All options of medication will be discussed with you when you meet your stop smoking adviser but here is a general overview.
There are three types of pharmaceutical products that are available on prescription to help you quit:
- nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
- buproprion (Zyban – currently unavailable)
- varenicline (Champix – currently unavailable)
See below for more information on each of them.
Vapes and e-cigarettes have also been used as a tool by people to help them stop smoking; read more about them here.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) provides nicotine, without the tar and carbon monoxide that is present in tobacco smoke.
There are different types of NRT:
- Patches are worn on the skin and deliver a regular dose of nicotine over 16 or 24 hours. The long-lasting action means they can be worn around the clock and can therefore help to prevent cravings. If you get strong cravings to smoke as soon as you wake up, a 24 hour patch may be best for you.
- Inhalators can help if you miss the physical action of smoking. You insert a cartridge into the device and inhale nicotine vapour through the mouthpiece, using 6 to 12 cartridges a day.
- Lozenges release nicotine as they dissolve in the mouth. You normally start with one lozenge every one to two hours. Various flavours are available.
- Microtabs are tablets that dissolve under your tongue (sublingual tablets). They can be more discreet than lozenges. You normally start with one to two tablets per hour.
- Chewing gums needs to be chewed in the special way described in the pack, not like normal chewing gum. You normally start with one piece of gum every one to two hours. Various flavours are available.
- Nasal spray is used to give more rapid relief from cravings as it delivers nicotine more quickly than other NRT products. You can use it once in each nostril up to twice an hour.
- Mouth spray is also used to give more rapid relief from cravings as it delivers nicotine more quickly than other NRT products. You spray it directly into the mouth. You can start with one or two sprays up to twice an hour.
Possible side effects of NRT
As with all medicines, nicotine replacement products may cause side effects, though sometimes these may be difficult to distinguish from withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping smoking. Common side effects with all products are headache, nausea and dizziness.
In addition patches can cause skin rashes and irritation and the nasal spray can cause nose bleeds, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose and watery eyes.
Nicotine from lozenges, microtabs, gums and inhalators may irritate the mouth and throat and cause dryness.
These products can also increase the production of saliva at the start of treatment, and excessive swallowing of nicotine in this saliva can cause nausea, indigestion and hiccups.
Almost everyone who smokes will be able to use NRT, including pregnant women.
Zyban
Please note Zyban is currently unavailable until further notice.
Zyban is the branded name for bupropion, a prescription-only medicine that was originally intended as an antidepressant.
Its ability to help people stop smoking came about by chance when participants in the early clinical trials lost their desire to smoke.
It’s not known exactly how Zyban works, but it’s thought to interrupt the areas of the brain that are associated with addiction and the pleasurable effects of nicotine.
This reduces the desire to smoke and dampens the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Zyban is an alternative to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and doesn’t contain nicotine. As a less commonly used drug, doctors and pharmacists have less experience with it than with NRT.
Champix
Please note Champix is currently unavailable until further notice.
Champix is the branded name of varenicline, a prescription-only medicine. Champix works by:
- stimulating the same receptors in the brain as nicotine. This relieves the craving and withdrawal symptoms that you can get when you stop smoking.
- blocking nicotine’s action on these receptors. This means you won’t get any enjoyable effect from nicotine if you do have a cigarette.
Like Zyban, Champix is an alternative to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and doesn’t contain nicotine.