John R. Hughes

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Does Abstinence from E-cigarettes Produce Withdrawal Symptoms?

One major concern about e-cigarettes is their ability to cause a physical dependence on nicotine; i.e., to produce withdrawal symptoms when they are stopped. This possibility has not been tested. We propose to test for nicotine withdrawal symptoms among former smokers who currently use nicotine-containing e-cigarettes daily during four conditions: a) when they stop using e-cigarettes, b) when they use only non-nicotine e- cigarettes, c) when they use only a new nicotine-containing e-cigarette, and d) when they use their own e-cigarette. If stopping e-cigarettes causes withdrawal, then a) consumers and health care professionals need to be educated about this and b) policy makers need to consider this liability of e-cigarettes when deciding on regulation of e- cigarettes.