Return to Main Menu

Zyban research focus on smoking habit reduction Zyban works. People who want to stop smoking can take the medication with special counseling and quit cold turkey. And without gaining that seven to 15 pounds of ugly fat. “But there are three times as many people who just want to cut back the number of cigarettes they smoke each day as there are people who want to quit entirely,” said Robert Malcolm, M.D. As medical director of the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Malcolm heads a Zyban research study that targets smokers who want to reduce their tobacco use. The study will treat up to 100 men and women, aged 18 to 70, who have made at least two attempts to quit, once with a nicotine replacement product, such as patches, gum, inhalants and nasal sprays. They will receive either the Zyban or a placebo without knowing which, attend a weekly session to help them change their behavior, and monitor their smoking habits to reduce their tobacco use. They will be encouraged to delay that first smoke in the morning and separate the association of smoking with other activities. “We'll measure the reduction rate in the drug versus the placebo to determine the effectiveness of the Zyban,” Malcolm said. He added that during the course of the study, anyone who wanted to quit entirely would be given help to do so. “Many people, when they find that they can cut back and maintain that reduction for six months or more, decide they can quit entirely.” He said that to many smokers, who consume 30 or more cigarettes a day, quitting seems hopeless. But with help, they think they can reduce their smokes to 15 or 20. Zyban works in the pleasure center of the brain to reduce the craving for cigarettes. It replaces the dopamine turnover that occurs from smoking to help the smoker bypass the desire for a cigarette. Malcolm's team is looking for volunteers to participate in the study, which is sponsored by the pharmaceutical firm, Glaxo-Wellcome Inc. Anyone interested can call Kenna or Michelle at 792-2727. Those who qualify and meet the study requirements will receive compensation for their participation.