If you have a mental health problem you may have concern about whether you should use quitting medication to aid in an attempt to quit smoking? To help address this common concern, the largest smoking cessation study ever completed called “EAGLES” was conducted. Findings from the study can be found in the Lancet. Here are some highlights.
The EAGLES study had over 8,000 participants (about 4,000 with a mental health diagnosis and 4,000 without). Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of the following treatments: nicotine patches, varenicline (commonly called Chantix), bupropion (commonly known as Wellbutrin or Zyban), or placebo (“sugar pill”) only. The study found:
- All three medications led to higher quit rates compared with placebo
- Varenicline led to the highest quit rates
- There were no significant differences observed in how effective the medications were among people with different mental health conditions or no mental health diagnosis.
- The side effects of the medications were at expected rates and were not higher for persons with mental health conditions
So what does this mean? First, quitting medications are as safe for tobacco users with mental health problems as for those without mental health problems. Second, using any of the medications led to higher quit rates than using the placebo. Medications can help make your quitting journey more comfortable and more successful. Talk to your doctor and feel free to share this information with them!
Dr. Hays
