title: Effects of varenicline on alcohol self-administration and craving in drinkers with depressive symptoms.
abstract: Varenicline (VAR) is approved to aid in smoking cessation and has been shown to be effective for reducing alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. Little is known, however, about treatment moderators that may influence efficacy. The current study reanalyzed data from a human laboratory study (Verplaetse et al., 2016) to determine whether VAR was more effective at reducing alcohol use among drinkers reporting symptoms of depression. Participants were 60 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol use disorders ( n = 60) who were randomly assigned to receive VAR (1 mg/day, 2 mg/day) or placebo. Following 7 days of medication pretreatment, participants attended a laboratory testing session. They provided self-reported ratings of alcohol craving and performed an ad libitum alcohol consumption task after receiving a priming dose of alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration = 0.030 g/dL). Higher blood VAR plasma levels were associated with less alcohol craving and less drinking among participants with more depressive symptoms. Among participants with fewer depressive symptoms, VAR was associated with more drinking during the ad libitum drinking task. These findings show that depression symptoms may be a moderator of VAR efficacy in alcohol users and provides evidence for the role of nAChRs in depression and alcohol use.
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Terril L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Verplaetse
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oberleitner
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Marina R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Picciotto
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Sherry A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McKee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D066249:Craving / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D000068580:Varenicline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D000068580:Varenicline
keywords: Varenicline; alcohol use disorder; depression; laboratory; treatment moderators