How to Stop Smoking Program With Gum & Pills

Mark Twain famously said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." There's no doubt that kicking the habit is so difficult in part to tobacco being legal to obtain and use. The American Heart Association numbers smokers at 23.5 percent for men and 18.1 percent for women. The chronic illnesses caused by nicotine addiction are staggering. From heart and lung disease to various cancers, smoking is the cause of nearly half a million deaths each year in the United States. What is clear is that fighting this addiction is not easy for anyone. But there's help out there. Many over-the-counter and prescription medications and products offer help to smokers who are committed to life without that next cigarette.

Nicotine Gum

• Available over the counter, nicotine gum releases a small amount of nicotine into the system. Your mouth absorbs the drug into the blood stream. After feeling a tingling sensation in your mouth, you keep the gum between the bottom row of teeth and cheek, called "parking," so that you receive a small, steady stream of nicotine. Known as nicotine-replacement therapy, the gum has been proven to reduce the craving for cigarettes.

Marketed Gums

• One marketed gum, called Thrive, is a mint-flavored nicotine gum and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for nicotine cessation. Available in a variety of flavors, Thrive also comes in sugar-free and tooth-whitening varieties.
  Nicorette is probably the most recognizable brand of nicotine gum on the market. It comes in six flavors and two strengths.
  A third is Nicotrol. The company that produces Nicorette bought the Nicotrol brand. It's virtually the same product, but Nicotrol is sold at a lower price. The gum is available in two flavors and in 2 mg and 4 mg strength, like other nicotine gums.

Pills

• Medications used for smoking cessation are available by prescription only. These medications work in various ways. Antidepressants were approved by the FDA to reduce anxiety over quitting smoking. Varenicline, another FDA-approved drug, works by reducing withdrawal symptoms and blocking the effects of nicotine when you smoke. Studies presented at an American Heart Association conference showed that after a year of treatment using varenicline, abstinence rates were 22 percent; people who were given an antidepressant had a 16-percent success rate after the same amount of time.

FDA-Approved Smoking Cessation Medications

• Sold as Zyban, bupropion is the generic name for this antidepressant. Zyban helps to reduce withdrawal symptoms. It can be used in combination with other smoking-cessation products like gums, lozenges and sprays.
  Varenicline, sold as Chantix, eases withdrawal symptoms and also blocks the effects of nicotine if you smoke a cigarette. For this reason it is not recommended to use nicotine-replacement products while taking Chantix.

Non FDA-Approved Medications

• It's common for doctors to prescribe medications "off-label." This means that the drug was not approved by the FDA for the purpose that it is being prescribed. This in no way indicates that the medication is dangerous. The Archives of Internal Medicine estimates that about 21 percent of prescription medications are prescribed for uses other than those approved by the FDA.
  Nortriptyline, known on the market as Aventyl, is prescribed to treat depression. If your first choice of medication for smoking cessation is not successful, some doctors will ask you to consider using nortriptyline.
  Clonidine, which is sold as the brand name Catapres, is used to treat high blood pressure. Clonidine has been shown to reduce tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Like nortriptyline, clonidine is often used as a second line of defense if initial attempts at quitting are unsuccessful.

Combination Therapies

• For those who are serious about quitting cigarettes for good, it is recommended to use a combination of cessation tools. The University of Iowa reports that "smokers who used a combination of a nicotine patch and [nicotine] nasal spray doubled their chances of remaining smoke free for six years." They also studied the success rate of people who used nicotine-replacement therapy in combination with psychological support, such as group meetings or cognitive therapy. Those who took part in combined treatment had more success compared with individuals who used drug therapy alone.