Varenicline, marketed under the name Chantix, is a new prescription medication. It provides a better, more effective option for teens who wish to stop vaping. This news comes on the heels of increasing alarm at the number of high schoolers who have become addicted to nicotine. According to the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey, as many as 8 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Of those, nearly 30 percent said they used them every day.
Unlike other tobacco cessation medications like varenicline, a twice-a-day pill, the medication can easily be taken when outside school hours. It has a proven history of moving adult smokers to quit. Now, researchers are studying its effectiveness with those younger users. Pediatrician Lindy McGee will discuss if her 16- and 17-year-old patients should consider taking varenicline to quit smoking. She’ll draw their parents into the conversation.
In another recent clinical trial, researchers focused on prevalent young adult participants (16- to 25-year-olds) who were non-regular smokers. These participants had a history of daily or near-daily vaping for three months and were randomized to receive Varenicline with counseling and text messaging support. The results were significant: in the last four weeks of the 12-week trial, 51 percent of the 88 teens and young adults taking Varenicline abstained from vaping completely. In contrast, the continuous abstinence rate for people who received a placebo was just 7 percent over the same time.
McGee makes it a point to give her patients multiple options to support them on their journey to stop vaping. “I’m glad to know that there is something else potentially in my toolbox,” she remarked. The findings from the clinical trial suggest that Varenicline could be an effective tool in addressing nicotine dependence among adolescents.
The urgency of this issue is underscored in 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey data. For example, it shows that 64 percent of high school students would like to stop vaping. In fact, 67 percent said they tried to quit in the last 12 months on their own. Even with these good intentions, nicotine’s addictive properties may prove to be an uphill battle for some teens.
Varenicline’s effectiveness is especially remarkable considering it’s attacking one of the most addictive substances on the market. “For one of the most addictive substances we have, the 28 percent quit rate is pretty good at 24 weeks,” McGee stated, highlighting the potential impact this medication could have on youth vaping cessation efforts.
The clinical trial results are extremely encouraging! Public health experts fervently encourage integrated support systems that bring together counseling and text messaging alongside medication. These multifaceted strategies work to disrupt the root behaviors and motivations behind vaping.
Leave a Reply