Rivastigmine Reduces Tobacco Craving in Alcohol-dependent Smokers

Diehl, Alexander; Nakovics, Helmut; Mutschler, Jochen; Hermann, Derik; Kiefer, Florian W.

doi:10.1055/s-0028-1103295

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Although, our study did not assess smoking behavior, several studies support the potential effectiveness of AChE inhibitors for smoking cessation. In a 12-week clinical trial for the treatment of alcohol addiction that included 26 alcoholic smokers, rivastigmine treatment of 6 mg/day reduced the number of cigarettes smoked, the amount of exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) and the craving for cigarettes (Diehl et al 2009). In another clinical trial for alcohol dependence, GAL treatment reduced smoking behaviors, including cigarettes used per day, as well as cotinine levels in 114 alcohol-dependent smokers (Diehl et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cumulating evidence from clinical studies supports the potential efficacy of AChE inhibitors for the treatment of nicotine dependence. For example, in alcohol-dependent smokers, rivastigmine (Diehl et al 2009) or GAL (Diehl et al 2006) treatment was associated with reduced smoking behavior without providing any specific behavioral treatments for cigarette smoking. In spite of this limitation, these studies support the potential use of AChE inhibitors for the treatment of nicotine addiction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Galantamine attenuates some of the subjective effects of intravenous nicotine and improves performance on a Go No-Go task in abstinent cigarette smokers: a preliminary report

Sofuoglu

Herman

et al. 2012

Psychopharmacology

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Rationale Galantamine (GAL), a reversible and competitive inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, is used clinically in the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia. Some preclinical and clinical studies support the potential efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors for smoking cessation, although their effects on the behavioral and physiological responses to nicotine have not been examined. The goal of this study was to characterize GAL’s actions on multiple outcomes including withdrawal severity and cognitive performance, as well as subjective and physiological responses to nicotine administered intravenously. Methods A total of 12 smokers participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Smokers had two 4-day treatment periods, assigned in random sequence, to GAL (8 mg/day) or placebo treatment. On day 4 of each treatment phase, smokers had an experimental session in which they received an intravenous (IV) dose of saline or 1 mg/70 kg nicotine, one hour apart, in a random order. Results GAL attenuated the self-reported rating of “craving for cigarettes” and prevented decrements in performance in a Go/No-Go task. In response to IV nicotine, GAL treatment attenuated the self-report ratings of “like the drug effects,” “good drug effects,” “bad drug effects,” and “stimulated.” Conclusions These findings support the potential utility of GAL as a treatment for smoking cessation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Galantamine attenuates some of the subjective effects of intravenous nicotine and improves performance on a Go No-Go task in abstinent cigarette smokers: a preliminary report

Sofuoglu

Herman

et al. 2012

Psychopharmacology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Galantamine has some beneficial effects on cognition and drug use in stimulant abusers (Sofuoglu and Carroll, 2011; Sofuoglu and Mooney, 2009; Sofuoglu et al, 2011) and may improve inhibitory control in abstinent smokers (Sofuoglu et al, 2012). Preliminary studies with cholinesterase inhibitors in alcoholic, methamphetamine-dependent, and schizophrenic smokers show that they are well tolerated but provide mixed results for efficacy with respect to reducing smoking behavior (De la Garza and Yoon, 2011; Diehl et al, 2006; Diehl et al, 2009; Kelly et al, 2008). …”

Section: Implications For Treatment Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive function during nicotine withdrawal: Implications for nicotine dependence treatment

2014

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Nicotine withdrawal is associated with deficits in neurocognitive function including sustained attention, working memory, and response inhibition. Several convergent lines of evidence suggest that these deficits may represent a core dependence phenotype and a target for treatment development efforts. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying withdrawal-related cognitive deficits may lead to improve nicotine dependence treatment. We begin with an overview of the neurocognitive effects of withdrawal in rodent and human models, followed by discussion of the neurobehavioral mechanisms that are thought to underlie these effects. We then review individual differences in withdrawal-related neurocognitive effects including genetics, gender, and psychiatric comorbidity. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this research for developing improved therapies, both pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatments, that target cognitive symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

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“…In fact, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor galantamine reduced smoking and craving for cigarettes in alcohol-dependent participants (Diehl et al 2006), although similar effects were not observed in smokers with schizophrenia (Kelly et al 2008). More recently, 4 weeks of the AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitor rivastigmine (6 mg/day) produced significant decreases in both smoking and craving relative to placebo in alcohol-dependent participants (Diehl et al 2009). To our knowledge there are no data on the effects of AChE inhibitors on smoking behaviors in healthy, non-drug-dependent individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the effects of rivastigmine on cigarette smoking by methamphetamine-dependent volunteers

Garza

Yoon

2011

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

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Compared to smokers alone, smokers with co-morbid substance use disorders are at greater risk of suffering from smoking-related death. Despite this, relatively few studies have examined smoking cessation treatments for those with stimulant dependence. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the effects of produced by short-term exposure to the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine (0, 3 or 6 mg) on cigarette smoking in non-treatment-seeking, methamphetamine-dependent volunteers. This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study that took place over 9 days. The data indicate that rivastigmine treatment did not alter Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence scores, carbon monoxide readings, or cigarettes smoked per day, but a trend toward reduced urges to smoke (p<0.09) was detected during treatment with rivastigmine 3 mg. These data, while preliminary, indicate that cholinesterase inhibitors warrant further consideration as treatments for nicotine dependence, including use in stimulant-dependent individuals who exhibit significantly higher rates of smoking than the general population.

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Rivastigmine Reduces Tobacco Craving in Alcohol-dependent Smokers

Abstract: Our preliminary data indicate an effect of rivastigmine on tobacco craving and consumption. This pilot study encourages further investigation of acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors as a promising treatment approach regarding tobacco dependence.

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

Galantamine attenuates some of the subjective effects of intravenous nicotine and improves performance on a Go No-Go task in abstinent cigarette smokers: a preliminary report

Galantamine attenuates some of the subjective effects of intravenous nicotine and improves performance on a Go No-Go task in abstinent cigarette smokers: a preliminary report

Cognitive function during nicotine withdrawal: Implications for nicotine dependence treatment

Evaluation of the effects of rivastigmine on cigarette smoking by methamphetamine-dependent volunteers

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