BACKGROUND Mecamylamine is a nicotine antagonist (that is it blocks the effect of nicotine). The rationale for its use in smoking cessation is that it may block the rewarding effect of nicotine and thus reduce the urge to smoke. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to determine the effectiveness of mecamylamine in promoting smoking cessation, either alone or in combination with nicotin...

Smoking is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Stopping smoking confers significant health benefits and is especially important for those with pre-exisiting CVD. Healthcare facilities should have systems in place to enable the identification of people who smoke, and ensure that smokers receive evidence based treatments to provide the best possible chances of stoppin...

Some smokers have safety and cost concerns about nicotine replacement therapy which discourage its use. We recruited 56 young adult light smokers to read detailed descriptions of a hybrid nicotine replacement therapy, a prescription drug treatment, scheduled reduced smoking, and a menu of self-help tactics. Participants listed five reasons smokers might reject each strategy. An emergent-categor...

Smoking is the greatest single preventable cause of death in Ireland • All six Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products and bupropion are available on GMS. Choice should be made on the smokers personal preference, tolerance for side effects for each product and dependence on nicotine • Combination NRT may be more effective than using single products. NRT is not contraindicated in patients wi...

QUESTION Despite being highly motivated to quit, many of my patients struggle with smoking cessation during pregnancy. Can you comment on the current treatment options and discuss their safety and efficacy during pregnancy? ANSWER Given the considerable and well-documented adverse effects of antenatal smoking on mother and fetus, pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation should be considered. Ava...

We present a patient with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) associated choroidal neovascularization (CNV), who received multiple ranibizumab injections. The patient showed initial improvement with the therapy after which there was an increase in macular thickness. On reviewing his systemic history it was noted that he had been recently put on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). On stoppin...

Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and cancer. Despite the high prevalence of smokers worldwide, smokers are often neglected and not offered effective assistance with quitting their habits. In order to overcome this public health burden, effective treatment is needed to help smokers stop smoking. Among the pharmacological treatments available, nicotine-rep...

BACKGROUND Pharmacologic therapies have an important role in the success of interventions for smoking cessation. This study aims to determine the efficacy of several pharmacologic treatments in patients who applied to a smoking cessation clinic. METHODS This retrospective study includes 422 patients who presented to our smoking cessation clinic between January 2010 and June 2013, used the pha...

Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and cancer. Despite the high prevalence of smokers worldwide, smokers are often neglected and not offered effective assistance with quitting their habits. In order to overcome this public health burden, effective treatment is needed to help smokers stop smoking. Among the pharmacological treatments available, nicotine-rep...

The recent expansion of Nicotine Replacement Therapy to pregnant women and children ignores the fact that nicotine impairs, disrupts, duplicates and/or interacts with essential physiological functions and is involved in tobacco-related carcinogenesis. The main concerns in the present context are its fetotoxicity and neuroteratogenicity that can cause cognitive, affective and behavioral disorder...