Treatments for tobacco addiction do work. Some individuals simply are able to stop smoking. Others need pharmacological treatment combined with behavioral treatment, including psychological support and skills training to overcome high-risk situations and achieve the highest long-term abstinence. Generally, rates of relapse for smoking cessation are highest in the first few weeks and months and diminish considerably after about 3 months.
Large-scale smoking cessation trials show that women are less likely to initiate quitting and may be more likely to relapse if they do quit. In programs using the NRT’s, such as the patch or gum, the nicotine does not seem to reduce craving as effectively for women as for men. Women are more concerned about weight gain which may contribute to women’s difficulty with quitting smoking. NIDA research has found that when women’s weight concerns were addressed during cognitive-behavioral therapy, they were more successful at quitting than women who were in a program that did not address these concerns.
An improved overall understanding of addiction and of nicotine as an addictive drug has been instrumental in developing medications and behavioral treatments for tobacco addiction, called Nicotine Replacement Treatments (NRT’s). Examples are the nicotine patch and gums, now readily available at drugstores and supermarkets nationwide. They have proven effective for smoking cessation when combined with behavioral therapy.
The primary therapeutic use of nicotine is in treating nicotine dependence (smoking). Controlled levels of nicotine are given to a patient through gums, dermal patches, or nasal sprays in an effort to wean them off of their dependence. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved nicotine chewing gum, the nicotine transdermal patch, sprays and inhalers.
Another tool in treating tobacco addiction is a medication that goes by the trade name Zyban. This is not a nicotine replacement, as are the gum and patch. This works on other areas of the brain, and its effectiveness is in helping to make nicotine craving, or thoughts about cigarette use, more controllable in people who are trying to quit.
Recent studies seem to indicate that nicotine can be used to help adults suffering from autosomal dominant frontal lobe epilepsy. The same areas that cause seizures in that form of epilepsy are also responsible for processing nicotine in the brain. Some research has also shown that nicotine can lessen symptoms of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.
Nicotine and its metabolites are being researched for the treatment of a number of disorders, including ADHD and Parkinson’s Disease.
