A study reported in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment was a secondary analysis of a CTN study examining the use of osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) as a smoking cessation aid (added to nicotine patch and counseling) for patients with ADHD (CTN-0029). This follow-up to the primary study paid particular attention to anxiety and depressed mood in patients and the impact that smoking cessation had on those symptoms.
The study looked at 255 adult smokers with ADHD, using outcomes measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms measured at 1 and 6 weeks following target quit day.
Analysis revealed a significant association between smoking abstinence and lower anxiety ratings throughout the post-quit period. Depressed mood was also lower at week 1 for those who quit than for those who didnt, though this effect did not last through week 6. Treatment with OROS-MPH relative to placebo showed significant reductions in both anxiety and depressive symptoms at week 6.
Conclusions: Stopping smoking yielded reductions in anxiety and depressed mood in smokers with ADHD treated with nicotine patch and counseling. Treatment with OROS-MPH produced better outcomes on post-cessation mood ratings compared to placebo, though this effect was not immediate. Overall, these results suggest that OROS-MPH could be an important adjunct for achieving smoking abstinence in this population.