Abstract
Given the rates of pathological gambling and its impact on affected individuals and their relatives, effective treatments are needed. There are, however, no approved pharmacological treatments for pathological gambling. This paper describes the development of pharmacological treatments for pathological gambling and is based on a review of the literature published in the past 10 years. Important studies were carried-out on antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotic agents. In the absence of comorbid psychiatric disorder, these studies did not conclude to the efficacy of these psychotropic drugs. A possible efficacy of opiate antagonist treatment for pathological gambling has been replicated in a number of placebo-controlled studies. Preliminary results on N-acetyl cysteine, Memantine and Topiramate produced significant improvement for pathological gamblers and may open new avenues for treatment.
Keywords: Pathological gambling, drugs, antidepressant, lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, naltrexone, nalmefene, topiramate, glutamate, N-acetylcysteine, gambling, antiepileptic, nefazodone, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, cyclothymia, olanzapine
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title: Psychopharmacological Treatment in Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review
Volume: 17 Issue: 14
Author(s): Sophia Achab and Yasser Khazaal
Affiliation:
Keywords: Pathological gambling, drugs, antidepressant, lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, naltrexone, nalmefene, topiramate, glutamate, N-acetylcysteine, gambling, antiepileptic, nefazodone, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, cyclothymia, olanzapine
Abstract: Given the rates of pathological gambling and its impact on affected individuals and their relatives, effective treatments are needed. There are, however, no approved pharmacological treatments for pathological gambling. This paper describes the development of pharmacological treatments for pathological gambling and is based on a review of the literature published in the past 10 years. Important studies were carried-out on antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotic agents. In the absence of comorbid psychiatric disorder, these studies did not conclude to the efficacy of these psychotropic drugs. A possible efficacy of opiate antagonist treatment for pathological gambling has been replicated in a number of placebo-controlled studies. Preliminary results on N-acetyl cysteine, Memantine and Topiramate produced significant improvement for pathological gamblers and may open new avenues for treatment.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Achab Sophia and Khazaal Yasser, Psychopharmacological Treatment in Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2011; 17 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161211796150774
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161211796150774 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Pathophysiology of Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier in Traumatic Injury and Repair
Current Pharmaceutical Design Fluorogold Induces Persistent Neurological Deficits and Circling Behavior in Mice Over-Expressing Human Mutant Tau
Current Neurovascular Research Chemical and Pharmacological Chaperones: Application for Recombinant Protein Production and Protein Folding Diseases
Current Medicinal Chemistry Aberrant Neuronal Activity and Dysfunctional Connectivity in Aβ<sub>1–42</sub>- mediated Memory Deficits in Rats
Current Alzheimer Research α-Lipoic Acid Supplementation: A Tool for Obesity Therapy?
Current Pharmaceutical Design Stroke and Neuroinflamation: Role of Sexual Hormones
Current Pharmaceutical Design Exploration of Various Proteins for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Current Drug Metabolism Recent Patents on Polymeric Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering (Discontinued) Reconstructing the Hsp90/Tau Machine
Current Enzyme Inhibition Hypoxic Preconditioning Ameliorates Amyloid-β Pathology and Longterm Cognitive Decline in AβPP/PS1 Transgenic Mice
Current Alzheimer Research Editorial [Hot Topic: The Pineal Hormone Melatonin in Health and Disease (Guest Editors: Charanjit Kaur)]
Recent Patents on Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Drug Discovery Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Dementia
Current Alzheimer Research Diallyl Sulfide: Potential Use in Novel Therapeutic Interventions in Alcohol, Drugs, and Disease Mediated Cellular Toxicity by Targeting Cytochrome P450 2E1
Current Drug Metabolism CCL2-CCR2 Signaling in Disease Pathogenesis
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Editorial: Effect of Statins on Rates of Long-Term Cardiovascular Events and Restenosis Following Carotid Endarterectomy
Current Vascular Pharmacology Pharmacological Interventions and Rehabilitation Approach for Enhancing Brain Self-repair and Stroke Recovery
Current Neuropharmacology The Use of Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine for Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Diseases
Current Medicinal Chemistry MicroRNAs in Cardiovascular Therapeutics
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Autoantibodies Profile in Matching CSF and Serum from AD and aMCI patients: Potential Pathogenic Role and Link to Oxidative Damage
Current Alzheimer Research New Developments of Clinical Trial in Immunotherapy for Alzheimer's Disease
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology