Teens Using Varenicline Three Times More Likely To Quit Vaping
Teens and young adults using varenicline were three times as likely to quit vaping, according to a new study.
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
Vaping has become a widespread habit among young people and effective ways to help them quit have been hard to come by.
A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital now offers the first clinical trial evidence that varenicline, a drug already approved to help smoking cessation in adults, can improve quit rates among teens and young adults who vape.
The trial, published in JAMA, found that those who took varenicline were more than three times as likely to stop vaping compared to those who received counseling alone.
The rise of youth vaping
Vaping has become the most common way young people use nicotine. Unlike previous generations, today’s youth often begin nicotine use with e-cigarettes, having never smoked traditional tobacco products. In 2023, ~24% of 18–25 year olds reported vaping, and in 2024, nearly 8% of high school students said they had vaped in the past month.
The e-cigarettes deliver nicotine along with chemicals like heavy metals and carcinogens. Vaping can trigger inflammation in the lungs and early exposure to nicotine can change how the brain develops, increasing the risk of addiction to other substances later on.
“Early nicotine exposure can make drugs like cocaine more addictive down the line,” said lead author Dr. A Evins, the director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Despite these risks, there has been little research into how best to help teens and young adults quit. Most efforts have focused on behavioral approaches, but these haven’t always been effective on their own. Until now, no studies had tested a medication specifically for vaping cessation in young people who don’t smoke tobacco.
Recognizing this gap, the team conducted a study to evaluate the use of varenicline – an FDA-approved stop-smoking aid for adults.
“Vaping is extremely popular among kids, yet our research is the first treatment study to look at this vulnerable population,” said Evins.
Varenicline boosts quit rates in teens and young adults
Evins and colleagues conducted a 12-week randomized clinical trial. The study enrolled 261 participants between the ages of 16 and 25 years who vaped nicotine regularly – defined as at least 5 days per week – but did not smoke tobacco. All participants expressed a desire to reduce or quit vaping.
The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group received varenicline along with weekly behavioral counseling and access to a text-based support program called This is Quitting. The second group received a placebo instead of varenicline but had the same counseling and text support. The third group received only text support.
The main goal was to see how many participants had quit vaping completely by the end of treatment. To verify participants’ self-reported vaping status, researchers used saliva tests to measure cotinine, a substance that indicates recent nicotine use.
At week 12, 51% of those in the varenicline group had quit, compared to 14% in the placebo group and just 6% in the text-only group. At the 24-week follow-up, 28% of the varenicline group were still vape-free, compared to 7% and 4% in the placebo and text-only groups, respectively.
The study had a high retention rate, with 97% of participants completing the trial. Varenicline was generally well tolerated, but those who had side effects, such as nausea and vivid dreams, were relatively mild and no serious drug-related events occurred.
“Not only was varenicline effective in this age group – it was safe. Crucially, we didn’t see any participants that quit vaping turn to cigarettes,” said corresponding author Dr. Randi Schuster, an associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Treating nicotine addiction in teens
As vaping continues to be the most common form of nicotine use among adolescents and young adults, the need for effective treatments tailored to this group is pressing.
“We wanted to help teens and young adults quit, and we found that prescribing varenicline is the best way to do that,” said Evins.
Varenicline can legally be prescribed to individuals aged 16 and older, however these results suggest it could be incorporated into treatment options for younger users struggling with nicotine dependence from vaping.
“Our findings illustrate the effectiveness and safety of this therapy to address the urgent public health concern of adolescents addicted to nicotine because of vapes,” said Schuster.
Future research will be needed to explore how varenicline performs in younger adolescents, how it might be combined with other therapies and whether its effects are sustained beyond six months. These directions will help shape a more comprehensive response to youth vaping addiction.
Reference: Evins AE, Cather C, Reeder HT, et al. Varenicline for youth nicotine vaping cessation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2025. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.3810
This article is a rework of a press release issued by Mass General Brigham. Material has been edited for length and content.
