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The surprising drug that may soon be used to treat panic disorder — and works like a heavy-duty benzo

Nypost · · 790 words · By McKenzie Beard
Medical Innovation Mental Health Treatment Pharmaceutical Safety
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/health/this-surprising-drug-may-soon-be-used-to-tr…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 4
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“A new study out of Brazil found that a low dose of a common antibiotic, typically used to treat acne, rosacea and a range of bacterial infections, could also help people living with panic disorder.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources report that a Brazilian study found low-dose minocycline may help treat panic disorder.
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web search NEUTRAL — Some early studies suggest that minocycline may be beneficial as an add-on treatment for moderate-to-severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) when used with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minocycline
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web search NEUTRAL — This surprising discovery may hold the key to calmer nerves. A new study out of Brazil found that a low dose of a common antibiotic, typically used to treat acne, rosacea and a range of bacterial infe…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/health/this-surprising-drug-ma…
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web search NEUTRAL — Low-dose minocycline reduced panic attack severity in both mice and humans, showing efficacy comparable to clonazepam but with a different, anti-inflammatory mechanism.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-small-dose-antibiotic…
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“About 11% of Americans experience a panic attack each year.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources (BetterHelp, and two others) all state that approximately 11% of Americans experience a panic attack each year.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group who, as defined by the United States census, consists of Americans who have…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States. U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with race or ethnicity, but rather with citizenship. The U.S. has 37 ancestry groups with mo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal started in 2009 when representatives of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores received a large number of clay bullae and tablets originating in the ancient Near East.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby_smuggling_scandal
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Roughly 2% to 3% of people in the US live with panic disorder, and women are about twice as likely to be affected as men, according to the Cleveland Clinic.”
CORROBORATED
The claim regarding the 2-3% prevalence and the 2:1 female-to-male ratio is corroborated by the MSD Manual Professional and Psychology Today.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cleveland ( KLEEV-lənd) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the lake from Ontario, Canada, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A major structure fire occurred at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on May 15, 1929. Nitrocellulose X-ray film ignited in a basement storage room, emitting a poisonous yellowish…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Clinic_fire_of_1929
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,792 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 13,402 in 2024. It is a suburb lying east and south of Cleveland…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Cleveland,_Ohio
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In the new study, backed by the São Paulo Research Foundation, scientists looked at minocycline, a common antibiotic known for its strong anti-inflammatory effects.”
CORROBORATED
Web sources confirm the study's focus on minocycline's anti-inflammatory effects, and Wikipedia confirms the existence and purpose of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aracy Abreu Amaral (born 22 February 1930) is a Brazilian art historian and curator. Born in São Paulo and raised in Buenos Aires, she worked as an art history professor at the University of São Paulo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aracy_Amaral
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Portuguese: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) is a public foundation located in São Paulo, Brazil, with the aim of providing grants, fund…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/São_Paulo_Research_Foundation
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of São Paulo (Portuguese: Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil. The universi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_São_Paulo
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“patients [with panic disorder] often show increased inflammation in the brain’s immune cells, known as the microglia.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific claim about microglia inflammation in panic disorder patients is mentioned in the reporting articles, but not independently verified by a medical reference or Wikipedia in the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, otherwise defined as a rapid, irregular heartbeat, sweating, chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack
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web search NEUTRAL — That includes panic disorder, where patients often show increased inflammation in the brain’s immune cells, known as the microglia. To see whether minocycline could make a difference, researchers firs…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/health/this-surprising-drug-ma…
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web search NEUTRAL — The antibiotic doses required to treat panic attacks in the study were lower than those used to treat bacterial infections, reducing the likelihood of developing bacterial resistance.
https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LVDJWW5L/small-dose-of-antib…
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“The animals showed noticeable behavioral changes after treatment, including reduced jumping.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources discussing the study (including the specific paper title 'Minocycline attenuates panicogenic responses in a CO2-induced panic...') confirm the use of CO2-induced panic models in mice and the reduction of panicogenic responses.
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web search NEUTRAL — Translationally, PD patients were treated with minocycline and clonazepam and examined for their CO 2 -responsiveness. LC microglia were activated 6 h after exposure to 20% CO 2 in mice. This panicoge…
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12923763/
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web search NEUTRAL — Translationally, PD patients were treated with minocycline and clonazepam and examined for their CO2-responsiveness. LC microglia were activated 6 h after exposure to 20% CO2 in mice.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-026-03836-7
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web search NEUTRAL — A groundbreaking study by de Oliveira et al., published in Translational Psychiatry in 2026, unveils a compelling translational approach investigating the potential of minocycline, a common antibiotic…
https://scienmag.com/minocycline-reduces-panic-responses-in-…
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“A closer look at their brains showed that they also had redcued activity in a region known as the locus coeruleus”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the locus coeruleus is mentioned in general brain function search results, the provided evidence does not specifically confirm that minocycline reduced activity in that region for this specific study.
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web search NEUTRAL — Rats were exposed to 10% O 2 in nitrogen over 6-168 h. We analyzed cardiovascular function and pulmonary changes, lung histology and mRNA expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules in the lung…
https://www.academia.edu/85268963/Minocycline_abrogates_lung…
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web search NEUTRAL — When they become active, cells in the locus coeruleus pass bundles of this neurotransmitter along their projections to other regions of the brain – enhancing the communication between the neurons in t…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250131-how-the-brains-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — In mice, looming-evoked defensive responses are mediated by the superior colliculus (SC), a subcortical sensorimotor integration center. We found that repeated stress caused an anxiety-like state in m…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29502952/
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“The researchers then moved to human testing, recruiting 49 patients diagnosed with panic disorder.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources explicitly state that the human trial recruited 49 patients diagnosed with panic disorder.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Survivor 49 is the forty-ninth season of the American competitive reality television series Survivor. It premiered on September 24, 2025, on CBS in the United States. It was the seventeenth consecutiv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_49
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 49 may refer to: 49 (number), the natural number following 48 and preceding 50 "Forty Nine", a song by Karma to Burn from the album V, 2011 one of the years 49 BC, AD 49, 1949, 2049 49 Pales, a main…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The MAT-49 is a submachine gun which was developed by the French arms factory Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) for use by the French Army. It was first produced in 1949 and remained in Fre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAT-49
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“They found that participants who took minocycline showed a drop in pro-inflammatory markers in the body, including interleukin (IL)-2sRα and IL-6, along with an increase in IL-10”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific changes in IL-2sRα, IL-6, and IL-10 markers.
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“Levels of TNFα — another inflammation-linked molecule — also fell.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the decrease in TNFα levels.
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“The class of medications [benzodiazepines] carries the FDA’s strictest “black box” warning, flagging risks of abuse, addiction, overdose and even life-threatening withdrawal.”
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“studies suggest up to half of patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders don’t respond to benzos like clonazepam.”
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“Minocycline, on the other hand, has been used in humans for more than 50 years and is generally considered safe.”
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“Common side effects [of minocycline] include dizziness, nausea and vertigo. Rare but more serious issues can include tinnitus, autoimmune reactions and changes in pigmentation affecting the skin, nails or teeth with long-term use.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.