Friday, April 30, 2010

Bupropion helps people with schizophrenia stub it out

People with schizophrenia are three times more likely to smoke than the rest of the population and find it harder to give up. A drug called bupropion blocks the effects of nicotine and has been used to help people without schizophrenia quit. A team of researchers led by Daniel Tai-yin Tsoi from the University of Sheffield reviewed 21 studies into the effectiveness of bupropion in helping people with schizophrenia quit smoking. They found that it was nearly three times as effective at helping people stop smoking than a placebo and had no effect on people's mental state.

Tsoi, Daniel Tai-Yin, Porwal, Mamta and Webster, Claire - Efficacy and safety of bupropion for smoking cessation and reduction in schizophrenia: systematic review and meta-analysis British Journal of Psychiatry May 2010, 196(5), 346-353

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