Interested in new trials?
Get alerts for new trials in your area by subscribing now
What is nicotine addiction?
Nicotine addiction, called tobacco use disorder or nicotine dependence in medical records, is the compulsive use of nicotine despite wanting to stop or knowing it causes harm. Nicotine reaches the brain within seconds of a puff, triggers dopamine release, and, with repeated use, changes the brain's receptors so that stopping causes withdrawal: irritability, anxiety, trouble concentrating, low mood, increased appetite, and craving. It is the nicotine, not the tar or the smoke, that keeps people using; it is the smoke that does most of the killing. About two thirds of people who try a cigarette go on to smoke daily at some point, one of the highest rates for any substance. Nicotine addiction affects people who smoke cigarettes, vape, use nicotine pouches or snus, chew tobacco, or use heated tobacco products, and increasingly people who use more than one.
If you smoke cigarettes specifically, our smoking cessation studies page lists that research; if you vape, see our vaping page.
Types of nicotine addiction clinical trials
New medicine trials. Cytisinicline in further studies, medicines approved for other conditions such as GLP-1 drugs now being tested for smoking, and combinations of existing medicines.
Smarter use of existing treatments. Trials of higher doses, longer courses, starting medicine before the quit date, and pairing medicine with app based or text based support to see what actually raises quit rates in real life.
Vaping and pouch cessation trials. Because nothing is approved for these products, studies test varenicline, nicotine replacement, and new drugs in people who vape or use pouches, often young adults.
Trials in people with other conditions. Smoking cessation built into cancer care, heart and lung disease clinics, mental health treatment, and substance use programs, where quitting is hardest and matters most.
Brain stimulation and behavioral studies. Transcranial magnetic stimulation for craving, financial incentive programs, couples based quitting, and mindfulness or dialectical behavior therapy approaches.
Product and policy studies. Research on reduced nicotine cigarettes, flavor restrictions, nicotine pouches, and how price and availability change use. Some enroll people who smoke with no requirement to quit.
What does nicotine do to your body?
Within seconds it raises heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline, narrows blood vessels, and releases dopamine in the brain. With repeated use the brain adapts, so that stopping causes withdrawal. Long term, nicotine contributes to blood vessel stiffness and, in young people, affects attention, learning, and impulse control.
Is nicotine a drug, and is it a stimulant?
Yes to both. Nicotine is a psychoactive drug that acts as a mild stimulant, sharpening attention and mood briefly, while also producing a calming effect in people who are dependent, because it relieves their withdrawal. That double effect is part of what makes it so hard to stop.
Who can participate in nicotine addiction clinical trials?
Most studies enroll adults who use a nicotine product daily or near daily and want to quit or cut down, confirmed by a breath or saliva test at screening. Some specify the product: cigarettes only, vapes only, or any nicotine. Some want people who have tried to quit before, others people who have never used a quit medicine. Trials in people with a specific health condition, like COPD or depression, require that diagnosis. Product and policy studies often enroll people with no intention of quitting. Teens can join some vaping studies with parental consent, and pregnant people have dedicated studies. Eligibility always varies by study.
How to find and enroll in a nicotine addiction clinical trial
Identify your study. Use the filters to search nicotine, smoking, or vaping. Titles usually name the product, the approach (a medicine, an app, a counseling program), and sometimes the group, such as people with COPD or young adults who vape.
Check the setting. Many quit studies now run by phone, text, or video with medicine mailed to you; others require clinic visits for breath testing. The details say how often and for how long.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have three things ready: which nicotine products you use and how often, whether you have tried to quit before and with what, and any other health conditions and medicines.
Submit the application. A study coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until you have gone through informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step. Joining a study does not require leaving your own doctor or quit program.