Whelehans Pharmacy:Treatment options to help quit smoking
Ask your pharmacist
Treatment options to help quit smoking
Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St and Clonmore Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie
I discussed benefits and tips for giving up smoking earlier this month in the Westmeath Examiner. Many like to go “cold turkey” when giving up cigarettes; there are also aids to help give up.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) works by releasing nicotine steadily into your bloodstream at much lower levels than in a cigarette, without the tar, carbon monoxide and other poisonous chemicals you get from tobacco smoke. This helps to control the cravings for a cigarette that occur when your body starts to miss the nicotine that smoking provides. NRT is the most common smoking cessation treatment and comes in many different forms. These include: Transdermal patches (which stick to your skin) are available in formulations that release nicotine for either 16 hours or 24 hours. The 24 hour patch is suitable for a smoker who usually needs a cigarette first thing in the morning upon waking up. Chewing gum is available with either 2mg or 4mg of nicotine. Inhalators which look like a plastic cigarette and through which nicotine is inhaled are an option for people who miss the “hand to mouth” action of cigarettes. Other options include tablets and lozenges that are placed and melt under your tongue or nasal or mouth sprays which work very quickly as they allow rapid absorption of nicotine into the bloodstream.
These products are all available over the counter at your pharmacy. If you have a medical card, most are available for free once they are prescribed by your GP. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding and you want to quit smoking, it is best for your health, and that of your baby's, if you to stop completely and immediately, without the help of any smoking cessation treatment.
E-Cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes) are designed to look and feel like normal cigarettes. They have a heating element inside that vapourises a solution which then looks like smoke. It may also contain nicotine. They are substituted for normal cigarettes or cigars. There is some uncertainty whether this is more effective than other smoking cessation aids. Research published in The Lancet Medical Journal indicated that e-cigarettes were as effective as nicotine patches. Though is controversy regarding safety and some Governments are restricting their use due to the safety concerns regarding their use of pure nicotine and other possible safety issues. Further studies are needed to ensure their safety over a length of time and for this reason they are still not regulated and health authorities still cannot endorse them.
Prescription Medication
There are several different treatments available through your GP. Your GP or pharmacist will advise you which, if any, is suitable for you.
Varenicline (Champix®)
Varenicline, whose brand name is Champix® is available in tablet form. It works in two ways; it reduces your enjoyment of a cigarette if you do smoke while taking it and it reduces the craving for a cigarette. As with all medication, Champix® may not suit everyone and has possible side effects including nausea and drowsiness. These can be explained in more details by your GP or pharmacist. The recommended course of Champix® is generally 12 weeks.
Bupropion (Zyban®)
Bupropion is a medication designed to help smoking cessation. The way in which it works is not completely understood, but it is thought to work on the brain pathways involved in addiction and withdrawal.
For comprehensive and free health advice and information call in to Whelehans, log on to www.whelehans.ie or dial 04493 34591 (Pearse St) or 04493 10266 (Clonmore). Find us on Facebook.
This article is shortened to fit within Newspaper space limits. More detailed information and leaflets is available in Whelehans