Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems

Objective: The smoking rate among patients with mental health problem is higher than in the general population. Effective pharmacotherapy to treat nicotine addiction is thus needed to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cigarette smoking among these patients. This article reviews the...

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Main Authors: Robson, Noor Zurani, Rusdi, A.R., Zahari, M.M.A., Habil, M.H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ASEAN Federation of Psychiatry and Mental Health (AFPMH) 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/2721/1/VARENICLINE-ASEAN_Journal_of_Psychiatry-Vol_10%282%29-July_Dec_2009.pdf
http://eprints.um.edu.my/2721/
http://www.aseanjournalofpsychiatry.org/index.php/aseanjournalofpsychiatry/article/viewFile/48/39
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spelling my.um.eprints.27212019-01-29T06:27:39Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/2721/ Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems Robson, Noor Zurani Rusdi, A.R. Zahari, M.M.A. Habil, M.H. H Social Sciences (General) R Medicine Objective: The smoking rate among patients with mental health problem is higher than in the general population. Effective pharmacotherapy to treat nicotine addiction is thus needed to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cigarette smoking among these patients. This article reviews the literature on the suitability of varenicline for smokers with mental health problems. Methods: A search of the literature was conducted using PubMed from year 2001 to July 2009 using key words varenicline alone and varenicline and mental health. Articles chosen were narrowed to those published in English. The type of articles chosen included clinical trials, meta-analyses, case reports, and review articles. Results: The search produced a total of 322 articles on varenicline and 14 articles on varenicline and mental health. Varenicline, a new drug for smoking cessation is an α4β2 partial agonist and partial antagonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. As a partial agonist, varenicline relieves craving and withdrawal symptoms that occur during smoking abstinence and also reduce the rewarding effects of smoking in patients who relapse. However, at present, there is concern regarding the neuropsychiatric side effects such as aggressive behaviour, suicidal ideation, mania and depression associated with varenicline use in patients with mental health problems, but these reports did not show a causal-link or lack of link between these symptoms and varenicline. Conclusion: Current available data support the effectiveness of varenicline to treat nicotine dependence. However its safety among smokers with mental health problems remains to be elucidated. At present, further safety assessment is needed in this patient population. Until new data is available regarding the safety of varenicline in these populations, psychiatrists and physicians prescribing this medication should be extra cautious and monitor for possible psychiatric side effects when prescribing this medication to patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders or have vulnerability to psychoses. ASEAN Federation of Psychiatry and Mental Health (AFPMH) 2009 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://eprints.um.edu.my/2721/1/VARENICLINE-ASEAN_Journal_of_Psychiatry-Vol_10%282%29-July_Dec_2009.pdf Robson, Noor Zurani and Rusdi, A.R. and Zahari, M.M.A. and Habil, M.H. (2009) Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 10 (2). pp. 202-209. ISSN 2231-7805 http://www.aseanjournalofpsychiatry.org/index.php/aseanjournalofpsychiatry/article/viewFile/48/39
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
language English
topic H Social Sciences (General)
R Medicine
spellingShingle H Social Sciences (General)
R Medicine
Robson, Noor Zurani
Rusdi, A.R.
Zahari, M.M.A.
Habil, M.H.
Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
description Objective: The smoking rate among patients with mental health problem is higher than in the general population. Effective pharmacotherapy to treat nicotine addiction is thus needed to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cigarette smoking among these patients. This article reviews the literature on the suitability of varenicline for smokers with mental health problems. Methods: A search of the literature was conducted using PubMed from year 2001 to July 2009 using key words varenicline alone and varenicline and mental health. Articles chosen were narrowed to those published in English. The type of articles chosen included clinical trials, meta-analyses, case reports, and review articles. Results: The search produced a total of 322 articles on varenicline and 14 articles on varenicline and mental health. Varenicline, a new drug for smoking cessation is an α4β2 partial agonist and partial antagonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. As a partial agonist, varenicline relieves craving and withdrawal symptoms that occur during smoking abstinence and also reduce the rewarding effects of smoking in patients who relapse. However, at present, there is concern regarding the neuropsychiatric side effects such as aggressive behaviour, suicidal ideation, mania and depression associated with varenicline use in patients with mental health problems, but these reports did not show a causal-link or lack of link between these symptoms and varenicline. Conclusion: Current available data support the effectiveness of varenicline to treat nicotine dependence. However its safety among smokers with mental health problems remains to be elucidated. At present, further safety assessment is needed in this patient population. Until new data is available regarding the safety of varenicline in these populations, psychiatrists and physicians prescribing this medication should be extra cautious and monitor for possible psychiatric side effects when prescribing this medication to patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders or have vulnerability to psychoses.
format Article
author Robson, Noor Zurani
Rusdi, A.R.
Zahari, M.M.A.
Habil, M.H.
author_facet Robson, Noor Zurani
Rusdi, A.R.
Zahari, M.M.A.
Habil, M.H.
author_sort Robson, Noor Zurani
title Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
title_short Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
title_full Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
title_fullStr Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
title_full_unstemmed Varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
title_sort varenicline - a new pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: implication for smokers with mental health problems
publisher ASEAN Federation of Psychiatry and Mental Health (AFPMH)
publishDate 2009
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/2721/1/VARENICLINE-ASEAN_Journal_of_Psychiatry-Vol_10%282%29-July_Dec_2009.pdf
http://eprints.um.edu.my/2721/
http://www.aseanjournalofpsychiatry.org/index.php/aseanjournalofpsychiatry/article/viewFile/48/39
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score 13.222552