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ADHDAnxiety (Panic)/DepressionSmoking Cessation

Should ADHD treatment be combined with smoking secession treatment?

JR

This is the question being studied by Dr. Lirio Covey at the Smoking Cessation Program at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Most smoking occurs among people with psychiatric conditions, such as alcohol or drug abuse, major depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). One line of research shows that smokers with these conditions “self-medicate” their symptoms with nicotine.

Study participants will receive the nicotine patch, behavioral counseling, and methylphenidate (Concerta), which is FDA-approved to treat ADHD. Because methylphenidate and nicotine act similarly on the brain, the premise is that treatment with methylphenidate might reduce the ADHD symptoms as well as the tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Together it might increase success in quitting.

For more information or to participate in the study, call the Smoking Cessation Program at Columbia University Medical Center at (212) 543-5905.

11/16/06 14:02 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

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