Authors: Lara A Ray Kelly E Courtney Dara G Ghahremani Karen Miotto Arthur Brody Edythe D London
Publish Date: 2014/04/15
Volume: 231, Issue: 19, Pages: 3843-3853
Abstract
The present study used a doubleblind randomized 2 × 2 medication design testing varenicline alone VAR 1 mg twice daily low dose naltrexone alone LNTX 25 mg once daily varenicline plus naltrexone and placebo for effects on cigarette craving and subjective response to alcohol and cigarettes in a sample n = 130 of heavydrinking daily smokers ≥10 cigarettes/dayAll participants were tested after a 9day titration period designed to reach a steady state on the target medication Testing was completed at 12 h of nicotine abstinence after consuming a standard dose of alcohol target breath alcohol concentration = 006 g/dl and after smoking the first cigarette of the dayThe combination of VAR + LNTX was superior to placebo and at times superior to monotherapy in attenuating cigarette craving cigarette and alcohol “high” and in reducing adlib consumption of both cigarettes and alcohol during the 9day medication titration periodThese preliminary findings indicate that clinical studies of the combination of VAR + LNTX for heavy drinkers trying to quit smoking are warranted and may ultimately improve clinical care for this sizeable and treatmentresistant subgroup of smokersThe authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Eliza Hart Pauline Chin Andia Heydari and Ellen Chang to data collection and data management for this project The authors also wish to thank the staff at the UCLA/Westwood Clinical and Translational Research Center CTRCThis research was supported grants from the California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program TRDRP 18KT0020 and from the National Institute on Drug Abuse DA030898 to LAR Support for this study was also provided by a grant from the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute CTSI grants UL1RR033176 and UL1TR000124 KEC was supported by the UCLA Training Program in Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse T32 DA024635 LAR is a paid consultant for GSK None of the authors have any other conflicts of interest to disclose
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