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?

Image: iStockphoto

Reader Consult: Would You Get Medical Care at Walmart?

Walmart wants to make a big push into primary health care — or does it?

As NPR and Kaiser Health News report, the retailing behemoth has sent out a 14-page request for information seeking vendors to help it become the “largest provider of primary healthcare services” in the U.S. That, Walmart says in its request, will expand access to health care while lowering costs — while “maintaining or improving outcomes.”

The WSJ reports that a Walmart spokesman confirmed the proposal is authentic but “preliminary.” And a statement from John Agwunobi, senior vice president and president of Walmart U.S. Health & Wellness, says the RFI is “overwritten and incorrect. We are not building a national, integrated, low-cost primary care health care platform.”

Walmart’s RFI said it’s interested in offering services including managing and monitoring chronic conditions including diabetes, asthma and HIV infection, as well as offering diagnostic services like allergy testing, PSA testing and pregnancy testing. It also asked vendors about providing preventive services like vaccines, health and wellness programs such as weight management, and some acute care exams.

Readers, would you be interested in getting those types of services at Walmart?

Image: Bloomberg News