title: Treating smokers before the quit date: can nicotine patches and denicotinized cigarettes reduce cravings?
abstract: The present study investigated whether treatment with the combination of denicotinized cigarettes and 21-mg nicotine patch for 2 weeks before a designated quit date could lessen cravings for smoking, thereby helping smokers abstain from smoking. The study was a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, in 2004 and 2005. Patients included 98 adult heavy smokers (using 20 or more cigarettes/day). Half of the subjects received 2 weeks of combination of denicotinized cigarettes (Quest 3) and 21-mg nicotine patch for 2 weeks before the quit date. The remaining smokers were switched to light cigarettes (Quest 1) during the 2 weeks before the quit date. After the quit date, all subjects received counseling for smoking cessation and were provided nicotine patches for up to 8 weeks after the quit date. Self-reported cravings for smoking, withdrawal symptoms, and smoking abstinence were measured at predetermined intervals using phone-based surveys and in clinical visits. The group that used denicotinized cigarettes and nicotine patch before quitting reported less frequent and less intense cravings for cigarettes in the 2 weeks before and after the designated quit date. Self-reported withdrawal symptoms and quit rates did not differ significantly between the groups. The use of a denicotinized cigarette combined with the nicotine patch appears to lessen cravings to smoke in the immediate postcessation period. A larger, better-powered study is needed to test if this treatment combination has merit for increasing quit rates.
authors.affiliation: Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rezaishiraz
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hyland
authors.forename: Martin C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: K Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Cummings
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine