Conditions: Nicotine Dependence
Keywords: addiction smoking tobacco cigarettes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 60
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
You are invited to participate in a research study at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System (West Haven campus) that examines whether a medication called galantamine can improve your learning and memory, and also help you to quit smoking. You have been invited to participate because you currently smoke cigarettes, and want to quit smoking. If you are eligible and agree to be in the study, your participation will last for approximately 8 weeks. To determine if galantamine (8 or 16 mg) is superior to placebo a) in reducing smoking self-administration in a human laboratory model and b) improving abstinence rates at the end of 4 weeks of treatment.

Detailed description:
We propose a double-blind, placebo-controlled, outpatient study with a between-groups design. Seventy-two male and female smokers will be randomly assigned to one of the 3 treatment conditions: GAL (8 or 16 mg/day) or placebo. The dose of GAL will be gradually increased to the target doses over a 2-week period (Table 2). During Week 3, following overnight abstinence from smoking, participants will present for a laboratory Test Session in which they will have the option of cigarette self-administration. After this Test Session is completed, smokers will be maintained on their randomized medication condition for an additional 4-week period. Smokers will establish a quit date at the beginning of this Treatment Phase, and will receive brief weekly behavioral treatment for the 4 weeks of this phase. Additionally, at the beginning of Week 3, participants will be given a PDA that will administer EMA assessments. The study medication will be tapered after the end of Week 4 of the Treatment Phase. Participants will be contacted by phone at one week, and one month, after treatment termination to inquire about any adverse events and about their recent smoking status.

Arms:
arm 1: Placebo (sugar Pill) will be given daily for 7 weeks. arm 2: Galantamine extended release (8mg) will be given daily for 7 weeks. arm 3: Galantamine extended release (16mg) will be given daily for 5 weeks starting at week 3 after a two week titration with 8mg galantamine.

Interventions: intervention 1: placebo intervention 2: Galantamine 8mg intervention 3: Galantamine 16mg
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: placebo compared to 8mg of Galantamine intervention 2: 8mg of galantamine compared to placebo intervention 3: 16mg of galantamine compared to placebo

Protocol document: