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Genes Might Help Some Smokers Kick the Habit

Posted 31 May 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 31 – Smokers' genes may help predict whether they'll respond to drug treatments for nicotine addiction, a new study indicates. Researchers analyzed data from more than 6,000 smokers in community-based studies and a clinical treatment study and found that the same gene variations that make it difficult to stop smoking also increase the chances that heavy smokers will respond to nicotine-replacement therapy and drugs that reduce the craving for nicotine. "People with the high-risk genetic markers smoked an average of two years longer than those without these high-risk genes, and they were less likely to quit smoking without medication," study first author Dr. Li-Shiun Chen, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a university news release. "The same gene variants can predict a person's response to smoking-cessation ... Read more

Helpline, Free Nicotine Patches Don't Help Smokers Quit: Study

Posted 23 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 23 – Offering smokers free nicotine patches and telephone counseling does not improve their chances of quitting, according to a new study. The study included nearly 2,600 smokers who called the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) smoking helpline over the course of a year. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Advice on quitting and access to the helpline, considered the "standard" treatment. Advice and free nicotine-replacement therapy. More intensive support, including scheduled telephone support from helpline staff. Both intensive support and free nicotine-replacement therapy. The researchers checked in with the participants six months after they reported quitting smoking. Researchers were able to reach 59 percent of all participants, and found that 19 percent of them were still smoke-free. It was assumed that those who couldn't be ... Read more

Nicotine Patches May Not Help During Pregnancy

Posted 29 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 – Nicotine patches don't seem to be of much use in helping pregnant women quit smoking, a new study finds. Dr. Tim Coleman, of the Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Nottingham in England, and colleagues assigned 1,050 women who were 12 to 24 weeks pregnant to one of two groups. Members of one group received behavioral smoking cessation support and wore a nicotine patch, while the other group received the counseling but wore a patch that looked like the real thing but did not contain nicotine. Women given the active nicotine patch had higher quit rates (about 21 percent) during the first month of the study than women in the placebo group (nearly 12 percent). But by delivery, both groups' quit rates were about the same – 9.4 percent for those wearing the real patch and 7.6 percent for those wearing the look-alike, not a statistically significant ... Read more

Mom's Nicotine Patch May Raise Baby's Risk for Colic

Posted 20 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 20 – Infants of mothers who smoke or use nicotine replacement therapy during pregnancy are more likely to have colic, a new study finds. Colicky babies cry inconsolably for several hours a day, and researchers in the Netherlands found that exposure to nicotine – either from cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy – was associated with a significantly increased risk of colic, ranging from 30 to 60 percent. "The theory is that there are nicotine receptors in the GI [gastrointestinal] system and nicotine receptors that alter serotonin, and these alterations affect the babies after birth, causing colic," Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said. Serotonin is believed to promote feelings of well-being. The researchers looked at data on interviews with more than 63,000 mothers included in the Danish National Birth Cohort. ... Read more

Related support groups: Nicotine, Nicorette, Nicoderm CQ, Nicotrol Inhaler, Commit, Habitrol, ProStep, Nicotrol NS, Nicorelief

Health Tip: Chewing Tobacco Harms Oral Health

Posted 13 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

-- Chewing tobacco contains at least 28 toxins that are known to cause cancer, the American Dental Association says. The association mentions these potential oral health problems that can be caused by chewing tobacco: Increased risk of oral cancer. Increased risk of periodontal (gum) disease, possibly causing tooth loss and tooth sensitivity. Difficulty healing after a dental procedure. Limited treatment options for dental care, such as a dental implant. Staining of the teeth and tongue, as well as bad breath. Reduced ability to taste and smell. Read more

Related support groups: Nicotine, Nicorette, Nicoderm CQ, Nicotrol Inhaler, Commit, Habitrol, ProStep, Nicotrol NS, Nicorelief

Could Nicotine Patches Help Stave Off Memory Loss?

Posted 9 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 9 – New research suggests that the nicotine patches used by people trying to quit smoking could serve an unexpected purpose: They appear to counteract mild memory loss in older patients. The research is preliminary and only involved a few dozen subjects. There's also the matter of expense: While they're available over the counter, patches may cost several dollars a day. Still, "nicotine treatment may be a way to improve people's symptoms and maybe extend their ability to do all of those cognitive things we need to do," said study author Dr. Paul Newhouse, director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "We're hoping to pursue this with a much larger group." This isn't the first time researchers have tried to analyze connections between the brain and nicotine. In the 1980s, Newhouse and others discovered through autopsies that the ... Read more

Nicotine Patches, Gums Won't Help Smokers Quit Long-Term: Study

Posted 9 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 9 – Nicotine patches and nicotine gum – the popular mainstays of so-called "nicotine replacement therapy" – don't help many smokers kick the habit and remain cigarette-free over the long haul, new research suggests. This conclusion is based on results of several surveys conducted among nearly 800 adult smokers that revealed that those who used nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) did not gain any advantage over non-users in terms of relapse rates. This observation held up among both heavy and light smokers, regardless of whether or not nicotine replacement therapy was accompanied by professional cessation counseling. "Even though other well-controlled studies have shown that nicotine replacement therapy can be effective, our study looked at real-world use over the long-term," said study lead author Hillel Alpert, a research scientist with the Harvard School of Public ... Read more

Patches, Counseling, Persistence Can Help Smokers Quit

Posted 28 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 28 – Quitting smoking isn't easy for most people but medication and counseling can help them succeed, according to the results of two new studies. In the first of the two reports published in the Nov. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a team led by Dr. Anne Joseph, co-leader of the Prevention & Etiology Research Program at the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota, tried helping people by keeping in touch with them and reminding them to quit smoking. "We looked at a model that treated smoking as a chronic condition like high blood pressure or diabetes," Joseph said. "We know that using a combination of behavioral therapy and medication therapy, people do better than quitting on their own," she said. For the study, more than 400 smokers received counseling over the phone along with nicotine replacement therapy (such as patches, gums, lozenges) ... Read more

Health Tip: Talk to Your Doctor About the Nicotine Patch

Posted 27 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

-- While the nicotine patch can be an effective method to help some people quit smoking and improve their health, it may not be the best smoking cessation tool for everyone. The American Academy of Family Physicians lists these factors that need to be discussed with your doctor before using the nicotine patch: Having recently had a heart attack or experienced chest pains. Having heart disease or high blood pressure. Having ulcers of the stomach. Being diabetic. Experiencing irregular heart beats or skipping heart beats. Being allergic to any medications, bandages or tape. Suffering a disease of the skin or skin rash. Having liver or kidney disease. Read more

Tailored Therapy May Help More Stop Smoking

Posted 20 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 20 – New research suggests that a set length of time for using the nicotine patch may not work for all smokers trying to kick the habit. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have already discovered that some people – about three-quarters of smokers – break down (metabolize) nicotine more quickly from the patches than other people do. These people may do better by taking drugs like bupropion (Zyban). And in the new study, researchers found that people who metabolized nicotine slowly did better if they used the nicotine patch for six months compared to slow metabolizers who were placed on the patch for only two months, followed by six months on a placebo (dummy) patch. After six months there was no difference between the two groups. While extended therapy helps people stay off tobacco and recover from lapses, "it only works as long as people ... Read more

Using Nicotine Patch Longer Boosts Efforts to Quit

Posted 2 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 2 – Extended use of nicotine patches improves the likelihood that smokers will be able to kick the habit and reduces the risk that they'll start smoking again, a new study has found. The study included 568 adults who smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day for at least the past year. The smokers who used nicotine patches for the entire 24 weeks of the study (extended therapy) were about twice as likely to quit smoking as those who used nicotine patches for eight weeks and then received placebo patches for the remainder of the study. Standard therapy – as recommended by manufacturers – is eight weeks. By the end of the study, 31.6 percent of extended-therapy participants hadn't smoked in the past seven days, compared to 20.3 percent of those on standard therapy. More than 19 percent of those in the extended-therapy group did not smoke at all during the study, compared to 12.6 ... Read more

Nicotine Patch Plus Lozenge Best for Quitting Smoking

Posted 1 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 2 – The first head-to-head comparison of different quit-smoking products finds that a nicotine patch combined with a nicotine lozenge had the most success. More than other methods, including antidepressants, this combination best mimics the actual highs and lows of smoking to help smokers kick their habit, experts said. "The study shows that, yes, one therapy came out on top, the patch and the lozenge [together]," said Dr. Jonathan H. Whiteson, co-director of the Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention Center at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "The reasoning behind it is that the patch supplies a steady supply of nicotine replacement and the lozenges give a boost of nicotine which you can use when you have an extra craving. It gives people control," said Whiteson, who was not involved in the research. "If you combine these different ... Read more

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