Dietary Supplement Shows Promise for Gambling Addiction

A common amino acid dietary supplement may help fight pathological gambling addictions, a new study suggests.

Pathological gambling (also called compulsive gambling) occurs when individuals are unable to control their gambling behaviors. These individuals thrive on the thrill and excitement of gambling, rather than the actual winnings. Individuals who are addicted to gambling will go to extreme lengths, which may include lying, stealing, cheating, or fraud, to perpetuate their addictions when money is scarce.

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine explained that although pathological gambling is relatively common, pharmacotherapy research for the condition is limited.

N-acetyl cysteine, an amino acid, seems to restore extracellular glutamate concentration in the nucleus accumbens, which is often associated with reward in the brain, and therefore offers promise in reducing addictive behavior.

Twenty-seven subjects (12 women and 15 men) with DSM-IV pathological gambling were treated in an eight-week open-label trial with n-acetyl cysteine. The participants were randomly chosen to receive either n-acetyl cysteine or placebo for six weeks.

The researchers found that 60 percent of the participants reported having less urges to gamble. Additionally, 13 out of the 16 participants who responded to the amino acid the first time around agreed to continue in the double-blind study for an additional six weeks.

Of these, about 83 percent who received the supplement continued to report fewer urges to gamble, and nearly 72 percent of those who took the placebo went back to gambling.

The study authors concluded that the efficacy of n-acetyl cysteine lends support to the hypothesis that pharmacological manipulation of the glutamate system might target core symptoms of reward-seeking addictive behaviors such as gambling. Larger, longer, placebo-controlled double-blind studies are warranted.

For more information about integrative therapies for gambling addictions, please visit Natural Standard’s Health & Wellness and Herbs & Supplements databases.

Comments

[Zach]

I'm glad to see a study being done in this area. As a relative of a compulsive gambler, I understand first-hand how difficult it can be to overcome gambling. My uncle relapsed two or three times after he initially stopped, and in the process he risked losing his marriage, family, job and house.

Compulsive gamblers are often treated with antidepressants or mood stabilizers. However, the primary treatment is psychotherapy and counseling. Maybe one day medications like the ones in this article will prove to be safe and effective for people like my uncle.

[David]

Could this potentially benefit people who have other addictions or compulsive disorders?

[Rob]

Whether or not this drug therapy proves to be safe and effective, I don't think it should not replace psychotherapy, counseling or support groups. I think these types of therapies are very important for compulsive gamblers, as well as their friends and family members.

[Florence]

Have any other integrative therapies been proven to help with compulsive gambling? I've heard of hypnotherapy being used to treat cigarette addictions. I wonder if it would be helpful for gamblers?

[Laminar flow]

This supplement has also been shown to reduce cravings related to cocaine, so it might help individuals with dual diagnosis.

I doubt that the supplement will help to relieve the economic factors that often create an environment where people are more likely to gamble out of desperation, however.

[Cynthia]

The nucleus accumbens is also associated with the rewards systems in the brain that are engaged when people are addicted to drugs like cocaine. I am thinking along the same lines as David, and I wonder if this amino acid supplement could treat other addictions. If serious drug addictions can be helped with a supplement, then this something that definitely needs to be researched.

[Rilo]

I think this is really interesting. I also have a family member who has a gambling addiction. He ended up getting into so much debt, him and his family had to sell their house. This can be such a devastating thing, but people often overlook it because it's not an addiction that directly causes bodily harm, but it's so important nevertheless. I hope this is researched further.

[D Martin]

Assuming that the mechanism of restoring extracellular glutamate concentrations in the nucleus accumbens would impact a broader range of addictive behaviors, wouldn't it be fantastic if this supplement proved to be a truly valuable treatment in larger numbers of subjects? Imagine the variety of problems with underlying addictive mechanisms that could potentially be helped by this... drug abuse, binge eating, compulsive shopping, pedophilia, to name a few!

With such encouraging results, I hope research on n-acetyl cysteine for addiction will continue. I only hope big pharma companies don't monopolize usable forms and develop them into a wildly expensive drug that will be cost prohibitive for those who really need this type of treatment.

[RN]

NAC is also used for Tylenol overdose and to prevent adverse kidney effects after IVP dye in the hospital setting. With so many therapeutic benefits, are there any side effects/risks/interactions with NAC? It is known to have an unpleasant taste/smell that can be masked with soda or OJ when taken in liquid form.

[CR]

It never ceases to amaze me what can be found by doing research. Compulsive gambling can be so harmful, not only to the addicted person, but also to the family and friends. I agree with David that so many other forms of therapy are also needed. N-acetyl cysteine probably shouldn't be considered a stand-alone therapy, even once more studies are completed.

[Leigh]

NAC can cause bronochospasms, so use in patients with asthma should be monitored. Other side effects it can cause are nausea, vomiting, rash or fever.

[Rilo]

RN, I read that NAC can cause nausea and vomiting but that there were not any serious side effects, interactions or complications evident at this time. Good news, but we should still take caution until this is researched further.

[WeddedOne]

This is an awfully small study, but very promising nonetheless. I am very surprised that we are not seeing this covered by major media outlets.

[Richard]

The most successful tool in avoiding gambling isn’t a supplement, it is will power. N-acetyl cysteine might be one approach, but if the placebo caused the temporary change in behaviors, then the gamblers would go back to spending too much money. I’d prescribe these people a reality check.

[dalz]

Those are some harsh words Richard! Although I would like to agree that these people do need a reality check into their gambling behavior habits. Addiction is far to complicated a problem to simply prescribe away. Although N-acetyl cysteine may give these individuals a sense of support it has to be integrated into multiple channels for recovery to occur.

[Benson]

I'm with Rob and Richard. Counseling and support groups are definitely very important in people with gambling addiction. Any type of addiction is hard to overcome, and relying on a supplement isn't going to cut it. This study also reports they had "less urges to gamble," but it really only takes one urge that's acted upon. So whats going to stop them from going out and gambling? Will power.

[Stella]

It seems to me that patients with such addictions would need longer treatment periods. I wonder if a longer course of therapy would result in a greater reduction in gambling symptoms.

[Stacey]

Does anyone know how you can tell if someone has a gambling problem? I have a friend who goes to the casino almost every weekend. I don't think he gambles that much money, but that seems kind of frequent to me. What other things do you take into consideration other than the frequency of gambling?

[Mihir]

Stacey,

For compulsive gambling to be diagnosed, at least five of the following signs and symptoms must be present. 1) The individual is preoccupied with gambling. For instance, the person may be constantly thinking about ways or places to gamble. 2) The person has tried to stop or limit their gambling behaviors without success. 3) The individual needs more and more money to become excited about gambling. 4) The individual chases his/her losses in an effort to win back lost money. 5) When the individual tries to limit his/her gambling, he/she feels irritable. 6) Gambling is used as a way to escape or temporarily forget problems. 7) The individual lies to friends, family members and loved ones about his/her gambling problem. 8) The individual commits crimes, such as theft or fraud, to get more gambling money. 9) The individual asks others for financial help when they run out of money. 10) The individual risks an important relationship or career or educational career because of their gambling addiction.

[Amanda]

I found this article incredibly interesting. My boyfriend used to be a compulsive gambler. He is a firm believer in the G.A. 12-step program and has been clean for more than a year, but it is something he continues to struggle with on occasion, particularly when confronted with extremely stressful situations. I'm wondering if taking n-acetyl cysteine could help him continue to beat his addiction and how he would go about doing so. Or is this treatment not meant for people who are no longer gambling? Is this something that cannot be used long-term?

[Joanna]

I mentioned this article to a recovered compulsive gambler that I know who brought up an interesting drawback from a gambler's point of view that I hadn't considered. He felt that he would rather not know about there being a drug for gambling urges because he said it made him feel like he could go back to gambling and not be in control of his addiction if he were taking a drug for it.

[Deb]

Based on this study, I think using N-acetyl cysteine looks very promising for gambling addiction and possibly other addictions as well. I see Joanna’s point that some people might think because they’re taking a medication it would be okay to gamble. However, like other people have mentioned, it takes more than just a medication; it takes willpower! The medication is there to decrease the physical urges of gambling or whatever the addiction may be. The person has to want to stop and seek psychotherapy in order to completely control the addiction. If they can understand that it’s not a miracle drug and they need to put effort into it as well, then this medication is a bonus to help them make that possible.

[Doctor]

Hello. I'm looking for doctors or medical students who want to collaborate on our site http://www.medicalforums.us. If you're a student or medical clinician and want to help us answer questions from users, please e-mail us.