Varenicline Treatment for Active Alcoholic Smokers

Detailed Summary

Alcohol dependence is a significant and prevalent public health problem affecting approximately 4% of the U.S. adult population. Individuals with alcohol dependence actively seek treatment annually, and long-term alcohol abstinence varies from 40-60%. Because of the high smoking prevalence and trends toward heavier smoking, alcoholic smokers are at high risk for both morbidity and mortality related to alcohol consumption and tobacco dependence. Although several studies have evaluated pharmacotherapy for tobacco dependence in recovering alcoholic smokers, few have evaluated pharmacotherapy for tobacco dependence among currently drinking alcoholic smokers. Varenicline is the most effective medication currently available for treating tobacco dependence. While some randomized trials have included recovering alcoholics, active alcoholism has been an exclusion criteria for these trials. Thus, this proposal would be the first such clinical trial in currently drinking alcoholic smokers. In addition to helping smokers to stop smoking, varenicline has also been shown to reduce alcohol consumption in rats. The goal of this proposal is to explore the potential efficacy of varenicline for treating tobacco dependence and reducing drinking among alcohol dependent smokers. The investigators hypothesize that 12 weeks of treatment with varenicline, a partial nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist will be more effective than placebo in treating tobacco dependence and reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms in currently drinking alcoholic smokers. The investigators will also explore whether varenicline has an effect on drinking behavior among currently drinking alcoholics. The investigators propose the following specific aims to test these hypotheses in 70 currently drinking alcoholic smokers recruited at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Study Details

Timeline

Interventions