Table of Contents
Quitting Smoking
It's never too late to quit smoking. According to the American Cancer Society, about half of all smokers who keep smoking will die from a smoking-related disease. Quitting has immediate health benefits.
Better Health After Quitting | |
Time after last cigarette |
Physical Response |
20 minutes |
Blood pressure and pulse rates return to normal. |
8 hours |
Levels of carbon monoxide and oxygen in the blood return to normal. |
24 hours |
Chance of a heart attack begins to decrease. |
48 hours |
Nerve endings start to regrow. Your ability to taste and smell increases. |
72 hours |
Bronchial tubes relax and the lungs can fill with more air. |
2 weeks to 3 months |
Improved circulation; lung function increases by up to 30%. |
1 to 9 months |
Decreased rates of coughing, sinus infection, fatigue, and shortness of breath; regrowth of cilia in the airways, improving the ability to clear mucus and clean the lungs and reducing the chance of infection; increased energy level. |
Long-Term Effects |
After a year, the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke is reduced by up to 50%. |
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 40% of smokers who want to quit make a serious attempt to do so each year, but fewer than 5% actually succeed. Available smoking cessation products and therapies are greatly underused. If more smokers asked for or were offered such help, the agency says quit rates could double or triple.
Some people have certain genes that make quitting easier. Researchers have identified more than 200 genes that distinguish people who have successfully quit smoking. The discovery of these genes could lead to new smoking cessation therapies that target a person's specific genetic makeup.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy involves the use of products that provide low doses of nicotine, without the contaminants found in smoke. The goal of therapy is to relieve cravings for nicotine and ease the symptoms of withdrawal.
In general, nicotine replacement therapy benefits moderate-to-heavy smokers the most. However, it does appear somewhat helpful for light smokers (people who smoke fewer than 15 cigarettes a day).
Combining nicotine replacement therapies may be more effective than using one alone. For example, a combination of the nicotine patch and nicotine gum, nasal spray, or lozenge helps smokers go smoke-free for a longer period of time before relapsing. Adding bupropion to nicotine replacement therapy also increases the chance for success.
Nicotine Patches. Nicotine patches deliver nicotine through the skin. This is called transdermal nicotine delivery. It is effective in reducing symptoms during withdrawal. Nicotine patches are available over the counter.
Patches may work in different ways:
- Step-Down Approach. Patches that use this method include NicoDerm CQ. The patches come in three strengths (21, 14, and 7 mg). You use the strongest dose first and reduce it gradually over a period of 8 - 10 weeks. A 21 mg patch is about equal to 15 cigarettes. A heavy smoker may need to wear two patches at first.
- Single-Step Approach. The single-step patch (Nicotrol) can be taken off after 16 hours and replaced 8 hours later. It can be used for only 6 weeks.
Patches are applied and used in similar ways:
- A single patch is worn each day and replaced after 24 hours.
- To avoid skin irritation it is applied to different hairless locations above the waist and below the neck each day.
- People can wear the patches for 24 hours, but some have reported odd dreams and have disliked the sensation of the patch during the night. People who wear the patch all the time, however, have fewer withdrawal symptoms and slightly better abstinence rates than those who take it off at night.
- Patches should be stored and discarded safely, particularly in homes with small children. Small children have been poisoned and gotten sick from wearing, chewing, or sucking on nicotine patches. There have been no reports of death in children who have been poisoned.
- The FDA recommends using the patches for 3 - 5 months, although some studies suggest that using them for 8 weeks achieves the maximum benefits.
Children should not come in contact with the patches, even while the smoker is wearing them. If a child puts on a patch, it should be removed and the affected skin should be washed right away. Urgent medical care may be required if the child has eaten nicotine or worn a patch for a prolonged time.
Nicotine Gum. Nicotine gum (Nicorette) is available over the counter and has helped many people quit. Some people prefer gum to the patch because they can control the nicotine dosage, and chewing satisfies the oral urge associated with smoking.
Tips for using the gum:
Previous Section
Review Date: 09/08/2010
Reviewed By: Reviewed by: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor
of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts
General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
