title: Varenicline prevents affective and cognitive exacerbation during smoking abstinence in male patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: To explore the effects of varenicline on the psychopathology and cognition of chronic inpatients with schizophrenia, we conducted a non-randomized control group time series investigation between March 2009 and April 2010. In a mandatory smoking cessation intervention, 41 male inpatient smokers were scheduled to undergo either a 5-week varenicline treatment (varenicline group) or the use of no drugs (non-treatment group). Depression (HAM-D), anxiety (HAM-A), and psychosis (PANSS) were evaluated at baseline, and at the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 12th week after abstinence; four neuropsychological tests, including Digit Span Forward and Backward (DSF and DSB), and Trail Making Test-A and -B, were evaluated at baseline and at the 4th, 8th and 12th week. .Thirty patients completed the study. Among 15 patients in the non-treatment group, the HAM-D, HAM-A, DSF, and DSB scores were exacerbated during the 2-8 weeks of abstinence, but there were no changes in psychotic symptoms and the other two neuropsychological tests. Compared with the non-treatment group, varenicline users experienced less impairment in HAM-D and HAM-A scores at the 2nd and 4th weeks, and in DSF tasks at the 4th week after abstinence. In conclusions, varenicline can attenuate abstinence-induced adverse outcomes and appears to be well-tolerated in smokers with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Long Cyuan Veterans Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mu-En
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shih-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Shwu-Yuh
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jeang
authors.forename: Su-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Shang-Liang
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ming-Chao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yung-Lang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Szu-Tung
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012907:Smoking / Q000628:therapy*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000068580:Varenicline
chemical_list: D001552:Benzazepines; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011810:Quinoxalines; D000068580:Varenicline