This review examined whether medications are helpful in the treatment of gambling disorder. The authors only included studies that compared medication to placebo. The review found that no strong evidence exists for any medication to treat gambling disorder. However, opioid antagonists such as naltrexone showed promise. Combined medication and psychotherapy helped retain patients in treatment compared to medication alone. The authors found many knowledge gaps. The limitations of current research include small sample sizes. Future studies also need to include more diverse participants. Also, including people with other mental health problems and addictions that co-occur with gambling would be helpful.
