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Popular Smoking Cessation Prescription Products

Pills, Sprays and Inhalers That Can Help To Quit Smoking

Dec 18, 2007 Gail Oliver

What to expect from smokeless inhalers, nicotine sprays and smoking cessation pills - products your doctor can prescribe as alternative treatment to quit smoking

If you are ready to stop smoking medicine may be an option to consider. There are a variety of medical treatment quit smoking products. Here is what you can expect if you choose to go with any of these types of products.

Smokeless Inhalers to Quit Smoking

These smokeless cigarettes look like plastic and when you have a craving you inhale the contents. The initial inhale can be very harsh and almost burn your throat. It is meant to taste and feel like a cigarette to help you with the physical aspect of smoking as well. However, the nicotine only goes to the mouth, not into the lungs. Smoking inhalers are not typically effective with heavy smokers. If you use more than the recommended number a day, you could find yourself becoming addicted to the inhalers, and they can be hard on the mouth and lips. Plus, a lot of people don’t like the taste.

In 2000, University Hospital in Switzerland tested the smoking inhalers on 400 smokers and after four months found that 35% had successfully reduced their smoking. In terms of smokeless cigarette reviews, Endit smokeless inhalers appear to be a popular brand.

Nicotine Sprays to Stop Smoking

Nicotine nasal sprays are recommended for people who like the nicotine rush of a cigarette as opposed to a steady stream offered by nicotine patches. It is very effective at immediately taking away the craving, but may not reduce the side effects of quitting smoking. Users report that the spray is horrible to use initially, and you will get a burning sensation in your nose and throat, sneezing, coughing, runny nose and watery eyes. It only lasts a couple of minutes and should stop after a few days. Again, this product is more suited to the heavy smoker. The light smoker may find the high burst of nicotine overwhelming. Keep the spray away from children, and store in a dark place.

Taking Chantix ™ for Smoking Cessation

Chantix, also known as varenicline, was approved in 2006. You take one pill twice a day for 12 weeks. It works by removing the pleasure of smoking and reducing the withdrawal symptoms. Because it has only been in use for a short time the test base is still quite small and not all known or long term side effects have been reported yet. Champex is another popular stop smoking pill.

In July 2006, the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of three clinical studies. In the first study, they compared results of 1,025 smokers taking Chantix, those taking Zyban (another smoking cessation pill), and those taking sugar pills. 44 percent of the people taking Chantix were able to quit after 12 weeks, compared to 29.5 percent for Zyban users. After 1 year, 21.9 percent of the Chantix users were still not smoking compared to 16.1 percent of the Zyban users. They did report nausea and insomnia as side effects, but less than those who took Zyban. Similar results were seen in a second study of 1,027 smokers, and a third study showed that with an additional 12 weeks of treatment with Chantix, 43.6 percent remained smoke free after finishing treatment. Again, no test group is perfect and the researchers did note that there were high drop out rates in the non-Chantix study groups, which could also be the reason for their higher success rates.

Whether you are considering smokeless inhalers, nicotine sprays or smoking cessation pills, there are a variety of options available to help you finally quit smoking.

Over the Counter Products to Quit Smoking

The copyright of the article Popular Smoking Cessation Prescription Products in General Medicine is owned by Gail Oliver. Permission to republish Popular Smoking Cessation Prescription Products in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Popular Smoking Cessation Products