What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Nicotine and varenicline
Varenicline's FDA label of January 23, 2026 names nicotine in its drug interactions section; the nicotine labels PlainMeds reads (2) do not name varenicline.
Check it at the source: the nicotine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 25, 2024, Dr. Reddys Laboratories Inc.); the varenicline FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 23, 2026, Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc).
What does the nicotine label say about varenicline?
Nicotine's label (effective July 25, 2024) and its 1 other brand-application label do not name varenicline in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Nicotine transdermal system), Dr. Reddys Laboratories Inc., effective July 25, 2024 (SPL set e2391b29-9bac-fc09-f2a5-a3370bc4e2c3), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the varenicline label say about nicotine?
Varenicline label, drug interactionsCoadministration of varenicline and transdermal nicotine resulted in a high rate of discontinuation due to adverse events.
Varenicline label, warnings and precautionsSome patients who stopped smoking may have been experiencing symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, including depressed mood.
Source: FDA drug label (CHANTIX), NDA021928 (Pf Prism Cv), as published by Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc, effective January 23, 2026 (SPL set f0ff4f27-5185-4881-a749-c6b7a0ca5696), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Nicotine | Varenicline | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Quitting smoking | Quitting smoking |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $1.87 per patch 21 mg/24hr patch | $0.316 per tablet 1 mg tablet |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once