EFFECTIVENESS OF GUANFACINE IN SMOKING CESSATION – A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background: Guanfacine is a drug used to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and treatment for hypertension from 1986, approved by the FDA. Recently it had been deduced that Guanfacine could also be employed in smoking cessation as a pharmaceutical aid. This could be attributed to the physiological effect that the drug has on the human body, such as decreased heart rate and blood pressure. An increase in heart rate and blood pressure leads smokers to light up a cigarette to ease their stress. Therefore, Guanfacine could be used potentially for nicotine cessation. Guanfacine could be used in combination with other conventional drugs already existing for this very purpose. It has to be mentioned that before employing this drug in the use of smoking cessation, a lot more studies have to be conducted with a much greater sample size to assess if there are any other adverse effects or any other limitations which could vary among different individuals and also assess the optimal amounts of dosage that would be recommendable. Hence, Guanfacine could be a potential drug to help overcome the addiction to nicotine. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of Guanfacine in tobacco cessation. Study Design: A systematic review based on the various clinical trials and the co-related studies on this concept. Thirty-three electronic and hand records were obtained and screened for procuring information for systematic reviews. Results: Five studies were selected with information about the clinical trials and randomized controlled trials. Conclusion: The studies analyzed show that there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of Guanfacine in the use of smoking cessation. There is scope for future studies on the effectiveness of the drug.