Fluoxetine, Smoking, and History of Major Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Bonnie Spring, University of Illinois at Chicago
Neal Doran, University of Illinois at Chicago
Sherry Pagoto, University of Illinois at Chicago
Dennis E. McChargue, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jessica Werth Cook, University of Illinois at Chicago
Katherine Bailey, University of Illinois at Chicago
John Crayton, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital
Donald Hedecker, University of Illinois at Chicago

Article comments

Published in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2007, Vol. 75. No. 1, 85-94. Copyright 2007. Used by permission.

Abstract

The study was a randomized placebo-controlled trial testing whether fluoxetine selectively enhances cessation for smokers with a history of depression. Euthymic smokers with (H+, n = 109) or without (H-, n = 138) a history of major depression received 60 mg fluoxetine or placebo plus group behavioral quit-smoking treatment for 12 weeks. Fluoxetine initially enhanced cessation for H+ smokers (p = .02) but subsequently impaired cessation regardless of depressive history. Six months after quit date, fluoxetine-treated participants were 3.3 times more likely to be smoking (p = .02). Further research is warranted to determine why high-dose fluoxetine produces continuing effects that oppose tobacco abstinence.