Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Varenicline, an Alpha 4 Beta 2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Partial Agonist, on Cognitive Dysfunction in 120 Patients With Schizophrenia: a Randomized, Double Blind, 8 Weeks Trial
Brief Summary: The primary objective of this project is to examine the effects of varenicline treatment used concomitantly with antipsychotic medications, on cognitive dysfunction in people with schizophrenia. The secondary objective is to evaluate the effect of this combination therapy on smoking in people with schizophrenia. This study will be a randomized, double blind, parallel group, placebo controlled 8 weeks trial.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Clinically stable patients with schizophrenia

Exclusion Criteria:

* Refractory schizophrenia
* Mental Retardation
* Serious Medical illness
B: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Smokes 10 or more cigarettes/day over the past year AND ≥ 5 cigarettes/day within the past week
* Planning to stop smoking in 4-6 weeks
* Member of Group Health Cooperative (GHC) and planning to stay enrolled for the next 6 months
* Eligible for the Free \& Clear program
* Enrolled in the COMPASS study using bupropion hydrochloride medication
* No prior participation in GHC's Free \& Clear smoking cessation program within the past 6 months

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* In good general health
* Sufficient verbal and written English
* Dependable access to a telephone and the Internet
* Not currently drinking ≥ 14 alcoholic drinks per week and/or binge drinking ≥ 2 times in the past month
* Not pregnant or nursing
* No plan to become pregnant
* No severe chronic heart disease (e.g, myocardial infarction within the past 3 months)
* No severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that ever required hospitalization or oxygen treatment
* No diagnosis of or treatment for a psychotic disorder (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or mania)
* Not having certain kidney problems

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No concurrent use of medications contraindicated with bupropion hydrochloride or known to lower seizure threshold (e.g., antidepressant, antipsychotic, monamine oxidase inhibitor, or protease inhibitor)
* No concurrent use of recreational or street drugs
* No concurrent use of bupropion hydrochloride or nicotine replacement therapy
* No concurrent cimetidine, metformin, phenformin, pindolol, procainamide
* Not on dialysis
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women
* 18 to 75 yrs old
* Motivated to stop smoking
* Smoke at least 10 cigarettes/day

Exclusion Criteria:

* Active psychiatric disease
* Severe or unstable cardiovascular or pulmonary disease
* Current or recent treatment to stop smoking
* Previous use of varenicline
D: Inclusion criteria:

Participants must: plan to stay in the area for the next 12 months, ability to read and write in English, smoke on average ≥5 cigarettes per day over the last 6 months, be ≥18 years old, desire to quit smoking but not be engaged currently in cessation treatment, report no use of pipe tobacco, cigars, snuff, e-cigarettes or chew in the last 30 days, have reliable phone access, willing and able to use both nicotine patch and varenicline, access to transportation to come to our clinic and, if female, not be pregnant and be using an acceptable birth control method/ method to prevent pregnancy. Smoking will be biochemically confirmed via a carbon monoxide (CO) breath test at the orientation session visit. Potential participants must have a CO test result of ≥5ppm for eligibility to participate.

Exclusion criteria:

Current treatment for schizophrenia or a psychotic disorder; suicidal ideation in the past 12 months; history of suicidal attempts within the last 10 years; on dialysis or being told you have severe kidney disease; hospitalization for a stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus within the past year; history of seizure within the last year; currently taking Wellbutrin, Zyban, or Buproprion (Contrave is a weight-loss drug that has Wellbutrin in it) for reasons other than to quit smoking or taking to help quit smoking and not willing to stop for duration of the study; currently using any form of nicotine replacement (e.g., nicotine patch, nicotine gum, nicotine lozenge) or using Chantix or varenicline and not willing to stop for duration of the study; had a reaction to the nicotine patch that prevented them from continuing to use it; or currently participating in another smoking cessation study.

Pregnancy:

Even though we screen out participants who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, nursing, or are unwilling to take steps to avoid pregnancy, there is a chance that a participant eligible at consent could become pregnant later. She would then be considered part of a vulnerable group. Given the longitudinal nature of the research, a participant who becomes pregnant after enrolling will be given the choice of whether to 1) continue in the study (for counseling and other assessments) and agree to immediately stop taking study meds for the remaining duration of the study and return any unused medications, OR 2) withdraw. No further medications will be given to this study participant while in the study.

Incarcerated Individuals:

Incarcerated individuals will not be enrolled in this study. However, given the longitudinal nature of the research, participants could be incarcerated for periods during their participation. If study staff learn that a participant is incarcerated at a time point before or at their Week 8 phone call, the participant will be withdrawn from the study. If study staff learn that a participant is incarcerated subsequent to Week 8, the participant will not be withdrawn unless that incarceration will take them beyond the study period. In that case, staff will not contact the participant while incarcerated and will not provide any treatment (counseling or medication) nor conduct any assessments during the period of incarceration. Services and assessments will be re-initiated if the participant is released at a later study time point.

Answer: A