Professor Paul Aveyard Professor of Behaviour Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford
Abstract
Nicotine preloading means using nicotine replacement therapy while smoking normally in preparation for an imminent quit date. There is no convincing evidence that preloading enhances the quit rate compared with trying to quit as normal without preloading. Some trials suggest this strategy is remarkably effective, more than doubling the quit rate, while others suggest it is completely ineffective, but most are too small to be sure and the meta-analysis of all of them together produced uncertain evidence. We have just completed a trial in which we randomized 1791 participants who wanted to quit smoking to preloading or usual quitting. In the preloading group, participants wore a 21mg nicotine patch for four weeks prior to quit day while being trying to smoke as normal while control participants smoked as normal.
We will present the proportion of people in each trial arm who achieved Russell standard abstinence at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after quit day and the number, type, and severity of adverse events while preloading. This presentation will show whether nicotine preloading is an effective means of helping people stop smoking, whether it is safe, and the adverse effects of preloading while smoking as normal.
Source of funding: NIHR HTA
Declaration of interest: The nicotine patches were donated free to the NHS by Glaxo Smith Kline and provided no direct benefit to the investigators or their universities. The analysis was done by an independent statistician and the decision to publish was independent of the company. Some of the investigators have done research or consultancy for the pharmaceutical industry.
