Partial nicotinic receptor agonist (smoking cessation)

Cytisinicline

Brand names: Tabex, Cytisine (specials)

Adult dose

Dose: 25-day tapered schedule starting 1.5mg 6× daily, reducing over 25 days

Route: Oral

Frequency: Tapered

Clinical pearls

NICE NG209 stop smoking interventions: cytisinicline / cytisine recommended option (similar mechanism to varenicline; lower-cost generic alternative)
Plant-derived alkaloid (broom plant)
RCT evidence (RAUORA, others) — comparable efficacy to varenicline at lower price

Contraindications

Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Unstable cardiovascular disease
Schizophrenia
Hypersensitivity

Side effects

Nausea
Headache
Sleep disturbance
Mood change
Dry mouth

Interactions

Other smoking-cessation aids

Monitoring

Smoking status
Mood
Adverse events

Reference: BNF; NICE NG209; UKHSA smoking cessation guidance; SmPC; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/cytisinicline/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Calculators

Pathways