Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Varenicline Treatment for Active Alcoholic Smokers
Brief Summary: Alcohol dependence is a significant and prevalent public health problem affecting approximately 4% of the U.S. adult population. Individuals with alcohol dependence actively seek treatment annually, and long-term alcohol abstinence varies from 40-60%. Because of the high smoking prevalence and trends toward heavier smoking, alcoholic smokers are at high risk for both morbidity and mortality related to alcohol consumption and tobacco dependence. Although several studies have evaluated pharmacotherapy for tobacco dependence in recovering alcoholic smokers, few have evaluated pharmacotherapy for tobacco dependence among currently drinking alcoholic smokers.

Varenicline is the most effective medication currently available for treating tobacco dependence. While some randomized trials have included recovering alcoholics, active alcoholism has been an exclusion criteria for these trials. Thus, this proposal would be the first such clinical trial in currently drinking alcoholic smokers. In addition to helping smokers to stop smoking, varenicline has also been shown to reduce alcohol consumption in rats. The goal of this proposal is to explore the potential efficacy of varenicline for treating tobacco dependence and reducing drinking among alcohol dependent smokers.

The investigators hypothesize that 12 weeks of treatment with varenicline, a partial nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist will be more effective than placebo in treating tobacco dependence and reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms in currently drinking alcoholic smokers. The investigators will also explore whether varenicline has an effect on drinking behavior among currently drinking alcoholics. The investigators propose the following specific aims to test these hypotheses in 70 currently drinking alcoholic smokers recruited at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.


Options:
A: Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnant or nursing women, or women of child-bearing potential who are not using an adequate method of contraception
* Psychiatric illnesses requiring psychotropic medications (i.e., psychosis, major depression, mania), or the presence of suicidality or homocidality
* Current use of nicotine replacement therapies (i.e., nicotine patch, gum, or lozenges, nasal spray, or inhaler), bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin), or marijuana or current participation in another smoking cessation treatment
* Presence of unstable medical conditions (i.e., cardiac, hepatic, renal disease, diabetes mellitus) that would make a trial of bupropion SR hazardous
* Have taken monoamine oxidase inhibitors or metoprolol succinate within the past six weeks
* History of anorexia nervosa or bulimia
* Previous hypersensitivity to bupropion
* History of alcohol or other drug dependence in the past one year
* History of seizure disorder of any etiology (i.e., brain tumor, traumatic brain injury, substance-induced seizures, etc.)
* Any finding that in the view of the principal investigator would compromise the subject's ability to fulfill the protocol visit schedule and visit requirements or put the subject at risk
* Sharing home or work environment with current or past participant
* No couples or participants who see each other every day
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* ≥ 18 years of age
* Smoke at least 10 cigarettes/day for the past year
* Suffered an enzyme-positive ACS
* Planned hospitalization of ≥24 hours
* Motivated to quit smoking
* Likely to be available for follow-up
* Able to understand and read English or French

Exclusion Criteria:

* Medical condition with a prognosis of \< 1 year
* Pregnant or lactating
* Current use of Wellbutrin or any other medications that contain bupropion
* Current use of any medical therapy for smoking cessation (e.g. BuSpar, fluoxetine, doxepin, nicotine gum, or nicotine patch)
* Current seizure disorder, history of seizures or predisposition to seizures (e.g. history of brain tumor, severe head trauma, or stroke)
* History of bulimia or anorexia nervosa
* Current diagnosis of major depression (requiring medication), bipolar disease, or dementia
* History of suicidal events (previous suicide attempt, suicidal ideation) or family history of suicide
* Diagnosed hepatic failure, cirrhosis, hepatitis or history of hepatic impairment (AST or ALT levels ≥ 2 times upper limit of normal prior to admission for ACS)
* Renal impairment with creatinine levels ≥ 2 times the upper limit of normal
* Excessive alcohol consumption defined as ≥ 14 alcoholic drinks per week
* Use of any illegal drugs in the past year (e.g. cocaine, heroin, opiates)
* Current use of medications that lower seizure threshold e.g. amantadine, anti-depressants, anti-malarials, anti-psychotics, levodopa, lithium, quinolone antibiotics, ritonavir, systemic steroids, theophyllin, type 1C antiarrhythmics (e.g. encainide, flecainide, propafenone)
* Use of MAO inhibitors or thioridazine in the past 15 days
* Current use of over-the-counter stimulants (e.g. ephedrine, phenylephrine) or anoretics
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Subjects must have smoked an average of at least 10 cigarettes per day during the past year and over the month prior to the screening visit, with no period of abstinence greater than 3 months in the past year.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects who have used bupropion, Zyban, or Wellbutrin previously.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or non-pregnant female cigarette smokers 18-years-of-age or older and reporting smoking at least an average of 10 cigarettes per day for the past year;
2. Subject is alcohol dependence based on DSM IV criteria as assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the physician investigator;3
3. Subject is currently drinking alcoholic beverages as assessed by the physician investigator;
4. Subject is a female subject of non-childbearing potential or a female subject of childbearing potential - who is using contraceptives and has a negative pregnancy test result;
5. Subject must be able to complete all the study visits;
6. Subject has the ability to participate fully in all aspects of the study and keep scheduled appointments;
7. Subject must be in good general health as determined by medical history, physical exam and physician investigator;
8. Subject must provide written informed consent to participate in the study;

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Subject is a female who is pregnant, lactating or likely to become pregnant during the trial and not willing to use an acceptable form of contraception during the medication phase, (for women of child-bearing potential, a pregnancy test will be performed prior to entry into the study and at the end of the medication phase);
2. Subject has another household member in study;
3. Known allergy to varenicline;
4. Subject is currently (in previous 30 days) using other behavioral or pharmacologic tobacco cessation program (i.e., behavioral therapy, nicotine replacement therapy, clonidine, varenicline, bupropion SR, nortriptyline or doxepin) and unwilling or unable to discontinue use;
5. Subject has an unstable medical condition as determined by the physician investigator;
6. Subject describes having a medical history of: a) unstable angina; b) myocardial infarction within the past 3 months; c) coronary angioplasty or d) an untreated cardiac dysrhythmia;
7. Subject has a personal history of renal failure or is on renal dialysis;
8. Subject has a current moderate or severe depression as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression survey (CES-D) and physician investigator;
9. Subject has, as defined by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) current non-specific suicidal thoughts, or have a lifetime history of a suicidal attempt (defined as "potentially self-injurious act committed with at least some wish to die, as a result of act");
10. Subject has current (past 30 days) major depressive disorder or has a history of another psychiatric disorder such as psychosis or bipolar disorder;
11. Subject currently uses of other tobacco products (i.e. pipe, cigar, smokeless tobacco) within the past 30 days;
12. Subject currently has cancer \[excluding non melanoma skin cancer\] not in remission (cancer free for 5 years or more);
13. Subject currently has Type 1 diabetes;
14. Subject has untreated hypertension or baseline systolic blood pressure \> 180 or diastolic \> 100;
15. Subject is currently on treatment with another investigational drug (within 30 days of study entry);

Answer: D