Tobacco smoking cessation aids

Nicotine replacement medications have been used for over two decades to help smokers quit. However, nicotine delivery from medications could potentially be improved by formulations that better mimic the effects of tobacco-delivered nicotine. Antidepressants such as bupropion have also been shown to aid smoking cessation. Bupropion was initially studied for smoking cessation based upon anecdotal reports... 

Lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco) contains lobeline and other pyridine alkaloids. It has been used as an emetic, antidepressant, respiratory stimulant, an aid to smoking cessation, and a treatment for metamfetamine abuse (1). 

Another efficient modality for smoking cessation is bupropion.The antidepressant activity of bupropion is achieved through its effects on the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain (the effects of bupropion are mediated by blocking the reuptake of both dopamine and norepinephrine ). These effects are thought to underlie its positive results in clinical trials of patients with tobacco dependence (bupropion about doubles long-term abstinence rates compared with placebo). Increased brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine would be expected to counteract the deficiency of these neurotransmitters during nicotine withdrawal and thereby aid in smoking cessation. 

Knowledge of the seriousness of adverse health effects due to tobacco use is helpful in motivating a user to quit, as well as maintaining abstinence. Physicians who advise their patients to quit smoking can produce cessation rates of 5-10%. Thus, education plays a critical role in tobacco cessation for all ages. A variety of self-help materials (books, tapes, pamphlets, newsletters, software, and Internet sites) are available to inform and aid in quitting tobacco use. 

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