Completed

Maintaining Abstinence in Chronic Cigarette Smokers

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What is being tested

Bupropion and NRT

Drug
Who is being recruted

Mental Disorders+1

+ Tobacco Use Disorder

+ Substance-Related Disorders

Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Placebo-ControlledPhase 2
Interventional
Study Start: December 2002
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: December 1, 2002

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

The work adapts interventions that have been successful in the general populations, and tailors them to chronic smokers, who may have numerous previous smoking treatment failures. If successful it will: (1) make available a treatment intervention that produces hight long term abstinence rates; (2) provide information on variables that predicts success and failure in this population of smokers; (3) examine the cost-effectiveness of more intensive, longer term treatments.

Official TitleMaintaining Abstinence in Chronic Cigarette Smokers 
NCT00087880
Principal SponsorNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

407 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Treatment Study

These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.



Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Over 18 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

Mental DisordersTobacco Use DisorderSubstance-Related DisordersChemically-Induced Disorders

Criteria

Subjects (N=400) will be men and women (50%) over the age of 18 who smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day and answers yes to the question "Do you smoke within 30 minutes of arising?" Inclusion Criteria: -Subjects are age 18 and over, currently smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day, and report a smoking history of at least 5 years in response to the question "How long have you been a regular smoker?" Exclusion Criteria: * History of seizure or head injury resulting in unconsciousness * Any condition that might predispose to seizures (brain tumor or stroke) * A current or history of anorexia nervosa or bulimia * Any disease acutely life-threatening or so severe that the patient is judged unable to comply with the protocol * Use of a protease inhibitor of MAO inhibitor within the last two week * Current use of psychiatric drugs that would interfere with interpretation of study results, including antidepressants * Treatment for alcohol dependence during the last year, or evidence of alcohol abuse so severe that the patient is judged potentially unable to comply with the protocol * Patients who know they are leaving the Bay Area within the study period and non-English speakers will be excluded * Suicidal or homicidal ideation * Current major depression * History of bipolar disorder * Recent (within twelve months) myocardial infarction * Any other medical condition that would contraindicate use of NRT or bupropion * Physical limitation so severe that participation in a program of moderate exercise is not possible * Pregnancy or lactation

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

5 intervention groups are designated in this study

40% chance of being blinded to the placebo group

Treatment Groups

Group I

Active Comparator
Participants will start with a 21 mg nicotine patch, tapering to 14 mg patch and finally tapering to 7 mg patch. The nicotine patch will be administered on Week 3 of the program. Participants will meet with medical staff during Weeks 1, 2, 5, and 11. Five group counseling sessions must be attended by the participants. Assessments will be conducted on Weeks 12, 24, 36, 52, 64, and 104.

Group II

Active Comparator
Participants will receive Brief Treatment followed by ongoing bupropion treatment through Week 52. Participants will attending counseling session 20-40 minutes in duration and will be scheduled at weeks 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 44, and 52. The contents of these sessions will introduce additional information focusing on motivation, social support, mood management, weight gain, and dependence/withdrawal. Subjects will be contact by phone between counseling sessions (at Weeks 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 36, 40, 48) for a brief check-in.

Group III

Active Comparator
Participants will receive the Brief Treatment followed by ongoing Bupropion treatment through Week 52. Participants will meet with medical staff once a month.

Group IV

Placebo
Participants receive the Brief Treatment followed by a placebo medication through Week 52 and meet with medical staff once per month. Participants will attending counseling session 20-40 minutes in duration and will be scheduled at weeks 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 44, and 52. The contents of these sessions will introduce additional information focusing on motivation, social support, mood management, weight gain, and dependence/withdrawal. Subjects will be contact by phone between counseling sessions (at Weeks 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 36, 40, 48) for a brief check-in.

Group 5

Placebo
Participants will receive the Brief Treatment followed by placebo medication (sugar-pill) through Week 52 and meet with medical staff once a month.

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

University California, San Francisco

San Francisco, United StatesSee the location
CompletedOne Study Center