Varenicline treatment of concurrent alcohol and nicotine dependence in schizophrenia: a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide), published as a randomized controlled trial.

Alcohol and nicotine dependence are common in schizophrenia.

Because of safety concerns or loss to follow-up, of 55 patients enrolled, only 10 started study medication, 5 each on varenicline and placebo.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 55 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and concurrent alcohol and nicotine dependence were enrolled in this 8-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and pilot study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

As a double-blind Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some patients received a placebo instead of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide), giving a reference point.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) study would be practical.

Alcohol use and smoking were assessed using self-report (Timeline Follow-Back) and biological measures.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Benzazepines, Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry), Nicotinic Agonists, Pilot Projects and Quinoxalines.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in 55 patients.

The publication is from 2013 (Journal of clinical psychopharmacology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) compound page, all human trials.