As vaping continues to be popular among teens and young adults, health experts have been searching for effective ways to help users quit. Now, a new NIH-funded study suggests that a prescription medication for smoking cessation in adults may offer real hope.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 10% of Americans ages 18–20 and over 15% of those 21–24 report using e-cigarettes. Researchers involved in the new study say the actual number may be even higher—nearly 1 in 4 young adults aged 18–25, along with 7% of U.S. high school students.
While many young adults who vape express a desire to quit, few treatments have been tested in this age group—until now.
In the study, participants who took varenicline, an FDA-approved smoking cessation pill for adults, were more than three times as likely to quit vaping compared to those who received only behavioral counseling. After 12 weeks, 51% of participants taking varenicline had stopped vaping, compared to 14% in the placebo group and just 6% who received only a text-based support referral. By the six-month mark, 28% of varenicline users remained vape-free, compared to 7% in the placebo group and 4% in the support-only group.
Researchers also found that varenicline was well tolerated. Only three participants dropped out due to side effects—two from the varenicline group and one from the placebo group. Importantly, those who quit vaping did not turn to smoking cigarettes as a substitute.
“Vaping is extremely popular among kids, and we know that this early nicotine exposure can make drugs like cocaine more addictive down the line, yet ours is the first treatment study to look at this vulnerable population,” said lead researcher Dr. A. Eden Evins of Massachusetts General Hospital in a National Institutes of Health press release. “We wanted to help teens and young adults quit, and we found that prescribing varenicline is the best way to do that.”
Varenicline works by blocking the effects of nicotine in the brain, reducing cravings and making nicotine use less rewarding.
