Not gum, get expert to help you kick the butt
Smokers increasingly use inhalers and chewing gums to quit smoking.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-12-26 06:08 GMT
Bengaluru: For smokers, kicking the butt is probably one of the toughest calls to make. This is not just because of the addictive nature of nicotine in cigarettes, but also due to the fear of withdrawal symptoms.
As smokers increasingly use inhalers and chewing gums to quit smoking, doctors in the city warn that these nicotine-replacement therapies could have an adverse effect unless monitored by qualified physicians.
Dr Priya Rama Chandran, Associate Professor, St John’s Hospital and Research Centre, said, “Tobacco contains nicotine, which is addictive. After inhaling nicotine, a smoker feels relaxed almost immediately. That is why people who are trying to quit get extremely tempted to smoke when stressed or overworked.”
“Smokers think it is a habitual and behavioural issue and don’t seek experts’ help. Nicotine replacement therapies, including chewing a gum, should be used as recommended, by following advice on both how to chew and how to gradually reduce the dosage schedule.
It is important to understand that cigarette addiction is a serious health issue and quitting is extremely important that may require medical help. Without an expert’s suggestion, such a therapy could cause more harm than good,” she warned.
Battling an addiction
According to a study, irrespective of the socioeconomic condition of the smoker, nicotine replacement therapy increases the rate of quitting by 50-70%.
The effectiveness of NRT seems to be largely independent of the intensity of additional support provided to the individual.
There are different ways to opt for NRT, like nicotine gums, patches, inhalers, tablets, lozenges, and sprays, depending upon people’s ease or doctor’s suggestion.
Experts said chewing nicotine gum is more suitable since it is affordable and has been known to improve cessation rates by about 50 percent compared with other controlled interventions.
Nasal sprays and inhalers although effective are contra-indicatory in conditions such as asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and other respiratory ailments. They are also associated with mild side-effects such as throat irritation, cough, sneezing and rhinitis.
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