Combination Nicotine Replacement Therapies Are The Most Effective Means To Qu...( (Nicotine nasal spray with nicotin...),Health

(Nicotine nasal spray with nicotine patch for smoking cessation: randomised trial with six year follow up)

Combined methods of nicotine replacement therapy are more effective than using just one, says a study in this week's BMJ. Dr Thorsteinn Blondal and colleagues from National University Hospital in Iceland, along with researchers from Pharmacia and Upjohn in Sweden, found that patients combining the use of nicotine patches with nicotine nasal sprays were twice as likely to still be abstaining from smoking after five years than those who had only used patches.

In their study of 237 smokers over a six year period, the authors found that using a nicotine patch for five months in conjunction with a nicotine nasal spray and then continuing to use the spray only for a further seven months, was the most effective way of stopping smoking. They believe that this is because the patches release nicotine slowly, with the nasal spray delivering nicotine more rapidly, as and when the smoker needs to respond to any smoking urges.

Blondal et al conclude that by providing nicotine in several combinations, abstinence rates after six years can be double those of using a single method of nicotine replacement.

Contact:

Dr Thorsteinn Blondal, Chest Physician, Reykjavik Health Care Centre, National University Hospital, Iceland thorsteinn.blondal@hr.is

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Contact: Jill Shepherd
jshepherd@bma.org.uk
44-171-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
29-Jan-1999