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Evidence by condition / Gambling, compulsive sexual behaviour and gaming

Psychedelics for gambling, sex and gaming addiction: the evidence is thin

An honest search of PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov for psychedelic or ketamine trials in gambling disorder, compulsive sexual behaviour and gaming disorder, and the free help that exists today.

Strength of evidenceLittle or no clinical evidence

No completed controlled trial that we could find. How we grade

Not medical advice. This page reports what published research, regulators and drug labels say, checked 26 Oct 2026. Talk to a doctor about your own situation; nothing here is a reason to start, stop or change a treatment on your own.

What exists: a dated search

On 26 October 2026 we found no completed controlled trial of a psychedelic or ketamine for gambling disorder, compulsive sexual behaviour or gaming disorder: the evidence is two case reports of ketamine or esketamine in gambling disorder, reviews and opinion pieces, and one small pilot trial of psilocybin for gambling disorder that started recruiting in France in October 2026.

We searched PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov on 26 Oct 2026. A PubMed count is the number of records the search returned, not the number of relevant studies: most mention both topics without testing a psychedelic for the addiction.

AddictionPubMed recordsTagged as RCTsRegistered trials
gambling7571
compulsive sexual behaviour1100
gaming and internet use600

None of the 7 records tagged as randomised controlled trials tests a treatment for gambling disorder; they concern depression, PTSD, borderline personality disorder, ECT anaesthesia or gambling-type decision tasks.

The exact searches
  • PubMed: (psilocybin OR psychedelic* OR ketamine OR MDMA OR ibogaine OR ayahuasca OR LSD) AND (gambling OR "gambling disorder"), with and without randomized controlled trial[pt]
  • PubMed: (psilocybin OR psychedelic* OR ketamine OR MDMA OR ibogaine OR ayahuasca OR LSD) AND ("gambling disorder"[tiab] OR "pathological gambling"[tiab] OR "problem gambling"[tiab])
  • PubMed: (psilocybin OR psychedelic* OR ketamine OR MDMA OR ibogaine OR ayahuasca OR LSD) AND ("compulsive sexual behavior" OR "compulsive sexual behaviour" OR hypersexual* OR "sex addiction" OR "sexual addiction")
  • PubMed: (psilocybin OR psychedelic* OR ketamine OR MDMA OR ibogaine OR ayahuasca OR LSD) AND ("internet gaming disorder" OR "gaming disorder" OR "internet addiction")
  • ClinicalTrials.gov API v2: condition gambling / compulsive sexual behavior OR hypersexuality OR sex addiction / gaming disorder OR internet addiction, intervention psilocybin OR ketamine OR MDMA OR ibogaine OR ayahuasca OR LSD OR psychedelic

What the literature holds

Recruiting now on ClinicalTrials.gov: Psilocybin AsSisted pSychotherapy for the treatmENt of Gambling disordER : a Pilot Study (NCT07391332, France).

Recruiting trials for gambling, compulsive sexual behaviour and gaming

1 trial was recruiting on ClinicalTrials.gov on 26 Oct 2026, testing any psychedelic or ketamine; 1 of them test Psilocybin or Ketamine or MDMA. The first 1 are below.

The dispatch

Laws change. Centres change. Know before you book.

A brief, sent only in weeks when something changes: jurisdictions that shifted, listings added or revised, and the research worth reading. No hype, no sourcing talk.

Educational only. Not medical advice. Unsubscribe any time.