Antidepressant Appears to Improve Smokers’ Chances of Quitting

Taking an antidepressant medicine called bupropion appears to double smokers’ chances of kicking the habit, according to a new study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. The study was conducted on 615 volunteers who wanted to give up smoking and were not outwardly depressed. They took either bupropion or placebos for six weeks.

A year later, 23% of those getting the highest dose of the drug were still off cigarettes, compared with 12% in the other group, according to Dr. Richard D. Hurt of the Mayo Clinic and his colleagues. The pills also seem to result in less weight gain than usual. People taking bupropion, trade-named Zyban, put on an average of three pounds, compared with six pounds for successful quitters who took placebos.