National Working Group for ACTTION

February 23, 2010

Cigarettes that are almost nicotine free may be a tobacco product that can facilitate cessation; however, future research is clearly needed to support these preliminary findings.  Compared to low nicotine yield cigarettes, the nearly free cigarettes were not associated with compensatory smoking behaviors.  Compensatory behavior is the effort by smokers to try to counteract nicotine reductions by smoking more or smoking harder.  This would undercut the benefits of nicotine reduction, and increase exposure to toxic substances.  The findings in this study are encouraging but larger studies are needed before this type of product can be recommended for cessation.

(Dorothy K. Hatsukami, and others, “Reduced nicotine content cigarettes: effects on toxicant exposure, dependence and cessation,” Addiction, February 2010)

Smokers using nicotine patches for 6 months had more success with quitting smoking than those who used the patches for the currently recommended 2 months.  After one year those differences did not continue. However, the smokers who used the patches for a longer period were more likely to return to abstinence after a lapse.

An author of the study noted, “This suggests that we may need to reconsider our guidelines about the length of treatment and consider, at least for some smokers, longer-term therapy.”

(Robert A. Schnoll, PhD, and others, “Effectiveness of Extended-Duration Transdermal Nicotine Therapy: A Randomized Trial,” Annals of Internal Medicine, February 2, 2010)