Effectiveness of Sertraline in Treating Pathological Gamblers With a Diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence - 1

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2005-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Pathological gamblers often are also dependent on alcohol and clinically depressed. Sertraline (Zoloft) is currently used to treat depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The purpose of this trial is to determine the effectiveness of sertraline used in combination with relapse prevention therapy in decreasing gambling behavior and alcohol consumption in individuals with a diagnosis of pathological gambling and alcohol abuse or dependence.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute
• Collaborator: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Treatments: Sertraline

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meets DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling

• Meets DSM-IV and SCID criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence

• Medically healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder

• Current diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence, other than alcohol or nicotine

• Current major depression

• Currently suicidal

• History of non-response to an adequate trial of sertraline, defined as 200 mg per day of sertraline for at least a 4-week period

• Previous treatment with relapse prevention therapy for pathological gambling or alcohol dependence within the 3 months prior to study entry

• Requires treatment with psychotropic medication

• Unwilling to consent to a drug-free period, according to the following: 2 weeks of abstinence from antidepressant drugs, other than fluoxetine, buspirone, lithium, anticonvulsants, barbiturates, opiates, or benzodiazepines; 4 weeks of abstinence from clonazepam; 5 weeks of abstinence from fluoxetine

• Clinically significant disorder, including kidney, pulmonary, cerebral vascular, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and endocrine disorders

• Abnormal laboratory tests

• Abnormal electrocardiogram

• Pregnant or breastfeeding

• Unwilling to use an adequate method of contraception for the duration of the study