Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology
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Exp Clin Psychopharmacol · Aug 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialNicotine-mecamylamine treatment for smoking cessation: the role of pre-cessation therapy.
The nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine was evaluated in a randomized smoking cessation trial. Four groups of participants (n = 20 per group) received nicotine plus mecamylamine, nicotine alone, mecamylamine alone, or no drug for 4 weeks before cessation. After the quit-smoking date, all subjects received nicotine plus mecamylamine treatment for 6 weeks. ⋯ Nicotine + mecamylamine reduced ad lib smoking, smoking satisfaction, and craving more than either drug alone. Moreover, the orthostatic decrease in blood pressure caused by mecamylamine was offset by nicotine. Mecamylamine before smoking cessation may be an effective adjunct to nicotine patch therapy.