Vapers vs. smokers: who has worse withdrawal?
NCT ID NCT05772845
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how daily vapers and cigarette smokers experience withdrawal when they stop using nicotine for 24 hours. Researchers will measure mood, cravings, attention, and other symptoms in 370 participants. The goal is to better understand nicotine dependence and help develop future treatments.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could help develop better treatments for nicotine addiction by clarifying how withdrawal differs between vaping and smoking.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. Results may not lead directly to new therapies, and individual experiences with withdrawal can vary widely.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 370 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 6+ months of daily/near-daily nicotine vaping and/or cigarette smoking (to yield 160 vapers, 160 smokers, 50 dual users) * 200+ ng/mL cotinine on a commercially-available quick screen Current Exclusion Criteria: * intention to quit daily/near-daily vaping/smoking in the next month * current (2+ days out of the past 7) use of pipe tobacco, hookah/shisha, smokeless tobacco, dissolvable tobacco, nicotine pouches. For vaping group only, current (2+ days out of past 7) use of cigars, cigarillos, or filtered cigars that are filled with tobacco or a mix of tobacco and marijuana * current use of any smoking cessation medication * current severe substance dependence other than tobacco/nicotine (including cannabis; NIDA Modified ASSIST of 27+) * current (past 2 weeks) suicidal ideation with intent and/or plan * current antipsychotic medications or lifetime history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder * pregnancy (intake urine screen) Original Exclusion Criteria that have been modified or eliminated: * \>1 use in past month of tobacco/nicotine products other than ENDS and combustible cigarettes (modified 5/19/25 - see current exclusion criteria) * alcohol: AUDIT \> 15 for males and \>13 for females (eliminated 7/25/23) * current major depression (PHQ-9\>11) (eliminated 7/25/23) * suicide risk (answer to question #9 on PHQ-9 is anything other than "Not at all") (modified 11/17/23 - see current exclusion criteria)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University at Buffalo
RECRUITINGBuffalo, New York, 14260, United States
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