El-Shahawy Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2025

Effectiveness and impact of counseling enhanced with electronic cigarettes for harm reduction in smokers with opioid use disorder

ABSTRACT Combustible cigarettes (CC) use among persons with opioid use disorders (OUD), including those in OUD methadone and buprenorphine treatment programs (OUDTP), is nearly universal (75~95%). Contributing to premature mortality and poor quality of life, CC may also promote relapse to opioids. CC smokers in OUDTP particularly suffer from severe intolerance to nicotine withdrawal discomfort. Even with potent, evidence-based nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and extended care interventions, no study has found even modest rates of sustained CC abstinence among CC smokers in OUDTP. Electronic cigarettes (EC) may be superior to traditional NRT approaches for tobacco harm reduction either by…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.