Is the Pharmacy the Place to Turn When Trying to Quit Smoking?

There are millions of people around the world who wish to quit smoking and where there is demand there will always be a business to serve this demand. The pharmaceutical industry as usual comes out with a plethora of solution which only treats the symptoms rather than treats the underlying cause of smoking. Nicotine replacement therapy or NRT for short is one such. In nicotine replacement therapy, a measured dose of nicotine is used to ease the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Among the products available in nicotine replacement therapy are nicotine gums, nicotine patches, nicotine inhaler, nicotine lozenges and nicotine nasal spray. These products are not without side-effects. The side effects include itchy rash (for nicotine patches), dizziness, headaches, elevated blood pressure, sleep disturbances and even nightmares. The problem with nicotine replacement therapy is that you are just changing your nicotine delivery mechanism from cigarettes to something else, so rather than enriching the tobacco industry now you're enriching the drug companies and nothing has really changed. There are other types of products which work by stimulating the release of low levels of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain to help reduce the signs and symptoms of withdrawal. However these drugs have very unpleasant side effects which include stomach pains, flatulence, insomnia, nightmares and suicidal thoughts. An article in the Daily Mirror (UK) states that health authorities and advertisers make quitting sound impossible with smoking cessation aids so that many people never bother trying, but according to researchers about two thirds and three quarters of former smokers stop unaided. The article goes on to say that in fact the most successful method used by most ex-smokers is unaided cessation. The study done in Sydney found that nicotine addicts were being misled about the best way to quit and the massive decline in smoking before the advent of cessation treatment is often forgotten. Smoking cessation industry is a highly profitable business and just treating the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal will ensure continual business for the drug industry. So think twice and research the side effects before choosing drugs over cold turkey when trying to quit smoking.