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Varenicline Plus Bupropion for Smoking Cessation: Which Smokers Benefit Most?
Varenicline Plus Bupropion for Smoking Cessation: Which Smokers Benefit Most?
First published in Psychiatry Weekly, Volume 9, Issue 12; December 15, 2014
Some smokers who have apparent difficulty quitting with nicotine patch therapy may benefit from combination treatment of varenicline and bupropion, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Cigarette smokers who showed <50% reduction in smoking levels after 1 week of nicotine patch therapy (N=222) were randomized to 12 weeks of varenicline plus bupropion or varenicline plus placebo. Among the smokers in this trial who maintained smoking abstinence 8–11 weeks following the target quit date, male smokers were significantly more likely than female smokers to benefit from varenicline plus bupropion. The same was shown for smokers with greater nicotine dependence as opposed to those with less nicotine dependence. Overall, smokers in the varenicline plus bupropion group demonstrated a 39.8% abstinence rate compared with 25.9% for varenicline plus bupropion (OR=1.89; 95% CI=1.07, 3.35). ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13050595
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