Pharmacology of drugs used to treat smoking cessation and obesity

Nicotine replacement therapy, sustained-release bupropion and varenicline are pharmacological means for smoking cessation proven to be effective at aiding smokers to quit smoking. In spite of the proven effectiveness of these pharmacological therapies, some smokers do not attempt to quit smoking Out of fear of gaining weight following cessation. Weight am is, in fact, strongly associated with smoking cessation and has also been linked to the various pharmacological smoking cessation therapies themselves and/or to the termination of the therapy following smoking cessation. The link between smoking cessation and weight gain makes chose smokers willing to quit an ideal population for weight loss drugs. The present review will examine the appetite (satiety) suppressants rimonabant and sibutramine. Rimonabant, a proven weight loss medication, has been shown to be modestly effective at promoting smoking cessation indicating the potential for therapy that treats one cardiovascular risk factor without negatively affecting another. In the meantime, clinicians treating patients having one or both of these risk factors have a number of treatment options for these individuals, and means should he taken to ensure that both risk factors are treated aggressively.