Bupropion for Hospital-Based Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Trial

Researchers

  1. Joel Simon, MD, MPH
Research Fields: 
Addiction and Cessation

This randomized trial examined the efficacy of bupropion when begun in the hospital setting. We enrolled 85 smokers in a hospital-based randomized smoking cessation trial conducted at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  Forty-two participants received a 7-week course of sustained release bupropion and 43 participants received placebo.  All participants received cognitive-behavioral counseling.  We screened 14,997 patients of whom 25% were current smokers.  Of the 536 smokers who met the entry criteria, 451 opted not to enroll.  We determined on-medication, end-of-medication, 3-month, and 6-month smoking cessation rates.  At the end of 7 weeks of drug treatment, there were equivalent self-reported quit rates in the bupropion and placebo arms, 37% vs. 33%, respectively.