Varenicline and Smoking Cessation in Schizophrenia

There is a strong association between smoking and schizophrenia with prevalence rates ranging from 74% to 90%, versus a national average of 30% in nonschizophrenic individuals. A number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain the relationship between high smoking rates and schizophrenia, mostly relating to self-medication primarily for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Smoking cessation rates among schizophrenic patients are considerably lower than for other psychiatric disorders. The negative health effects of smoking increase the morbidity and mortality in schizophrenic patients. Currently, the efficacy of bupropion HCl in the treatment of smoking by schizophrenic subjects is inconclusive, and there have not been any published studies of the efficacy of varenicline in schizophrenic subjects. As varenicline appears to be a promising treatment in non-psychiatric patients, it would be useful to expand these studies to examine its effects in schizophrenic patients. Identifying effective and safe means of smoking cessation for this vulnerable population has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality among individuals with schizophrenia.