STUDY: Big Pharma NRT Success Rate is 1.6%

[jamie]

Siegel notes a new study showing the one year abstinence rate with big pharma NRT is 1.6%. Yet, as he also notes in another recent commentary, formal tobacco Control guidelines provided to all physicians instruct that, "Numerous effective pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation now exist. Except in the presence of contraindications, these should be used with all patients attempting to quit smoking."

Conflicts of Interest with Big Pharma Influence Reporting of the Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Drug Treatment

Expert Panel on Smoking Cessation Also Had Severe Conflicts of Interest with Big Pharma


or just keep following his awesome blog at: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Jamie--I am not surprised at all--just ask any no-nicotine vaporer like myself why I still vape after 6 months. Why would I go though all this if there was not something more to it that I was addicted to then nicotine. It begs the question--why did we all start smoking in the first place? We did it as it is in and of itself a stress reduction method that works and is addictive ---IMO---Sun

 

[jamie]

True Sun. At one time I read an article about how the oxygen/brain effect of the inhale and exhale ritual is quite effective for stress reduction.

This is illlustrated effectively in films where they show a character going off somewhere, taking a drag off a cigarette and then sighing and looking off. Everyone knows what it signifies.

 

[Happy Jack]

Thanks, Jamie! Great image!

 

[Taelon]

In the movie "Where the Money is" from 1999 you can see Linda Fiorentino suffering from FDA "approved" J+J nicorette nicotine tablets

 

[lachesis]

I'm just wondering... what's the success rate of quitting smoking "cold turkey" - as most non-smokers say "only way to quit is going cold turkey".

I tried NRT 3 times and failed 3 times. 1st was the longest, that even after NRT, I was smoke free for about 3 month... till I went to Europe. (Damn you!! ) 2nd time... about 10 days. 3rd time, within 3days. 4th time... was cold turkey, as I found that NRT doesn't work for me... so I lied to my wife, and when she found out about my smoking, I almost got divorced.

I'm off over 24 hours without an analog so far. I'm getting the craves, but my e-cigs are helping me out tremendously. It's definitely the easiest quitting smoking by far, and I can see myself going very far with this.

 

[leaford]

According to another study following NRT users in the real world, the 6 month success rate was 5% on NRT, and 10% on cold turkey. IOW, NRT actually makes it HARDER to quit.

BTW, the NRT effectiveness studies were done with a control group using dummy patches, or gum or whatever, as a placebo, not against a cold turkey control group.

 

[Hangar]

yes, theres something obviously more addicting in cigarettes than just the nicotine alone...otherwise the patch and pills would work for most people (which it doesnt)...and also, if it were just nicotine...i wouldnt still be craving a couple of analogs per day even though smoking my ecigs (which actually yields me slightly MORE nicotine right now than my old analog habbit did).

its the feeling in the throat...and a good strong lingering cigarette-y aftertaste that keeps my analogs at bay for the most part. So theres definately more to cigarettes than just the nicotine.

 

[LaceyUnderall]

True Sun. At one time I read an article about how the oxygen/brain effect of the inhale and exhale ritual is quite effective for stress reduction.

also known as meditation. that's why i like to smoke... 5 minutes to stop, have a moment. inhale. exhale. relax. it's as relaxing as child's pose or downward facing dog.

 

[jamie]

According to another study following NRT users in the real world, the 6 month success rate was 5% on NRT, and 10% on cold turkey. IOW, NRT actually makes it HARDER to quit.

BTW, the NRT effectiveness studies were done with a control group using dummy patches, or gum or whatever, as a placebo, not against a cold turkey control group.

According to the Siegel-quoted study (a meta-analysis of existing studies), success drops around 5 points after the 6th month, so the study you quote - likely folded into that one - ends up about the same.

Anyway, your point the NRT 1.6% had a 0.4% rate for control group placebo. And those folks were getting all kinds of attention and (many) counseling support from "cessation experts". Yikes.

My interpretation of other info in the article that relates to cold turkey is that a cold turkey quit is more likely to be unplanned than NRT, and Siegel states that there is an overall higher success rate for unplanned quits than for planned quits (apparently whatever the means). That makes sense to me.

It doesn't surprise me that NRT users are frustrated by current NRT dosing, which is designed simply to draw out the craving/withdrawal process for a long period, albeit with slightly lesser symptoms. The few studies of combo-NRT, which provides for a higher and more individualize dosing, have shown better success rates throughout the first year. And of course, we see here how important it is that each user finds the right dose for their individual need even to stick with the ecig.