Randomized trials were identified by (1) checking electronic and
(2) online publicly accessible registers of clinical trials; (3) searching references
of identified studies and screening abstract books of conferences and symposia,
and (4) personal communication with the first authors of identified papers.
Review methods
We included randomized trials in which nortriptyline was
compared to placebo or bupropion hydrochloride SR. The main clinical outcome
measure was (at least) 6-month prolonged abstinence, confirmed with a
biochemical test. To investigate the efficacy of nortriptyline in time, we calculated
the percentage of smokers who relapsed in time.