Finland to try nasal spray to check gambling addiction

It may seem weird to think nasal spray can be used to cure gambling addiction. But, Finnish researchers think it is actually viable. They want to test naloxone based spray on gambling addicts. This is used usually to opiate addicts for blocking dopamine production. The naloxone based fast-working spray is deployed as an emergency treatment to treat people affected by overdoses of morphine, opium etc. It restricts dopamine production- a neurotransmitter with link to pleasure.

Hannu Alho, a professor dealing with addiction medicine at the national institute for health and welfare in Helsinki said it can help to thwart addiction to gambling. The researchers will carry out a study involving at least 130 candidates for this purpose. It will be done over 3 months.

A recent report revealed nearly 3 percent of people in Finland across age groups suffer from gambling addiction. The study conducted by the UK Gambling commission indicates similar findings. Alho said an effort was made earlier to cure gambling addiction by using pills with similar constitution, but it did not cut much ice.

The US FDA gave a nod to usage of naloxone kits in 2015. The FDA study indicated administering naloxone nasally can be as effective as using drugs through injection. The experiment will be started soon and it will go on for a year or so. The research will help develop a fast acting gambling addiction solution. However, it remains to be seen if there is any side effect and how the final solution works on the addicted lot.