title: Acamprosate and Baclofen were Not Effective in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling: Preliminary Blind Rater Comparison Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pathological gambling (PG) is a highly prevalent and disabling impulse control disorder. A range of psychopharmacological options are available for the treatment of PG, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, opioid receptor antagonists, anti-addiction drugs, and mood stabilizers. In our preliminary study, we examined the efficacy of two anti-addiction drugs, baclofen and acamprosate, in the treatment of PG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen male gamblers were randomly divided into two groups. Each group received one of the two drugs without being blind to treatment. All patients underwent a comprehensive psychiatric diagnostic evaluation and completed a series of semi-structured interviews. During the 6-months of study, monthly evaluations were carried out to assess improvement and relapses. Relapse was defined as recurrent gambling behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the 17 patients reached the 6-months abstinence. One patient receiving baclofen sustained abstinence for 4 months. Fourteen patients succeeded in sustaining abstinence for 1-3 months. Two patients stopped attending monthly evaluations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Baclofen and acamprosate did not prove efficient in treating pathological gamblers.
authors.affiliation: Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center affiliated to Tel Aviv University Beer Yaakov, Israel.
authors.forename: Pinhas N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Dannon
authors.forename: Oded
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: Netta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotler