A prospective study of off-label use of, abuse of, and dependence on nicotine inhaler

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of off-label use of, abuse of, and dependence on prescription nicotine inhaler. DESIGN: Prospective telephone and internet interviews for six months. PARTICIPANTS: 535 new inhaler users. MAIN OUTCOME: Structured interview about off-label use (that is, use of inhaler for non-cessation reasons or concurrent use of inhaler and cigarettes) and Diagnostic and statistical manual, fourth edition (DSM-IV) and International classification of diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10) criteria for abuse and dependence RESULTS: Although many used inhaler and cigarettes concurrently at some time (43-55%), few used inhaler for non-cessation reasons (4-9%) and few persisted in off label use (8-16%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5% to 19%). No participant met ICD-10 criteria for harmful use/abuse (95% CI 0% to 3.3%). Eight subjects (1.4%) appeared to meet DSM-IV or ICD-10 criteria for dependence on inhaler, but none were found dependent in a clinical expert interview (95% CI 0% to 3.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Although transient concurrent use of inhaler and cigarettes often occurs, use for non-cessation reasons, abuse and dependence are rare.