Recent Consumer Alerts on Smoking Cessation Medications Make People More Reluctant to Kick the Habit




Recent publications exposing dangers of some pharmaceutical drugs designed as smoking cessation aids leave many consumers confused about the safety of a pharmaceutical approach to quitting smoking. New data show that smokers can successfully quit their unhealthy habit by following traditional quitting methods which involve counselling, homeopathy, aromatherapy, hypnosis and well-established nicotine-replacement therapy, without applying to a help of more sophisticated prescription medications with a wide range of side effects.


Although pharmaceutical companies push for the use of modern drugs for smoking cessation, a series of media reports have drawn consumers’ attention to the fact that most of these medications are not safe. A recent survey conducted by Richard Day Research have found that more smokers are now concerned about the effectiveness and health implications of such drugs, which makes them more reluctant to attempt stopping smoking with the help of prescription therapies. Besides, the survey that collected the opinions of more than 1,000 US smokers has demonstrated that more smokers now are trying to avoid taking smoking cessation drugs and, instead, opt for safer and more natural types of anti-tobacco therapy.

Tobacco smoking imposes a great risk on public health by killing annually more than five million people and significantly diminishing the quality and reducing the duration of smokers’ life. Most people who attempt to kick their habit do so cold-turkey, without any pharmaceutical help. However, only about five percent of such “natural quitters” are proven to be successful on a long run. This highlights the smokers’ need in safe and reliable therapies to help them overcome tobacco addiction. It is estimated that stopping smoking with medical intervention can be twice as successful as quitting cold-turkey without any assistance.

The survey has demonstrated that almost half of all respondents who know about the drug dangers are now unwilling to use prescription medications while trying to quit smoking. More than 30 percent of the surveyed smokers have admitted that recent media reports concerning the safety of new smoking cessation drugs make them put off their decision about kicking the habit.

Unfortunately, the media scare has also persuaded many smokers that traditional stop-smoking aids, such as nicotine gums or parches, may be dangerous, as well, which is not scientifically grounded. In fact, nicotine replacement therapies are the safest ways to successfully overcome nicotine dependency.

Dr. Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute said that, for many smokers, the recent safety warnings are negatively affecting their very decision to quit consuming tobacco. “The reports have fuelled mistaken assumptions that ALL smoking cessation pharmaceuticals are unsafe. However, nicotine-containing products are perfectly secure and highly effective and they are not associated with any health hazards for consumers. In fact, these are the most extensively researched stop-smoking aids that have already saved the lives of many people who otherwise may have succumbed to horrible smoking-related illnesses, including cancer.”

Nicotine-containing patches, gums and nasal sprays can more than double smokers’ chances to not only successfully quit smoking but also remain smoke-free for a long period of time. Using nicotine-replacement therapy to kick tobacco addiction is way safer than continuing puffing cigarettes. Results of over 110 studies with more than 40,000 participants for the last 20 years have proven a high level of nicotine-replacement therapy effectiveness and safety. Nicotine medications are formulated to help people comfortably cope with acute physiological symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. They provide strictly measured and gradually reduced doses of nicotine, which is a natural compound and not a laboratory-brewed substance. Small doses of supplemented nicotine can be safely used even in those who have serious diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Stopping smoking is a hard and challenging process, and smokers should not be afraid to seek help in their attempts to kick the harmful habit. Nicotine replacement therapy, alongside with such complementary aids as counselling and hypnosis, is the best available tool to successfully quit tobacco addiction for life, thus preventing a host of smoking-induced diseases and premature death.

Deanna Campbell

Related Posts

Posted on July 2, 2008 
Filed Under How to Quit Smoking, Stop Smoking News

Comments

Leave a Reply