Naltrexone reduction of long-term smoking cessation weight gain in women but not men: a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The opioid antagonist naltrexone has shown promise to reduce weight gain during active treatment, but longer-term studies have not been conducted. The goal was to examine effects of naltrexone on weight gain over long-term follow-up in men and women who quit smoking.

METHODS:

Weight was examined at baseline and 6- and 12-month follow-up in the two largest randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of naltrexone in nicotine dependence. For 6-12 weeks after the quit date, participants were randomly assigned to receive naltrexone or placebo. Behavioral counseling and open-label nicotine patch were also included for the first 4-6 weeks. Of the 700 participants in the combined intent-to-treat sample, there were 159 (77 women) biochemically verified abstinent smokers at 6 months, and 115 (57 women) of them remained abstinent at 12 months. Changes in weight (in kilograms or in percentage) and body mass index from baseline to the follow-ups were assessed for these participants.

RESULTS:

Weight gain was significantly lower for women treated with naltrexone compared with placebo (6 months, 3.3 vs. 5.5 kg; 12 months, 5.9 vs. 7.4 kg, respectively). Increases in body mass index and percentage body weight gain were also significantly lower in women treated with naltrexone versus placebo. These effects were not observed in men.

CONCLUSION:

The results provide evidence for naltrexone as the first pharmacotherapy to reduce postsmoking cessation weight gain among women.

• Authors: Andrea C King, Dingcai Cao, Lingjiao Zhang, Stephanie S O'Malley
• Journal: Biological psychiatry (Biol Psychiatry) Vol. 73 Issue 9 Pg. 924-30 (May 01 2013) ISSN: 1873-2402 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23177384 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Naltrexone

Topics

• Adult
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Naltrexone (administration & dosage, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Sex Factors
• Smoking Cessation (methods)
• Treatment Outcome
• Weight Gain (drug effects)