Memantine in the Treatment of Kleptomania

Inclusion Criteria

• men and women age 18-65
• current KM using the clinician-administered Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania (SCI-K)
• stealing behavior within 2 weeks prior to enrollment.

Exclusion Criteria

• infrequent stealing (i.e. less than one time per week) that does not meet proposed criteria for kleptomania (KM)
• unstable medical illness or clinically significant abnormalities on laboratory tests or physical examination at screen
• history of seizures
• myocardial infarction within 6 months
• current pregnancy or lactation, or inadequate contraception in women of childbearing potential
• a need for medication other than memantine with possible psychotropic effects or unfavorable interactions
• clinically significant suicidality
• current Axis I disorder determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM (SCID) and SCID-compatible modules for impulse control disorders (Grant et al., 2005), except for nicotine dependence
• lifetime history of bipolar disorder type I or II, dementia, schizophrenia, or any psychotic disorder determined by SCID
• current or recent (past 3 months) DSM-IV substance abuse or dependence
• positive urine drug screen at screening
• initiation of psychotherapy or behavior therapy within 3 months prior to study baseline
• previous treatment with memantine; and 14) treatment with investigational medication or depot neuroleptics within 3 months, with fluoxetine within 6 weeks, or with other psychotropics within 2 weeks prior to study baseline.