More Smokers Trying to Quit
January 1st, 2009 | by admin |Cessation Attempts Rise Since Introduction of Nicotine Replacement Therapies
If you make it easier to get over nicotine, more smokers will at least try to quit. That’s the message of new research that shows the number of smokers attempting to break the habit has grown to nearly 40% since over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies were introduced in 1996. And more help may soon be on the way in the form of anti-inflammatory drugs to ease nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as depression and fatigue.
“In the same period that nicotine replacement therapies, such as the nicotine patch or nicotine gum, became available, we see more Americans trying to quit smoking,” said study author Saul Shiffman, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, in a news release.
Of the 48 million American adults who smoke, about 70% say they would like to quit, but only about 1.2 million do so successfully. The FDA approved the first nicotine replacement in the form of a chewing gum, Nicorette, in 1984. The transdermal (skin) patch, NicoDerm, came in 1991. Both were available only by prescription until 1996, when they were reclassified as over-the-counter products.
The study authors say that reclassification and easier access to nicotine replacement may have prompted a spike in the number of smokers who tried to quit. According to data collected by the U.S. Census bureau from 1992 to 1999, the researchers found the number of adult smokers who reported attempts to quit smoking in the past year rose from 38% in 1993 and 36% in 1996 to 40% in 1999.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the marketers of Nicorette and NicoDerm, sponsored the Census analysis.
Another study presented at the same conference suggests anti-inflammatory drugs may be the next wave in treatments to help smokers stick with their decision to quit. For the first time, researchers have shown that smokers who stop smoking cigarettes have symptoms similar to people having an inflammatory response or stimulation of the immune system.
“Our research shows that nicotine withdrawal is a significant physical as well as psychological stressor that impacts multiple systems of the body, including the immune system,” said study author Elizabeth Corwin, PhD, assistant professor in the school of nursing at Pennsylvania State University, in a news release.
“If we can relieve some negative symptoms — including depression — by reducing the inflammatory response, we may be able to increase the likelihood that heavy or moderate smokers can successfully quit.”
Corwin and researchers studied 20 moderate to heavy smokers while they were smoking regularly and 24 hours after they stopped. Analysis of blood samples taken from the smokers after they quit showed that elevated levels of cytokines (substances produced by white blood cells in response to inflammation) along with fatigue predicted which smokers suffered from depression during nicotine withdrawal. Changes in the production of cytokines were also associated with muscle aches and increased appetite after quitting.
“The results support the hypothesis that smokers who stop smoking may experience depression, fatigue, muscle aches and appetite changes for similar biochemical reasons that individuals who have acute or chronic disease do. The same therapies — anti-inflammatory medications — may therefore help alleviate these symptoms,” said Corwin.
By Jennifer Warner – WebMD Medical News
