Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT00571103

Acamprosate in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling

The purpose of this study is to see whether acamprosate (Campral) will curb the desire to gamble in people with pathological gambling disorder.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Pathological Gambling Behavior Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders Gambling Mental Disorders Risk-Taking

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 4

About this study

Because the opiate antagonists appear to be effective in the treatment of pathological gambling (PG), it is reasonable to ask whether acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurine; Campral), also FDA approved for the treatment of alcoholism, can be used effectively to treat PG. Acamprosate is not an opioid antagonist; rather, it is assumed that its therapeutic effects are due to actions on GABA receptors. Acamprosate is structurally related to 1-glutamic, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter. It has been proposed that acamprosate decreases the effects of the naturally-occuring excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in the body. Because chronic alcohol consumption disrupts this system, and the changes last many months after alcohol ingestion is stopped, it is possible that acamprosate restores the glutamate system towards normal. Regardless, acamprosate decreases the pleasant "high" associated with alcohol consumption, and thus decreases the frequency of relapse during abstinence. We hypothesize that acamprosate will have similar actions in persons with PG.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients will meet DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th Edition) criteria for Pathological Gambling Disorder
  • Patients will achieve a SOGS (South Oaks Gambling Screen) score greater than or equal to 5
  • Patients will be 18 years old or older
  • Patients will speak standard English
  • Patients will be able to give written Informed Consent
  • Patients will be able to understand and cooperate with study procedures

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients having a current (past 3 months) substance use disorder (except dependence)
  • Patients having a Hamilton Depression Rating score of greater than or equal to 18 or a score on #1 (depressed mood) greater than 1.
  • Patients having a clinically significant medical illness
  • Patients at risk for aggressive or suicidal behavior
  • Patients who have received the following interventions within the proscribed time prior to study entry: 1) a monoamine oxidase inhibitor within the previous 21 days; 2) long-acting phenothiazines within the previous 3 months; 3) other psychotropic drugs within the previous 14 days; 4) flu- oxetine within the previous 4 weeks.
  • Patients having severe antisocial or borderline personality disorder
  • Patients with a past or current diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or delirium, dementia, or other clinically significant cognitive disorder.
  • Patients initiating individual, group, or couple psychotherapy during the three moths prior to study entry (excluding Gambler's Anonymous)
  • Patients having prior exposure to acamprosate

Treatment and study plan

acamprosate

Drug

Two 333mg tablets taken three times daily.

Other names: Campral

Primary outcomes

  1. The Primary Efficacy Measure Was the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for PG (YBOCS-PG).

    Time frame: 8 weeks minus baseline

    The YBOCS-PG (Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for Pathological Gambling) is used to assess the range and severity of PG symptoms. The scale is a modification of the YBOCS originally developed by Goodman et al. (1989) for use in rating severity and change in subjects with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This adaptation is a 10-item clinician-rated questionnaire, which rates (on a 5-point scale from 0 to 4) time spent, distress, interference, resistance, and control in relation to PG urges and behaviors. The scale ranges from 0 to 40 with a higher score representing increased severity in PG.

Secondary outcomes

  1. The Secondary Efficacy Evaluations Will Include the G-SAS (Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale), Clinical Global Impression - Improvement Scale (CGI-I) , and the CGI-S Clinical Global Impression - Severity Scale.

    Time frame: 8 weeks minus baseline

    The G-SAS is a 12 item self-report instrument that reflects the subjects urges to gamble and the subjects gambling behavior. Each item is scored on a 5-point scale from 0 (no symptoms) to 4 (extreme symptoms) with a total score range from 0 to 48. The CGI-I is a 7 point scale requiring the clinician to assess how much the patient's illness has improved or worsened relative to a baseline state as: 1, very much improved; 2, much improved; 3, minimally improved; 4, no change; 5, minimally worse; 6, much worse; or 7, very much worse. The CGI-S is a 7-point scale that requires the clinician to rate the severity of the patient's illness at the time of assessment. A patient is assessed on severity of mental illness at the time of rating 1, normal, not at all ill; 2, borderline mentally ill; 3, mildly ill; 4, moderately ill; 5, markedly ill; 6, severely ill; and 7, among the most extremely ill patients.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Iowa

Other

Collaborators

  • Forest Laboratories
  • University of Nebraska

Registry information

Official study title

Open Label, Flexible Dose 12-Week Clinical Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of Acamprosate in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling

Important dates

Study start
2007
Primary completion
2009
Study completion
2009
First posted
Dec 11, 2007
Registry last updated
May 25, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.