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Treatment
Randomised controlled trial
Extending transdermal nicotine therapy from 8 to 24 weeks increases point-prevalence abstinence at 24 but not 52 weeks
  1. Anne M Joseph
  1. Correspondence to Anne M Joseph
    Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware Street SE, Suite 166, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA; amjoseph{at}umn.edu

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebm1064

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    Commentary on:

    1. Schnoll RA,
    2. Patterson F,
    3. Wileyto EP,
    4. et al
    . Effectiveness of extended-duration transdermal nicotine therapy: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2010;152:144–51.
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    Relapse after tobacco dependence treatment is common

    Behavioural and pharmacological treatment for tobacco dependence typically lasts 6–12 weeks. Unfortunately, the majority of smokers relapse within 3 months of treatment. Abstinence rates at the end of treatment are consistently approximately double long-term abstinence rates (6 or 12 months after quit date and off medication), so there is considerable interest in whether we stop pharmacological treatment prematurely and whether prolonged treatment might increase long-term abstinence.

    Extended transdermal nicotine therapy increases short- but not long-term abstinence

    Schnoll and colleagues describe a rigorous double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial of transdermal nicotine for 8 versus 24 weeks in adult smokers.1 In addition to medication, all participants received eight sessions of behavioural counselling from 2 weeks before the quit date to 20 weeks …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.