In a new study, researchers found that smokers who receive the medication varenicline tartrate combined with Quitline counseling are six times more likely to quit smoking than those who attempt to stop without support.
They found that after two years, nearly 30%of study participants were still smoke-free after the treatment, while 18% of participants who had only received Quitline counseling during the same trial also sustained their abstinence.
The results prove that both treatment options are highly viable—compared to quitting without the support which has a success rate of only 3-5%—and should be implemented in hospitals immediately.
The research was led by the University of South Australia.
Varenicline works by blocking receptors in the brain that nicotine goes into meaning that people who smoke while using the medication don’t get the rush and enjoyment they normally would from smoking.
Because the receptors in the brain aren’t getting that hit of nicotine from each cigarette smoked, the drug also decreases cravings or eliminates them entirely.
In the study, the team evaluated the long-term effects of the medication with a two-year follow-up. They evaluated the use of varenicline tartrate in a hospital setting among people with many co-morbidities.
Not only did they confirm that the combination of varenicline tartrate and counseling offers smokers a very real chance of successfully quitting for good, but it also demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of varenicline tartrate over a long period of time.
Given the success of the trial and the relative ease in which the treatment could be implemented, the researchers hope their findings influence how smokers who are hospitalized are supported to quit.
One author of the study is UniSA’s Associate Professor Kristin Carson-Chahhoud.
The study is published in PLOS ONE.
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