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Bromocriptine use is associated with decreased smoking rates
Author(s) -
Murphy M. F. G.,
Hey K.,
Johnstone E.,
Munafo M.,
Walton R.,
Willis B.,
Harrison P. J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1080/13556210220139550
Subject(s) - bromocriptine , dopaminergic , dopamine , bupropion , nicotine , medicine , addiction , dopamine agonist , pharmacology , agonist , antipsychotic drug , antipsychotic , smoking cessation , psychiatry , hormone , prolactin , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , receptor , pathology
Dopaminergic transmission in the central nervous system is thought to underlie addictive behaviours, including smoking. One effective smoking cessation drug, bupropion, enhances dopaminergic transmission; conversely, antipsychotic drugs, which are dopamine antagonists, are associated with increased smoking. Thus we hypothesized that subfertile women treated with the potent dopamine agonist bromocriptine might smoke less as a consequence of their treatment. Among 4608 subfertile women those conceiving on bromocriptine were half as likely to smoke as those taking other drugs or those conceiving without medication (p < 0.0001). This observation supports the role of dopamine in nicotine addiction, and suggests that bromocriptine‐like drugs could be used effectively by pregnant women to aid cessation.