Medications to Aid Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation is a difficult process; physicians can help patients by providing brief counseling and by recommending the use of pharmacotherapies. Nicotine replacement therapy is available in 5 forms: gum, patch, inhaler, nasal spray, and lozenge. Nicotine replacement therapy is safe to use in most patients-including those with coronary artery disease-and, if used correctly, can approximately double the proportion of patients who achieve abstinence. The antidepressants nortriptyline and sustained-release bupropion will also nearly double the quit rate. Some patients may benefit from combination therapy.