E-Cigarettes and Relapse to Cigarette Smoking

Topics: E-Cigarettes | Smoking Cessation | Vaping

REVIEW OF: Pierce JP et al, JAMA Network Open 2021;4(10):e2128810 STUDY TYPE: Cohort study Mounting evidence suggests that ­e-cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation—nearly twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapy (see CATR May/Jun 2020 for a review of a prominent randomized controlled trial). While health authorities in some c

How to Use Varenicline (Chantix)

Topics: Chantix | Generics | Smoking Cessation | Smoking Cessation Agents | Tobacco | Varenicline

Henry is a 45-year-old married man with anxiety and alcohol use disorder who smokes a pack a day. He has tried nicotine replacement in the past but was unsuccessful. His alcohol use has stabilized in recent months, and he believes he is ready to make another attempt at quitting smoking. There are three medications with FDA approval for nicotine depende

Varenicline and Bupropion: Soaring Again With EAGLES?

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Bupropion | Chantix | Co-occurring disorders | Dual diagnosis | FDA Warnings | Medication | Pharmacology | Research | Research Update | Side Effects | Smoking Cessation | Smoking Cessation Agents | Substance Use | Substance use disorders | Suicidality | Suicide | Tobacco | Varenicline | Wellbutrin

Review of: Anthenelli RM et al, Lancet 2016;387(10037):2507–2520 Varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban and others) are effective treatments for tobacco use disorder, but their use (and sales) took a big hit in 2009 when the FDA slapped both with black box warnings linking them to psychiatric complications, including suicidal ideation. Although

A Primer on Vaping: 15 Years On

Topics: E-Cigarettes | Smoking Cessation | teens | Vaping

CATR: Can you give us your professional background? Dr. Kaliamurthy: I finished medical school in India followed by an adult psychiatry residency and child psychiatry fellowship at the Institute of Living in Hartford, CT. I then completed an addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale and am currently an attending psychiatrist at the Children’s National

Using Smoking Cessation Medications in Patients With Mental Illness

Topics: Comorbidity | Smoking Cessation | Smoking Cessation Agents

As you have likely noted in your practice, smoking is very common among patients with mental illness. Studies have shown that nearly every psychiatric diagnosis is associated with an increased prevalence of smoking, and that there is a growing disparity in smoking rates between patients with mental illness and the general population (Dickerson F et al,

The FDA Campaigns Against Flavored Tobacco Products

Topics: eCigarettes | Free Articles | Smoking Cessation | Tobacco | Vaping

Electronic cigarette use, or vaping, is becoming increasingly common. Companies manufacturing e-cigarettes advertise them as alternatives to conventional cigarettes and even a pathway to smoking cessation. However, the popularity of vaping has sky-rocketed in high schools across the country with adolescents becoming addicted to nicotine daily. Monitorin

Does Augmenting Varenicline with Bupropion Work Better than Varenicline Alone?

Topics: Bupropion | Research Update | Smoking Cessation | Varenicline

Review Of: Cinciripini PM et al, Addiction 2018;113:1673-1682 We have a good array of smoking cessation treatments to choose from, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion, and varenicline. Varenicline is the most effective monotherapy agent, somewhat better than bupropion and single-product NRT, and comparable to combination NRT. Theo

Effects of Cannabis Use on Smoking Cessation

Topics: Research Update | Smoking Cessation | Substance Abuse

REVIEW OF: Weinberger AH et al, J Clin Psychiatry 2018;79(2):17m11522 When counseling your patients to quit smoking, you may also want to consider asking them about their past marijuana use. Results from a recent study suggest that there may be a correlation between cannabis and tobacco smoking. Analysis of longitudinal data of almost 35,000 adult