Smoking Cessation Drugs Do Not Increase Mental Health Risks, According To Study

Anti-smoking drugs Chantix and Wellbutrin don't raise the risks of mental health disorders, according to a study. While these drugs have been available for a while, many smokers don't use them, as there have been concerns about the safety of these medications, said Dr. Robert Anthenelli, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California and lead author of the study.

The US Food and Drug Administration specifically asked for the study due to the safety concerns, and to help people quit the bad habit of smoking. Pfizer, which makes Chantix, and GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Wellbutrin, provided the necessary funding.

More than 8,000 people between the ages of 18 and 75 participated in the study, all of whom smoke an average of more than 10 cigarettes per day, and all of them wanted to quit smoking. According to WebMD, half of the subjects have histories of psychiatric conditions such as mood, anxiety, psychotic, or borderline personality disorder - and half of them are still taking medications for their conditions.

These participants were then randomly assigned to one of the four different groups - taking either the Chantix or Wellbutrin, using nicotine patches, or taking a placebo. They were then assessed for mental health problems such as agitation, aggression, panic, anxiety, depression, or suicidal thought up to three months with the treatment, and then in a follow up for up to six months.

Of all the participants, quit rates of those taking varenicline (Chantix) are the most effective at 22 percent. Wellbutrin and nicotine patches both have 16 percent quit rates, while the placebo is the least effective with only 9 percent quit rate.

The results of the study, published in The Lancet said that those who had no psychiatric disorder had no significant increase of mental health problems, while those who already had psychiatric disorders went through more mental health problems, but all the rates were similar for all four groups. While this may sound alarming, Anthenelli said that the study results show that these drugs are unlikely to increase the risk of mental health problems for smokers without psychiatric disorders, and clinicians should be comfortable in prescribing them to patients.