Despite the prevalence of both pharmaceutical and behavioral approaches to encourage cessation, over a billion people still indulge in tobacco. Even in the U.S., where tobacco use is considered a clearly treatable and socially regrettable condition, a significant percentage of individuals remain resistant to treatment modalities. It is believed that the problem lies with the availability, the effectiveness, and the tolerance of the treatments. Thus, the development of new and more effective medications for treating nicotine dependence is an area of significant therapeutic importance, and one made increasingly more viable given our rapidly increasing knowledge about the actions of nicotine and tobacco components on the brain.
“We are entering a Renaissance period … that promises to provide us with improved pharmacological tools to tackle this most serious of worldwide public health problems.”
-- from the Preface
Medication Treatments for Nicotine Dependence assembles contributions from leading researchers and clinicians to provide the most comprehensive volume on current and future possibilities for addressing nicotine and tobacco dependence with medication. Organized into six sections, this important work covers—
Basic pharmacology and physiology of nicotine and nicotinic receptors
First-line medications for nicotine addiction, including NRTs and sustained release bupropion
Second-line medications including antidepressants, inhibitors, and antagonists
Promising treatments currently in development
Special topics such as the combination of medications with behavioral treatments and pharmacogenetic approaches to treatment
The text concludes with the presentation of two unique perspectives on the development of medications for nicotine dependence and its implications for clinical practice.
Medication Treatments for Nicotine Dependence serves as a useful primer and resource for established investigators, as well as those new to the research; for students from a range of disciplines, including pharmacology, psychology, public health, and medicine; and for those clinicians actively engaged in the treatment of nicotine dependence.
BASIC SCIENCE
Pharmacological Effects of Nicotine and Nicotinic
Receptor Subtype Pharmacological Profiles;
Ronald J. Lukas
Cellular and Synaptic Effects of Nicotine; Daniel S. McGehee, Michael Iacoviello, and Robert Mitchum
Animal Models of Nicotine Addiction: Implications for Medications Development; Rebecca C. Steiner and Marina R. Picciotto
FIRST-LINE MEDICATION TREATMENTS
Nicotine Replacement Therapies and Other Nicotinic Strategies; Jed E. Rose
Sustained-Release Bupropion as a Pharmacological Aid to Smoking Cessation; J. Taylor Hays and Jon O. Ebbert
SECOND-LINE MEDICATION TREATMENTS
Tricyclic Antidepressants in the Treatment of Nicotine Dependence; Sharon M. Hall
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors for Smoking Cessation; Ivan Berlin
Opioid Antagonists for the Treatment of Nicotine Dependence;
Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin and Stephanie S. O’Malley
Other Nonapproved Agents for Smoking Cessation; Andrea H. Weinberger, Erin L. Reutenauer, and Tony P. George
NOVEL MEDICATION TREATMENTS
Immunological Approaches to Nicotine Addiction; Paul Pentel, Mark LeSage, Daniel E. Keyler,and Dorothy Hatsukami
Glutamatergic Agents for Nicotine Dependence; Adam Bisaga
GABAergic Agents for the Treatment of Nicotine Dependence;
Mehmet Sofuoglu and Jaakko Lappalainen
Cannabinoid Antagonists: CB1 Receptors as a Therapeutic Target for Nicotine Dependence; Robert M. Anthenelli
Targeting the Dopamine D3 Receptor for
Treatment of Nicotine Dependence; Bernard Le Foll and Steven R. Goldberg
Varenicline: An α4â2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Partial Agonist as an Aid to Smoking Cessation; Cheryl A. Oncken, David Gonzales, Mitchell Nides, Steven Rennard, Eric J. Watsky, and Jotham W. Coe
SPECIAL TOPICS
Combining Medications with Behavioral Treatments; Christi A. Patten and Tabetha A. Brockman
Medication Treatments for Nicotine Dependence in Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders; Taryn M. Allen, Kristi A. Sacco, Andrea H. Weinberger, and Tony P. George
Pharmacogenetic Approaches to the Treatment of Nicotine Dependence; Caryn Lerman, Alexandra E. Shields, and Marcus Munafo
Neuroimaging of Nicotine Dependence: A Bioassay for Medications Development; Arthur L. Brody
CONCLUDING PERSPECTIVES
Suggestions for Future Research; Ivan D. Montoya and Frank Vocci
Treatment of Nicotine Dependence: Toward a Partial Solution; Bernard Le Foll
Biography
Tony P. George
“… this is a book that clinicians as well as researchers will find useful. … On the whole, individual chapters are well researched and presented, with a wealth of references to back up the prose. … This book provides an easy way for practitioners to avail themselves of the up-to-date research findings, which they may use in the treatment of nicotine additions. … This is certainly a book that will be useful to all who are doing research in the area of medication treatments for nicotine dependence, as well as for those who might be prescribing such medications. … it will also be valuable for those who are offering behavioral treatments and need to know how medications can be incorporated into their treatment plans. …”
—John C. Roitzsch, in PsycCritiques, Vol. 52, Release 30, Article 12, July 2007". . . it can serve as an excellent reference to address questions about the mechanism of action or the pharmacologic rationale for a given therapy. The book is well-organized, so it will be useful as a reference."
– Meredith C. McCormack, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, in Respiratory Care, September 2008, Vol. 53, No. 9