In a major breakthrough for young people’s health, a new clinical trial has shown that varenicline, a drug that has in the past been used for quitting smoking in adults, can successfully help teenagers and young adults quit vaping. This is an encouraging new path forward for treating the increasing problem of nicotine addiction among young people.
The Vaping Epidemic Among Teens
In the last decade, vaping has increased among youth, and it has raised concerns regarding nicotine dependency and long-term health effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that e-cigarettes have become the leading tobacco product used by U.S. youth. Flavored vape products and the false belief that vaping is less harmful than smoking have fueled the trend.
Varenicline: A Novel Weapon in the Battle Against Teen Vaping
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital recently conducted a trial and published it in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which found that varenicline can drastically improve the odds of teens being able to quit vaping. In the trial, 261 volunteers between the ages of 16 and 25 who vaped nicotine every day or almost every day and had a wish to quit were tested. Volunteers were broken into three categories: one received varenicline with the support of counseling and text messaging, the second received a placebo with the support of counseling and text messaging, and the third received just text messaging support.
The results were convincing. During the last four weeks of the 12-week trial, 51% of those using varenicline had stayed off vaping, whereas 14% had stayed off in the placebo group and 6% in the group with just the text messages. In addition, at three-month follow-up, 28% of the varenicline group had abstinence compared with only 7% of the placebo group. These results indicate that varenicline, when used in conjunction with behavioral support, can triple the rate of success of vaping cessation among adolescents and young adults. Safety and Tolerability
Notably, the research revealed that varenicline was tolerated by participants with no severe side effects. Three participants only dropped out of the study because of adverse events—two in the varenicline group and one in the placebo group. Moreover, there was no indication that participants who stopped vaping used traditional cigarette smoking as a replacement.
Implications for Public Health
These results have important public health implications for strategies to curb nicotine addiction among adolescents.
Lead author of the study and director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. A. Eden Evins, highlighted the need to deal with teen vaping. “Vaping is highly trendy among children, and we know that such early exposure to nicotine can get kids hooked on drugs like cocaine later on,” she said. “We wanted to support teens and young adults to quit, and we determined that prescribing varenicline is the optimal way to do that.” Access and Recommendations
Although varenicline is FDA-approved for smoking cessation in adults, it may be prescribed off-label to patients aged 16 to 25 who are trying to quit vaping. Providers are urged to consider this treatment, especially when used in combination with behavioral counseling and support services. Additional research is necessary to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of varenicline in younger teens and those who use both vaping and combustible tobacco products.
Conclusion
The availability of varenicline as a successful aid in teen vaping cessation represents a groundbreaking achievement in addressing youth nicotine addiction. While the spread of vaping has become an onerous public health crisis, incorporating pharmacotherapies such as varenicline along with behavior change interventions would boost cessation treatment
