BOSTON, Mass. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 5.6 million American adults vape – using an electronic device to inhale nicotine and flavored vapors. And much like cigarette smoking, for some, vaping may become a habit that is tough to quit. Researchers are now conducting a clinical trial of a plant-based product that has been tested on cigarette smokers to see if it helps people hooked on vaping.
Michael Werner was a college student when he started vaping almost every hour. Werner found himself quickly addicted to the nicotine but hated how vaping made him feel.
“It makes it hard to really fully be in the moment unless you’re using your device in that moment,” Werner says.
Nancy Rigotti, MD is the Director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment unit at Mass. General Hospital. After years of tobacco use being on the decline, one in 10 young adults aged 18 to 24 now vape.
Dr. Rigotti mentions, “Some of them are able to quit, but a lot of them are having trouble.”
She and her colleagues use text messaging, behavioral counseling, and medications to help young adults who want to quit nicotine. Now, they are testing a medicine called Cytisinicline made from a plant by the same name. Quit vaping
“The drug itself is very similar to one of our smoking cessation medicines that’s called Varenicline or Chantix. So, it has a similar effect, but it has fewer side effects, is what we’re seeing,” Dr. Rigotti explains.
Cytisinicline is thought to block the rush from nicotine and reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Michael Werner finally quit by weaning himself from his vape. He works now as a clinical research coordinator helping others kick the nicotine habit.
Werner says, “I’ve spoken with a lot of folks who are in recovery from drugs and alcohol, and they will tell me time and time again, this is the hardest drug to quit.”
Researchers are hoping after clinical trials, they’ll have one more option to quit vaping.
Dr. Rigotti says Cytisinicline has been tested in cigarette smokers, and a series of trials show it is effective in helping quit nicotine. For that reason, she says the drug may be closer to FDA approval for cigarette cessation than vape cessation. She says the side effects include some nausea, headache, and vivid dreams, but most people who have taken it have tolerated it. Dr. Rigotti says the drug has been available in eastern Europe for years for smoking cessation, but not in the U.S.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/267413/percentage-americans-vape.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8094416/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytisine
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: NEW TREATMENT TO QUIT VAPING
REPORT: MB #5163
BACKGROUND: While the use of cigarettes may have gone down, in recent years eight percent of American have reported using e-cigarettes/vaping devices. Historically e-cigarettes aided and helped individuals quit smoking; today many e-cigarette users reported never having smoked before and were under age 35. Ten percent of adults are now reported to use vaping devices. More and more young adults are becoming addicted to nicotine through e-cigarette devices and are having trouble quitting. It becomes hard to live or do anything daily once becoming addicted. The addiction begins to serve as a distraction for many.
(Sources:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/267413/percentage-americans-vape.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8094416/
DIAGNOSING: The National Institutes of Health now report that 5.6 million American adults are vaping. Vapes are electronic devices that contain nicotine and are usually sold as flavored vapors. Many young adults are now addicted to nicotine from vaping and are struggling to return to their lives. The diagnosis for this is called nicotine dependence. Doctors will commonly ask questions and give questionnaires that pertain to nicotine dependence. The more you smoke, the higher your dependence is. Treatment options include medications, counseling, nicotine patches, and nicotine gum. Patches and gum are given as options to slowly take yourself off the drug dependency. Many of the treatment options for quitting vaping are like those of quitting cigarettes.
(Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8094416/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nicotine-dependence/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351590
NEW TREATMENT: A new plant-based medication is now on trial that researchers suspect will aid in the quitting of nicotine dependency. A new medication called cytisinicline is thought to be better than counseling and previous medications to stop smoking. Over 20 million people have been reported to use cytisinicline to help treat their nicotine addiction. Cytisinicline is a seed that is structed similar to nicotine and is thought to help quit smoking by mimicking smoking sensation with nicotine receptors in the brain and reducing the feeling of nicotine withdrawal. This creates a lesser feeling of reward and satisfaction from the nicotine drug itself.
(Source:https://orcaprogram.com/
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Katie Marquedant
(617) 726-0337
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