Smoking Cessation Treatment
Antidepressant drug can improve the mood in people. But according to a recent study, this drug can also ameliorate the mood in pregnant women who smoke cigarettes.
Researchers also suggested that the antidepressant Bupropion helps these women to quit smoking. Bupropion is an antidepressant drug used to elevate mood and promote recovery of a normal range of emotions in patients with depressive disorders. In addition, bupropion is used to as an aid in smoking cessation treatment.
Dr. Margaret S. Chisolm, assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said: “We are encouraged by the findings given that both depression and smoking are highly prevalent in pregnant, substance-dependent patients and are associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.”
Researchers compared daily cigarette use based on self-reports from 11 women who used bupropion and from 17 women assigned to another antidepressant, citalopram or escitalopram. The analysis also included 28 women who did not receive antidepressant drugs. All of the women were enrolled in a complete drug treatment program that combines a 7-day residential stay with follow-up outpatient treatment.
At the end of the investigation they found that up to 90 percent of pregnant women who are dependent on illegal substances continue to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy.
Researchers found that depression also befell in up to 75 percent of pregnant, substance-dependent patients.
The results of the study showed that women who used bupropion and citalopram or escitalopram all reduced their smoking. Nevertheless, there was a trend for greater smoking reduction for women in the bupropion group.
Because bupropion is an effective antidepressant and smoking cessation medication, Chisolm noted. It is also relatively safe for treating depression in pregnant women, making it an ideal candidate for treating both mood disorders and cigarette smoking. Citalopram and escitalopram have no known effect in smoking cessation.
