Bromocriptine use is associated with decreased smoking rates.
Dopaminergic transmission in the central nervous system is thought to underlie addictive behaviours, including smoking. One effective smoking cessation drug, bupropion, enhances dopaminergic transmission; conversely, antipsychotic drugs, which are dopamine antagonists, are associated with increased smoking. Thus we hypothesized that subfertile women treated with the potent dopamine agonist bromocriptine might smoke less as a consequence of their treatment. Among 4,608 subfertile women those conceiving on bromocriptine were half as likely to smoke as those taking other drugs or those conceiving without medication (p < 0.0001). This observation supports the role of dopamine in nicotine addiction, and suggests that bromocriptine-like drugs could be used effectively by pregnant women to aid cessation.
University of Oxford, ICRF General Practice Research Group, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford, UK. michael.murphy@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
M F G
MF
Murphy
K
K
Hey
E
E
Johnstone
M
M
Munafo
R
R
Walton
B
B
Willis
P J
PJ
Harrison
D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D001971:Bromocriptine