OTC Smoking Cessation Products Can Be Equally Effective as Rx Methods
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found over-the-counter (OTC) products, such as nicotine patches, were equally effective for smoking cessation as prescription drugs like Chantix.
The study researched 1086 smokers, in which about 20% of those studied were able to successfully quit tobacco, regardless of the treatment used. The only adverse affects that were recorded were vivid dreams, insomnia and nausea for those participants using Chantix.
Lead study author Tim Baker, a public health researcher at the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, said “the results suggest that the widely available, simple to use nicotine patch can produce long-term smoking cessation rates that are similar to those produced by more intense treatments”.
This study is important because we live in a time where pharmacists have the ability to help patients to choose the most effective smoking cessation products. Overall, the results show that those patients who choose an OTC product will often spend less and see the same level of success as those taking a prescription medication.
