A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that varenicline, a drug approved for smoking cessation in adults, is effective in helping adolescents aged 16 to 25 quit vaping e-cigarettes. The study showed that participants in the varenicline group were three times more successful in quitting than those in the placebo group, according to ABC News Australia.
The research team recruited 261 e-cigarette users aged 16 to 25 and randomly assigned them to three groups: the varenicline group, the placebo group, and the text message support group. Participants in the varenicline group received 1 mg of varenicline twice daily for 12 weeks, along with weekly counseling and access to a free text support service called This is Quitting, as reported by ABC News Australia.
Participants reported their e-cigarette cessation status weekly, with their responses confirmed through cotinine saliva tests. After 12 weeks of treatment, 51% of the varenicline group had stopped using e-cigarettes, compared to 14% in the placebo group and 6% in the text message group. These results demonstrated the highest quitting success rate in the varenicline group.
Varenicline, known as Chantix in some countries, is an FDA-approved smoking cessation drug for adults. It binds to nicotine receptors in the brain, preventing nicotine from binding and reducing the pleasure associated with smoking. The study's findings demonstrated the drug's effectiveness and safety for adolescents.
"We wanted to help teens and young adults quit, and we found that prescribing varenicline is the best way to do that," said lead author Dr. A. Eden Evins, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). "Our findings illustrate the effectiveness and safety of this therapy to address the urgent public health concern of adolescents addicted to nicotine because of vapes," added co-researcher Dr. Randi Schuster, PhD, founding director of the Center for School Behavioral Health at MGH.
The study noted that as of 2023, about one-fourth of adolescents and young adults aged 18 to 25 in the United States are using e-cigarettes, and approximately 8% of high school students are expected to be using them. Vapes contain many of the same health threats as traditional cigarettes, including nicotine addiction, carcinogen exposure, heavy metal exposure, and pulmonary inflammation. This underscores the importance of seeking appropriate treatments to provide safe and effective smoking cessation methods.
During the same period, the placebo group of 87 participants received a placebo along with counseling and text message services, while the text message group of 86 participants received only text message services. All participants were treated for 12 weeks and then followed monthly for an additional 12 weeks post-treatment to track their smoking cessation status. Three months after the end of the clinical trial, the cessation rates were 28% for the varenicline group, 7% for the placebo group, and 4% for the text message group, confirming that the varenicline group's cessation rate remained higher.
Participants in the study had their e-cigarette cessation status monitored weekly, and their progress was verified through cotinine saliva tests. The varenicline group's cessation success rate being three times higher than that of the placebo group underscores the importance of pharmacological treatment in helping young people quit vaping.
Varenicline is already approved as a smoking cessation treatment for adults, so it can be prescribed to individuals aged 16 to 25 who want to quit nicotine vaping. Researchers emphasized the importance of finding effective treatment for nicotine addiction in young people, particularly as recent evidence indicates they are more likely to rapidly transition to substance use disorders.
The study also reported that side effects of varenicline were similar to those found in previous studies, including nausea, insomnia, and restless sleep. "Our young people were surprised to have become dependent on vaping; they were not at all happy to have lost control," concluded Dr. Evins.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.