Medication

I found citlopram helped with associated anxiety and hence triggers

Hi urbansky

I have no experience of using Naltrexone for gambling. But have previous experience of using it for opiate dependency. I found it very useful at the time to block my use of opiates. Unfortunately at that time i replaced my high from opiates with gambling.

As your probably aware studies for the use of naltrexone in other problematic psychological issues are ongoing. The use of naltrexone for alcohol and opiate dependency is very successful. There is no evidence as of yet regarding its successful use for problematic gambling. (The jury is still out)

Naltrexone is highly damaging to liver also. And amounts suggested in recent trials could be very damaging. I suggest if you decide to take this option see a doctor and have a liver function test first.

Lastly there are many medications used in the tratment of addiction and they are only meant to be used as a short term basis to give the person with the problem some breathing space. The idea is for the person to identify what causes the problem and then work on developing new coping strategies that will help them manage the problem.

There is no miracle cure for the treatment of addiction, as i found out over many years of trying to find one. I soon found out the particular substance or behaviour that i was acting out on was only part of the problem. Ultimately it came down to one thing for me and that was my thinking.

I hope this helps good luck

I would say the best bet is to go and see a doctor about what you are feeling. I am in no way a medical professional but I'd say if they did, that you could get anti-anxiety medication to get your head into a clearer place in order to be able to stick to some sort of recovery plan.

A lot of quitting gambling comes from within - and I'm not sure how that is possible with a reliant on medication... have you tried putting blocks in place making it physically impossible to gamble? There are some radical solutions but they are incredibly effective. Do you gamble in stores or online?