Stop smoking aids
Quitting aids can help you stop smoking and ease nicotine withdrawal cravings.
Quitting aids and treatments are easy to buy from shops, pharmacies and on prescription to help you quit smoking. These reduce withdrawal symptoms and keep your mind off smoking.
Evidence shows quitting aids are most effective if used alongside support from a friendly local stop smoking service.
Ask your stop smoking advisor or pharmacist for advice.
The different stop smoking aids include:
- nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), such as patches, sprays, gum and lozenges
- nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes)
- prescription-only medicines (tablets)
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
Most people smoke because they are addicted to nicotine, this is because tobacco and cigarettes is designed to increase nicotine addiction to keep you smoking. This means that you can feel stressed if you haven’t had a cigarette in a while. NRT is a medication that gives you enough nicotine to stop cravings in a way that you are unlikely to become addicted to. The great thing about NRT is that it does not contain any of the dangerous chemicals and toxins in tobacco smoke, like tar.
NRT is available from anywhere that provides a stop smoking service, it can also be bought from pharmacies and shops. It’s available as:
- skin patches – these release nicotine slowly. Some are worn all the time and should be taken off at night.
- nicotine chewing gum
- inhalators (which look like plastic cigarettes)
- tablets, oral strips and lozenges
- nasal and mouth spray
Inhalators, gum and sprays act more quickly and may be better if you feel you need more nicotine. The best way to use NRT is to use two products, for example combining a patch with a faster acting product such as gum, inhalator or spray. An advisor can talk you through the best combination for yourself.
Treatment with NRT usually lasts 8-12 weeks, before you gradually reduce the dose and eventually stop. But some people use NRT much longer – the main thing is not smoking tobacco!
Prescription-only medicines
There are 3 prescription-only stop-smoking medicines, which are in tablet form:
- varenicline (formally available as Champix)
- cytisine (a naturally occurring medicine similar to varenicline)
- bupropion (brand name Zyban)
These medicines do not contain nicotine, but they can help manage withdrawal symptoms and make quitting easier.
Speak to a stop smoking adviser or your doctor about availability.
Vaping
Nicotine vaping is one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking and is substantially less harmful than smoking tobacco. In the North East over 125,000 people have quit smoking using vapes.
There are many different types of vapes available and costs can vary, but generally they’re much cheaper than cigarettes. You can find out about the different types and what might work best for yourself by talking to a stop smoking advisor or by visiting your local vape shop.
Vaping is not recommended for non-smokers and young people because it is not completely harmless. But if you are a tobacco smoker considering switching it could be right for you and will almost certainly reduce your risks of cancer, COPD and a range of smoking-caused diseases.
Vapes are most effective if used with support from a trained stop smoking advisor, all of the stop smoking services in the North East are vape friendly and some can even provide you with a vape starter kit for free. Find your local Stop Smoking Service.
Visit our page on vaping for all your question answered