
When looking for this drug, it’s usually in a standard nasal spray application bottle. You might see similar bottles dispensing other over-the-counter medications such as saline sprays, allergy medications and antihistamines.
What Does Oxytocin Do?
Oxytocin has many possible effects, but research is still in its infancy regarding this hormone. It’s known as the “love” hormone or “cuddle drug” because your body produces more of it in response to positive physical contact. Pregnant women often take oxytocin for one of two reasons:
- Speeding up labor. Pitocin delivered intravenously in the hospital increases the frequency and strength of contractions. It also slows or stops bleeding after the birth. Faster and stronger contractions can help move along a stalled labor, helping new moms preserve their strength.
- Improving let-down during lactation. After birth, some new mothers take longer to get in their milk supply or have difficulty building enough of a supply to satisfy a hungry infant. Pitocin can help stimulate lactation, making it a commonly prescribed drug for nursing mothers.
Outside of the labor and delivery ward, oxytocin shows promise in many ways, producing possible positive effects. It may help improve impulse control and decrease appetite, helping with weight control. Doctors prescribe oxytocin to help enhance social function for those with autism or PTSD, though more research is needed. By improving your ability to read social cues, it may be helpful for those with an existing diagnosis.
Some recent studies have also shown that oxytocin nasal spray may be helpful for recovering alcoholics post-detox. Research is ongoing, and to date, there are no substantial confirmed benefits to taking oxytocin for alcoholics.
The Downsides of Oxytocin
Hormones are a lot more complex than people might realize. It’s not as simple as taking more oxytocin to become a social butterfly. Hormones affect thinking and emotions in many different ways, and experts stress that we don’t fully understand how oxytocin operates. Some believe that by muting inputs like social anxiety, the brain can then better analyze even subtle social cues, like holding a magnifying glass over them. While this can be extremely beneficial for people who struggle with identifying social cues, it could lead to unforeseen problems in some cases.
One such example of this comes from a study of oxytocin levels of women in various types of relationships. Researchers found that oxytocin levels were naturally higher in women with close, loving relationships. However, they are also much higher in women with distressed relationships. Some experts suggest that the hormone is attempting to encourage social contact because the bonds are at risk, but it could cause a person to feel a greater connection to a troubled relationship.
Alternatively, this could mean that oxytocin is boosting the brain’s ability to read negative social cues. Traditionally, being able to pick up on negative social cues allows you to avoid rejection and better fit in with social groups. But if oxytocin is boosting that ability beyond the norm, you could overanalyze a neutral cue as a negative one, causing you to actually avoid social interactions or boost stress anxiety levels.
Some other evidence of the potential downsides of oxytocin drugs involves people with conditions like borderline personality disorder. Individuals with these disorders tend to have volatile relationships, so researchers hoped oxytocin—as a key connection hormone—would help alleviate some of their social struggles. Unfortunately, the results showed that a dose of oxytocin tended to decrease feelings of trust and teamwork in these study participants instead.
Beyond these studies, scientists are also investigating how oxytocin affects our recollections of relationships. A study found that men with stable, healthy relationships remembered their childhood relationships with their mothers more fondly while taking oxytocin. Comparatively, men who felt insecure about their current relationships remembered their relationships with their mothers more negatively. This could indicate that the hormone is allowing people to remember their childhoods more accurately, or oxytocin drugs could be painting old memories with recent emotions. This highlights one of the key problems with oxytocin: we just don’t know.
Oxytocin’s potential to help people is staggering, but without further research, there are still too many unknowns about how it affects people and their relationships.
Addiction to Oxytocin
While the nickname “love hormone” and the perception that it makes you feel good might make you think oxytocin is addictive, it’s not. This naturally occurring hormone is a nonaddictive substance commonly used to treat bleeding after delivery in pregnant women. While researchers initially thought it might make you feel good, further investigation has revealed that oxytocin effects are much more complex.
While oxytocin isn’t addictive, it does have some potentially harmful side effects. In stressful social situations, taking this nasal spray may exacerbate stressors by causing hypersensitivity to emotional cues. For example, if your boss makes a face in a meeting with coworkers, you might think it’s directly related to what you’re saying. In reality, any expression on the faces of your coworkers might have nothing to do with you.
Too much oxytocin can result in everything from watery eyes and a runny nose to more severe issues, including uterine bleeding and seizures. Pitocin, the synthetic form of oxytocin, can cause arrhythmia and other cardiovascular symptoms in high doses.
Identifying oxytocin use can be tricky. Taking oxytocin may help some people develop more close relationships. If you notice someone with general personal skepticism being more trusting, it could signify oxytocin use. It’s also sometimes used to reduce the symptoms of social anxiety. An introvert willing to spend more time in social settings could also be a sign.
Treatment for Oxytocin Nasal Spray Use
While oxytocin is not addictive, any behavior can become a habit with continued use. There’s no need for a specific detox protocol with oxytocin, but those who use it could likely benefit from treatment. Underlying conditions such as depression, anxiety or social dysregulation may lead to oxytocin use. Doctors most commonly prescribe oxytocin as an autism treatment outside of its use in pregnancy. However, many doctors feel more research is needed.
Oxytocin nasal sprays have relatively few side effects and may be available over the counter. If you suffer from feelings of disconnection or anxiety in social situations, reaching for a drug might seem like the best solution. Unfortunately, for people without underlying mental health conditions, taking oxytocin may worsen those feelings and situations. If you’ve developed a habit of relying on the “trust me” sprays or other hormone-based supplements, the next step might be a treatment program.
If you’ve tried oxytocin in an attempt to reach a “natural” high, it may be time to seek out help from one of our counselors at FHE Health. Contact us today by calling (833) 596-3502. Our team of experienced counselors is standing by to take your call. We’re holding out a helping hand 24/7, so you can start overcoming your mental health challenges today.
