Chantix Helps Smokers Suffering From Depression to Quit Smoking
Date: 16th September 2013
A new clinical experiment was carried out to measure the effects of Varenicline (Chantix) on quit smoking and the mood as well as anxiety levels of smokers who are suffering from depression or who have a history of depression. As the trial concluded, the researchers found that Chantix indeed helps some of these patients to trigger off smoking cessation without aggravating anxiety or depression.
The researchers carried out the study by observing 525 adult smokers having stable current or past major depression. The smokers were from 38 centers located in eight countries. The participants smoked a minimum 10 cigarettes on a daily basis and were encouraged to stop smoking. During the experiment, the participants were made to take a placebo or varenicline two times per day for a period of 12 weeks. After the completion of the treatment, the researchers studied them for another 40 weeks.
In the last four weeks of treatment, the researchers found that 36 percent of the participants, who were given Varenicline (Chantix), were able to trigger off smoking cessation. In comparison, only 16 percent participants belonging to the placebo group were able to stop smoking. However, after the additional 40-week follow up, the researchers discovered that only 10 percent of the placebo group were able to abstain from smoking cigarettes while 20 percent of the participants administering varenicline (Chantix) continued to refrain from smoking.
The study was headed by Robert Anthenelli, MD, professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine and associate chief of staff for mental health at VA San Diego Healthcare System.
The clinical trial was sponsored by Pfizer, the manufacturer of chantix and it will soon appear at the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Source: materials obtained from “University of California, San Diego Health Sciences”; sciencedaily.com |
