Until there's a vaccine, there are these kick-butt strategies. Find out which one is best suited for your style of smoking
Courtesy of Men's Health
TRANSDERMAL NICOTINE PATCH (OTC)
Alias: Nicoderm, Nicotrol
How it works: Slap the patch on your skin in the a.m.
for a steady, daylong stream of nicotine. Patches come in varying
strengths to wean smokers over an 8- to 10-week period.
Best for: Guys who smoke 24-7. Men have had more
success with nicotine-replacement products than women have, says
Michael Fiore, M.D., director of the Center for Tobacco Research and
Intervention at the University of Wisconsin. "Consider using the patch
as a round-the-clock source of nicotine and either the nicotine
lozenge, gum, or inhaler for sudden urges."
Boosts your odds: 2.8 times
BUPROPION (Rx)
Alias: Zyban
How it works: Swallow this pill and it will increase
production of dopamine, a neurochemical that drops in people who quit
smoking. Smokers typically take two pills a day for 8 to 12 weeks and
try to quit completely after the first week.
Best for: Nicotine-replacement-therapy dropouts, or
people prone to depression or weight gain. "Zyban, like nicotine gum,
has been shown to blunt weight gain," Dr. Fiore says. Use Zyban with
the gum, the lozenge, or the inhaler and you may have a better shot at
weathering situations that might have driven you to smoke in the past.
Boosts your odds: 3.7 times
NICOTINE POLACRILEX GUM (OTC)
Alias: Nicorette
How it works: Alternate between chewing and "parking"
the gum in one side of your mouth for an even dose of nicotine over a
half hour. Treatment starts at nine pieces daily (every 1 to 2 hours)
and decreases in strength and frequency over 12 weeks.
Best for: People who put on the pounds when they put
down the smokes. "The 4-milligram gum has been shown to delay this
weight gain," says Dr. Fiore. It also works well for those with strong
situational urges to smoke, such as after a meal or sex, since the gum
can squelch sudden cravings.
Boosts your odds: 2.7 times
NICOTINE POLACRILEX LOZENGES (OTC)
Alias: Commit
How it works: Identical to the gum in every way, except that you get your half-hour nic fix by sucking instead of chewing.
Best for: Both daily and sporadic smokers who can't
use the gum because it will stick to their dental work or upset their
stomachs. Also, those who don't want to deal with having to control the
release of the nicotine. "The nicotine lozenge is great because you
don't have to worry about the chew-and-park requirement of the gum, and
you still get all the benefits of the medicine for controlling urges,"
Dr. Fiore says.
Boosts your odds: 3 times
NICOTINE INHALATION SYSTEM (Rx)
Alias: Nicotrol
How it works: Take a drag from this cigarette-shaped
device and nicotine-infused vapors (4 mg total from 20 minutes of
"puffing") will be absorbed in your mouth and throat. Users puff six to
16 nicotine cartridges a day for as long as 6 months.
Best for: Smokers hooked on the hand-to-mouth
routine."They want to have something in their hands and in their
mouths, and for those people, the nicotine inhaler is a great choice,"
Dr. Fiore says. It tastes similar to a cigarette and kind of looks like
one, so it can work well for situational smokers.
Boosts your odds: 3.1 times
NICOTINE NASAL SPRAY (Rx)
Alias: Nicotrol NS
How it works: One spray into each nostril adds up to a
1-mg dose of nicotine that enters your bloodstream in 5 minutes. It can
be used up to five times per hour, for as long as 6 months.
Best for: Heavy smokers-- as measured in packs, not
pounds. "The nasal spray delivers nicotine faster than anything else on
the market," says Jed Rose, Ph.D., chief of the nicotine research
program at Duke University. The downside is that the initial effect is
very irritating. Still, if you smoke a few packs a day, it might be
worth the burn.
Boosts your odds: 3.3 times
