402-26: Clearing the Air: The Evidence on Varenicline, Vaping, and Nicotine Cessation Today

In the years following FDA concerns and a boxed warning on neuropsychiatric events for varenicline, clinicians often underestimate both its effectiveness and safety in treating nicotine dependence. This presentation reviews the latest research on varenicline and other smoking cessation treatments, as well as an overview on the state of vaping and other nicotine delivery methods.

Presenter:  Jeremy Mills, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Disclosures:  The APNA planners and faculty have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. Off-label uses will be discussed during this presentation.

Session Length:  1 hour 30 minutes

Target Audience:  RN, APRN

Learning Outcome:
Upon completion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:

• Evaluate the safety and effectiveness of varenicline, including current evidence on psychiatric risk.

Keywords:  Vaping, Nicotine Cessation, Smoking, Tobacco

Nursing Continuing Professional Development:
1.5 pharmacology contact hours.  * In order to receive contact hours, you must: Listen to presentation, complete the reflection activities, evaluation and honor statement, and pass the post-test with a score of 80% or higher before the expiration date. Once all steps are successfully completed, the certificate will be generated online, available for you to print immediately. Contact hours cannot be awarded unless all required components are completed. Partial credit will not be provided.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Release date:  July 7, 2026
Access to this course will end:  July 31, 2028

© 2026 APNA. Reproducing and distributing this material without the written permission of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) is prohibited. 

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