PMID: 11899682Mar 20, 2002Paper

Nicotine substitution therapy: 10 years later

La Presse médicale
G LagrueS Lormier

Abstract

To be efficient, nicotine substitution therapy (NST) must be part of a global strategy comprising several stages. The first consists in evaluating and re-enforcing motivation, since smoking cessation is impossible unless the patient is clearly motivated. The second stage is the withdrawal period that lasts for several days or months. NST is the first medicinal treatment that has demonstrated its efficacy in controlled studies: it reduces the withdrawal syndrome and doubles the chances of success at the end of the standard 3-month treatment. Recent studies have shown that the results can be improved: by adapting the dose to the degree of dependency and by using higher doses and/or associating two types of nicotine substitutes; by prolonging NST for as long as the withdrawal syndrome persists; by treating the anxiety and depression, often present in heavy smokers. The third stage is aimed at avoiding relapses, by ensuring prolonged follow-up and treating the various possible causes: eating disorders and weight gain, acute or chronic stress, depression, environment.... At all the stages of care, behavioural and cognitive therapy enhances the chances of success.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.

Related Papers

Tidsskrift for den Norske lægeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny række
S Tonstad
Casopís lékar̆ů c̆eských
A MolyneuxV Himmerová
Ugeskrift for laeger
Steffen Thirstrup PedersenMartin Døssing
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved