A randomized, double-blind, parallel group design will be used to allow a rigorous preliminary assessment of the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of bupropion SR (sustained release; packaged as Zyban by GlaxoSmithKline) in promoting smoking cessation among women in their second and third trimester of pregnancy. Fifty pregnant smokers will be randomized to receive an 8-week course of either bupropion SR or matching placebo tablets. Both groups will receive evidence-based smoking cessation counseling. The primary smoking outcome will be 7-day point prevalence abstinence with cotinine validation at the end of the treatment. Secondary outcomes include enrollment, retention, and compliance rates; continuous abstinence from end of treatment through the 2 week followup; continuous abstinence from birth to 2nd week postpartum followup; self-reported reduction in number of cigarettes smoked per day; and maternal side effects and perinatal/neonatal outcomes. Preliminary smoking cessation and safety outcomes will be assessed for the generation of evidence-based hypotheses regarding clinical benefit of bupropion for pregnant smokers in preparation fo a larger trial.
