Smoking cessation drug may help quit drinking too

Los Angeles, March 5: A popular smoking-cessation drug may also kill the urge to drink alcohol in some people, a new research published online Monday in the journal Biological Psychiatry has revealed.

According to the novel study, Varenicline, an anti-smoking drug sold in the United States under the brand name Chantix, also possesses an added benefit of curbing the heavy drinkers’ desire for alcohol.

To reach their findings, lead researcher Sherry McKee, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues studied 20 adults who were daily smokers and heavy drinkers.

The participants, who reported to have smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day and consumed seven to 14 drinks per week and three or four drinks per episode at least once a week, were divided into two groups- one given Chantix and one given placebo pills for seven days.

After a weeklong follow up, the researchers found that heavy-drinking smokers taking Chantix were much less likely to drink after taking the drug. This group also reported fewer cravings for alcohol and less intoxicated when they did drink.

People taking the smoking cessation drug were relatively less likely to take the additional drinks and consumed just one-half of a drink compared to the subjects in the placebo group, who took, on average, 2.6 drinks.

Further, it was noticed that 80 percent of the volunteers in the Chantix group did not drink at all, compared to just 30 percent of those who received a placebo.

"We anticipate that the results of this preliminary study will trigger clinical trials of varenicline as a primary treatment for alcohol use disorders, and as a potential dual treatment for alcohol and tobacco use disorders," said McKee.

Researchers from Yale School of Medicine believe their findings could be very useful for people who are heavy drinkers and chain smokers as well, and are trying hard to keep themselves from their aforementioned health-hazardous habits.

"A medication such as varenicline, which may target shared biological systems in alcohol and nicotine use, holds promise as a treatment for individuals with both disorders" McKee said.

Although the popular anti-smoking drug Chantix helped study volunteers quit smoking as well as reduce alcohol cravings, but the drug otherwise has a history of causing serious psychiatric problems vision problems, heart rhythm disturbances, seizures, skin reactions in addition to the violent, aggressive, and suicidal thoughts and behavior in people.

Approved in May 2006, Chantix is a nicotine-free, oral tablet, which is to be taken twice a day for 12 weeks to help adults quit smoking. This works by cutting the pleasure of smoking and easing withdrawal symptoms by the help of an active ingredient Varenicline.