Abstract
A prior report (Klesges et al. 1990) suggested that phenylpropanolamine (PPA) was successful in reducing the smoking withdrawal symptom of weight gain in a sample of women. The current investigation evaluates whether the effects of phenylpropanolamine (PPA; up to 10/day PPA gums) on withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking cessation are specific to weight and weight-related symptoms or whether PPA alleviates withdrawal in general. One hundred and seven adult smokers (56 men, 51 women) were randomly assigned, in this double-blind trial, to chew either 8.33 mg phenylpropanolamine gum or a placebo gum. Subjects were then aided to quit smoking for 4 weeks. PPA did not enhance cessation rates. Results from the 47 subjects who successfully quit smoking indicated that postcessation weight gain and ratings of hunger were significantly reduced in both men and women for those assigned to the PPA group relative to the placebo group. Overall, no effects of PPA relative to placebo were observed for other smoking-related withdrawal symptoms. Thus, although PPA appears to reduce weight gain and alleviate weight-related symptoms, no effects on other withdrawal symptoms were observed. Future research directions are suggested.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
APA (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn, revised). American Psychological Association, Washington DC
Camp DE, Klesges RC, Relyea G (1993) The relationship between body weight concerns and adolescent smoking. Health Psychol 12:24–32
Charlton A (1984) Smoking and weight control in teenagers. Public Health London 98:277–281
Daughton DM, Heatley SA, Pendergast JJ, Causey D, Knowles M, Rolf CN, Cheney RA, Hatlelid K, Thompson AB, Rennard SI (1991) Effect of transdermal nicotine delivery as an adjunct to low-intervention smoking cessation therapy. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind study. Arch Int Med 151:749–752
Emont SL, Cummings KM (1987) Weight gain following smoking cessation: a possible role for nicotine replacement in weight management. Addict Behav 12:151–155
Glasgow RE, Klesges RC, Godding PR, Gegelman R (1983) Controlled smoking, with or without carbon monoxide feedback, as an alternative for chronic smokers. Behav Ther 14:386–397
Greenway FL (1992) Clinical studies with phenylpropanolamine: a metaanalysis. Am J Clin Nutr 55:203S-205S
Gross J, Stitzer ML, Maldonado J (1989) Nicotine replacement: effects on post-cessation weight gain. J Consult Clin Psychol 57:87–92
Hughes JR, Hatsukami D (1986) Signs and symptoms of tobacco withdrawal. Arch Gen Psychiatry 43:289–294
Hughes JE, Frederiksen LW, Frazier M (1978) A carbon monoxide analyzer for measurement of smoking behavior. Behav Ther 9:293–296
Hughes JR, Gust SW, Skoog K, Keenan RM, Fenwick JW (1991) Symptoms of tobacco withdrawal: a replication and extension. Arch Gen Psychiatry 48:52–59
Hughes JR, Gulliver SB, Solomon LJ, Flynn BS (1992) Smoking cessation and tobacco withdrawal symptoms in self-quitters. Poster presented at: Society For Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, New York, New York
Hunt WA, Bespalec DA (1974) An evaluation of current methods of modifying smoking behavior. J Clin Psychol 30:431–438
Klesges RC, Klesges LM (1988) Cigarette smoking as a dieting strategy in a university population. Int J Eating Disord 7:413–419
Klesges RC, Klesges LM, Meyers AW, Klem ML, Isbell T (1990) The effects of phenylpropanolamine on dietary intake, physical activity, and body weight following smoking cessation. Clin Pharmacol Ther 47:747–754
Lasagna L (1988) Phenylpropanolamine: A review. Wiley, New York
Morgan JP (1986) Phenylpropanolamine: a critical analysis of reported adverse reactions and overdosage. Jack K. Burgess, Fort Lee, New Jersey
Morgan JP, Kagan DV, Brody JS (eds) (1985) Phenylpropanolamine: risks, benefits, and controversies. Praeger Publishers Division, Westport, Connecticut
Pirie PL, McBride CM, Hellerstedt W, Jeffery RW, Hatsukami D, Allen S, Lando H (1992) Smoking cessation in women concerned about weight. Am J Public Health 82:1238–1243
Sachs DPL, Leischow SJ (1991) Pharmacologic approaches to smoking cessation. Clin Chest Med 12:769–791
Schwartz JL (1987) Review and evaluation of smoking cessation methods: the United States and Canada, 1978–1985. National Cancer Institute, US Dept. of Health and Human Services. (NIH Publ. No. 87-940), Division of Cancer Prevention, Bethesda, MD
Spring B, Wurtman J, Gleason R, Wurtman, Kessler K (1991) Weight gain and withdrawal symptoms after smoking cessation: a preventive intervention usingd-fenfluramine. Health Psychol 10:216–223
Spring B, Pingitore R, Kessler K (1992) Strategies to minimize weight gain after smoking cessation: psychological and pharmacological intervention with specific reference to dexfenfluramine. Int J Obes 16:519–523
Tonnesen P, Norregaard J, Simonsen K, Sawe U (1991) A double-blind trial of a 16-hour transdermal nicotine patch in smoking cessation. N Engl J Med 325:311–315
Transdermal Nicotine Study Group (1991) Transdermal nicotine for smoking cessation. Six-month results from two multicenter controlled clinical trials. JAMA 266:3133–3138
United States Department of Health and Human Services (1990) The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation. A Report of the Surgeon General (DHHS Publ. No. (CDC) 90-8416). US Government Printing Office
United States Department of Health and Human Services (1985) The health consequences of smoking: cancer and chronic lung disease in the workplace. A report of the Surgeon General (DHHS Publ. No. PHS85-50207). US Government Printing Office
United States Department of Health and Human Services (1988) The health consequences of smoking: nicotine addiction. A Report of the Surgeon General (DHHS Publ. No. (CDC) 88-8406). US Government Printing Office
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Klesges, R.C., Klesges, L.M., DeBon, M. et al. Effects of phenylpropanolamine on withdrawal symptoms. Psychopharmacology 119, 85–91 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02246058
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02246058