Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Withdrawal from nicotine; Smoking - nicotine addiction and withdrawal; Smokeless tobacco - nicotine addiction; Cigar smoking; Pipe smoking; Smokeless snuff; Tobacco use; Chewing tobacco
Treatment
There are several strategies for treating nicotine withdrawal.
Nicotine supplements can help. All of them work well, if used properly. See:
Nicotine supplements come in several forms:
- Gum
- Inhalers
- Nasal spray
- Skin patch
Nonhabit forming prescription medications may help you quit smoking and keep you from starting again. See:
Such medicines include:
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban)
- Varenicline (Chantix)
- Other medications, including clonidine, antidepressants such as nortriptyline or fluoxetine (Prozac), and buspirone (Buspar) have shown some benefits, but are not FDA-approved for smoking cessation
Like any addiction, quitting tobacco is difficult, especially if you are acting alone. If you join a smoking cessation program, you have a much better chance of success. See:
- Smoking cessation programs are offered by hospitals, health departments, community centers, and work sites.
- The best quit-smoking programs combine many strategies to help keep you from starting smoking again. Counseling by telephone can be as helpful and as effective as face-to-face counseling.
Untreated depression can prevent you from quitting tobacco. A screening test for depression may help ensure proper treatment and increase the odds that you will stay off tobacco products.
People who are trying to quit smoking often become discouraged when they don't succeed at first. Research shows that the more times you try, the more likely you are to succeed -- so don't give up! If you aren't successful the first time you try to quit, look at what worked or didn't work, think of new ways to quit smoking, and try again. Many attempts are often necessary to finally "beat the habit." See:
Support Groups
Images
Previous Section
Review Date: 10/31/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; and Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director,
MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Unviersity
of Washington, School of Medicine. 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)
