Reader Consult: Did Nicotine Replacement Products Help You Quit Smoking?

Attention former smokers: did the patch help you quit?

A study published earlier this week casts doubt on whether nicotine-replacement products like gum, nasal sprays and the patch help reduce relapse rates in the real world — that is, outside of clinical trials.

As the WSJ reports, a survey of smokers who quit found that those who used those products were no less likely to relapse than those who tried to stop without the help of nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT.

Clinical trials have shown the products help increase the odds of quitting, the WSJ reports. But studies of how the products perform once they’re in use in the general population haven’t produced the same results.

A CDC report released in November found that nearly 69% of adult smokers wanted to quit in 2010 and more than half tried, but only 6.2% succeeded.

Tom Glynn, director of science and trends at the American Cancer Society, weighed in on the findings in a blog post earlier this week:

I?m not surprised at the results of this study, because evidence is accumulating that smokers who use NRT do not often use it as directed, nor do they use it long enough to stave off relapse, suggesting that we need to better educate NRT users and the physicians and pharmacists who recommend it.

We also need to consider recent evidence that shows that NRT for many people is more effective when used longer than the 12 weeks currently on the package inserts, and convince the FDA to modify its current recommendation so that it will be maximally effective.

As the WSJ reports, the FDA is looking at whether to extend its recommendation on how long smokers attempting to quit should use NRT, but there’s no timetable for a decision.

Okay, Health Blog readers. What’s your experience been with nicotine-replacement products? Did they help you quit smoking?

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