Dual pharmacotherapy and motivational interviewing for tobacco dependence among drug treatment patients

This pilot study is the first to examine the feasibility and outcomes of dual pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation among drug treatment patients. The intervention consisted of 7 weeks of bupropion (300 mg), 12 weeks of nicotine gum, and 6 sessions of motivational interviewing. The trial was conducted among 28 patients recruited from 5 methadone clinics and employed a pretest-posttest design. At 6 months post quit date, 14% of participants met criteria for biochemically-verified abstinence. Among those still smoking, number of cigarettes smoked decreased significantly and most (88%) had made at least 1 serious quit attempt. Participation rates were excellent and no adverse effects on alcohol or illicit drug use were found. Although not a definitive test of the intervention, findings suggest that a multi-component approach to tobacco dependence is feasible and potentially effective in helping drug treatment patients achieve smoking cessation well beyond the end of treatment and that a large-scale randomized trial is warranted.