Smoking Hx / How to Quit

Taking a Smoking History

What to ask:

• Current number of cigarettes smoked per day
• How soon after waking is first cigarette smoked
• Other tobacco use
• Number of years smoked
• Triggers
• Quitting history
• Longest quit attempt
• Most recent quit attempt
• Withdrawal symptoms

http://makesmokinghistory.org/quitworks/docs/masshealth/IntakeAssessGuide.doc

Methods of quitting smoking:

• Cold Turkey
• Must overcome both physical/pharmacological addiction as well as psychological addiction.
• Physical addiction can be overcome after 100 hours without a cigarette.
• Gradual Reduction
• Although you are weaning yourself from addiction, you are still prolonging your exposure to the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco.
• Nicotine Replacement Therapy : NRT - Doubles chance of success
• Lower conc of nicotine. No tar, gasses
• Reduces craving and withdrawal symptoms
• Patches – continual low dose – suitable for people who smoke constantly throughout the day,
• gums, nasal spray, inhaler, lozenges and lollipops – hit of nicotine – suitable for people who smoke under stressfull situations or at certain times of the day
• Drugs:
• Bupropion – noradrenaline and dopamine RI + nicotinic antagonist. Antidepressant found later to be an aid in smoking cessation through rather unidentified means.
• Varenicline – Nicotinic receptor partial agonist (like NRT). As a partial agonist, it both reduces cravings for and decreases the pleasurable effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and through these mechanisms it can assist some patients in stopping smoking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varenicline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bupropion

http://ezinearticles.com/?Quitting-Smoking:-How-Long-Do-The-Cravings-Last&id=360120

http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/methods.htm