Electronic cigarette will help you quit smoking cigarettes in six months

Most smokers would like to quit smoking forever, but it is almost impossible to do so without aids. New treatments for nicotine addiction include drug therapy, special patches and gum, as well as the use of e-cigarettes and other smokeless nicotine products.

According to a new study, e-cigarettes are more effective in helping smokers qu itor consume less nicotine in a safer way.According to the researchers, the study participants managed to quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes within six months.

E-cigarettes, varenicline, or nicotine gum?

According to a new randomized study by Chinese researchers, led by Zhao Liu, PhD, from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, e-cigarettes can help quit smoking more effectively than nicotine gum and varenicline.

The study involved 1068 participants from China who smoked more than 10 cigarettes daily. Participants were divided into 3 groups for 12 weeks of therapy with e-cigarettes, varenicline, and nicotine chewing gum.

After conducting a biochemical analysis after 6 months, the researchers found that the smoking cessation rate was 15.7% for those who used e-cigarettes; 14.2% for participants who took varenicline; and 8.8% for smokers who chewed nicotine gum.

Effectiveness of a moderate approach to smoking

Although varenicline showed about the same efficacy as e-cigarettes, 62.8% of participants in the e-cigarette group were still using the devices after 6 months, while participants in the other groups discontinued treatment and returned to smoking.

The experts noted that 7-8% of the study participants had minor side effects from e-cigarettes and nicotine gum, characterized by throat and mouth irritation. At the same time, 8.8% of participants in the varenicline group experienced nausea.

Taking into account the results of the study, Dorothy K. Hatsukami, PhD, from the University of Minnesota, said:

"A moderate approach is to recommend approved medications first. If that doesn't work, then inform the patient about the evidence-based efficacy of e-cigarettes, recognizing all their reservations," the expert said.

Researchers who were not involved in the study suggest that a combination of several forms of nicotine replacement therapy, such as chewing gum, patch, and e-cigarette, may be more effective than a single form. However, the authors of the study emphasize that more research is needed to clarify the role of combination therapy, as well as the benefits and harms of continued use of e-cigarettes.