Testing a new medication to reduce cravings in behavioral addictions

This trial is testing nalmefene, a medication that works on the brain's reward system, to see if it can help reduce cravings in people with behavioral addictions like gambling disorder, food addiction, or sexual addiction. Cravings—those overwhelming urges to engage in addictive behaviors—are a major reason why people struggle to stay in control and often relapse. This study will compare the medication to a placebo (an inactive pill) to see if nalmefene truly helps when added to the treatment people are already receiving.

Currently, there is no FDA-approved medication specifically for behavioral addictions, even though they affect millions of people and can cause serious harm. The medication being tested has shown promise in earlier studies for gambling disorder, but it has never been studied for food or sexual addiction. This trial aims to fill that gap by testing whether this treatment can work across multiple types of behavioral addiction.