WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Spider-Woman #6 by Karla Pacheco, Pere Perez, and Frank D'Armata, & VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now.
The past few issues of Spider-Woman have been rough on Jessica Drew. After reconnecting with a mother she believed was long dead, she abruptly learned that the person she thought was her mother was actually a violent clone. And after dealing with having to fight the woman she believed was her mother, Jessica found out that she was dying, and her niece and son were both afflicted with the same sickness that was killing her.
There is one thing keeping her alive, and as the latest issue of Spider-Woman showed, her best friend Carol Danvers is worried about it. Jessica Drew's brother, who she also never knew existed, stripped her regenerative powers out of her to try to find a cure to save his daughter's life. Jessica is dying without her regenerative powers, and she needs the Marchand Serum her brother developed for her to remain alive. Now, it seems Jessica has grown addicted to the serum.
The Marchand Serum is a temporary solution that keeps her alive for the moment. The serum also enhances her powers, making her stronger than she has ever been before. However, on top of the addictive qualities that come with the enhanced strength, and the fact it keeps her from dying, it also has a side effect. The serum causes her to become almost uncontrollably angry, uncaring on an almost sociopathic level. This entire issue had Spider-Woman tearing through aliens trying to find someone who could lead her to the High Evolutionary, a being she believes can save her.
Along the way, Carol Danvers is trying her best to keep Jessica under control. She is also trying to talk her friend out of continuing to take the Marchand Serum. Jessica revealed that she is not safe to be around since she can't always control herself when taking the serum. As Spider-Woman and her mother showed recently, despite the base falling around them, neither able to control their aggressive nature.
Carol did everything she could to convince Jessica to stop taking the serum, but she wouldn't listen. Carol offered to have doctors make a better serum and keep a security detail around her to keep her safe, but Jessica rejected the notion. Carol explained that she had Tony Stark examine Jessica's blood and found that the Marchand Serum causes emotional detachment, erratic behavior, and mood swings.
Spider-Woman ignored everything Carol told her about trying to find a safer serum in favor of continuing to take her brother's serum. After failing to find the High Evolutionary, Jessica flipped out and tried to kill an innocent alien until Carol stopped her. On the way back to Earth, Jessica was exhausted and said she needed more serum. Again, Carol tried to talk to her friend about discontinuing to use the serum, but Spider-Woman refused to listen.
That is when Jessica revealed why she couldn't stop taking the serum. She feels she doesn't have time to be weak. The serum makes her strong, and without it, she can't save herself, her son, or her niece. The problem is that it makes her a dangerous person, and the longer she takes the serum, the harder it will be to kick the habit.