Naltrexone may augment the effects of the nicotine patch for smoking cessation, according to the results of a double-blind, dose-ranging study reported in the March 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. As an added benefit in some patients, low-dose naltrexone therapy may also lead to weight reduction. "Many smokers remain refractory to current therapies, which only partially address weight gain after smoking cessation," write Stephanie S. O'Malley, PhD, from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn, and colleagues. "This study evaluated whether naltrexone hydrochloride augmentation of nicotine patch therapy improves smoking abstinence and reduces postcessation weight gain more than nicotine patch therapy alone and at what dose."


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