Researchers have not found any evidence that the risk of suicide, self-harm and treated depression increases in patients who are prescribed smoking cessation drugs.

However, concerns that these drugs may increase the risk of suicide have led to safety warnings by regulatory agencies including the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Findings from this large-scale study aimed to assess the risk of psychiatric events in patients prescribed varenicline or bupropion compared with those using nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum.
Researchers analysed data from the medical records of 119,546 adults who had used a smoking cessation product between 1 September 2006 and 31 October 2011. Using linked data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality data and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the team were then able to assess the rate of treated depression, self-harm and suicide in 31, 260 (26.2 percent) patients prescribed varenicline, 6,741 (5.6 percent) patients prescribed bupropion and compare this with 81, 545 (68.2 percent) people using nicotine replacement therapies.
The findings, which used three different analytical methods, showed no clear evidence of an increased risk of treated depression or suicidal behavior for patients prescribed with varenicline or bupropion compared to those taking nicotine replacement therapies.
Dr Kyla Thomas, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Doctoral Research Fellow and one of the study's lead authors in the University's School of Social and Community Medicine, said: "Given the concerns and accompanying safety warnings for these drugs these findings are reassuring for users and prescribers of smoking cessation medicines."
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