DRUG-THERAPY - NICOTINE MEDICATIONS FOR SMOKING CESSATION

Cigarettes are among the most addicting products known, and the vast majority of people who quit smoking relapse within days.1,2 In the United States, less than 10 percent of the nearly 20 million people who quit smoking for a day remain abstinent one year later.3 Thus, only 2 to 3 percent of smokers become nonsmokers each year.3 Medications that contain nicotine enable health care providers to increase markedly the ability of their patients to achieve and sustain tobacco abstinence. This review summarizes the scientific rationale for nicotine medications, to help clinicians optimize their use. Pathophysiology of Nicotine Addiction Clinical. © 1995, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.