Smoking-Cessation Drugs

Overview :

Nicotine replacement products

Smoking cessation drugs that contain nicotine are also called nicotine substitution products or nicotine replacement therapy. There are four forms approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as of 2001—chewing gum, skin patch, nasal spray, and inhaler. The nasal spray and inhaler are available only with a prescription, but the gum and some brands of the patch can be bought over the counter (without a prescription). People who buy the nonprescription products should check with a physician before starting to use them. The patches are sold under the brand names Nicotrol, Nicoderm CQ, and Habitrol (prescription only). The gum is sold under the brand name Nicorette. The nasal spray and inhaler are marketed as Nicotrol NS and Nicotrol respectively. The costs of these products are about $30 for a box of 48 pieces of the gum and about $30 per week for the patches.

Other medications

Another type of smoking cessation drug, bupropion (Zyban), also reduces craving and withdrawal symptoms, although it is not a nicotine replacement product. Bupropion is an antidepressant medication that is thought to help people stop smoking by mimicking some of the effects of tobacco on brain tissue. Bupropion can be used together with nicotine replacement products; several studies indicate that the combination helps more smokers quit than either method by itself.

Buspirone (BuSpar) is a tranquilizer that appears to be effective in helping smokers deal with feelings of anxiety resulting from tobacco withdrawal.

Alternative approaches

Other approaches that have been used to help smokers quit include hypnosis and acupuncture. The evidence for the usefulness of hypnosis is largely anecdotal; it appears to be most helpful when used in combination with nicotine replacement products or bupropion. Although acupuncture has been used in Western countries since the 1970s to help people quit smoking, it does not appear to be particularly effective in this regard. A British study that was published in 1999 found that smokers who received acupuncture did not have a higher quit rate than those who received only sham acupuncture.