Smoking

Quit smoking for good with clinically proven treatments.

Effective medications can help you finally kick the habit.

There's no doubt about it: smoking is very bad for your health. It's also highly addictive; more so than some illegal narcotics like cocaine and heroin. Millions of people try to quit smoking every year, but it's estimated that about 90% of them will be smoking again within 12 months.

Smoking cessation is tough and even though there are a number of treatment options, many people still find it extremely difficult to quit once and for all. If you have struggled to quit smoking before, or are thinking of quitting smoking for the first time, there are prescription treatments such as Champix, which can help you become smoke free once and for all.

Why should I quit smoking?

In case you're not already familiar with the dangers of cigarettes, here are a just a few of the reasons why it's a good idea to quit smoking:

• Smokers are very vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases, which can lead to a heart attack, stroke and paralysis
• Smoking causes lung cancer: 90% of all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Only 0.5% of people who never smoke develop this disease
• Smoking can also cause cancer of the kidneys, pancreas, oesophagus, bladder and cervix
• Smoking causes breathing difficulties such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis
• Smoking can raise blood pressure and lead to hypertension
• Smokers are more likely to experience fertility problems
• Smoking can damage the lives of friends and family if they inhale second-hand smoke

How should I quit smoking?

Achieving smoking cessation can be challenging whichever way you choose to do it. There are a number of different options available for you to try, each one with its own benefits and drawbacks:

Stopping outright

This is sometimes called 'going cold turkey'. This is the simplest way to give-up, but also the method most likely to result in relapses as no smoking cessation treatment is used. Because you stop outright you are more likely to experience bad withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, insomnia and depression, as well as intense cravings for cigarettes.

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy helps you to achieve smoking cessation by supplementing your body with small doses of nicotine, reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings for cigarettes. Although it can double your chances of quitting smoking, its success rate is still relatively low, at around 16 to 17%.

Professional help

Speaking to your GP or a counsellor can improve your chances of achieving smoking cessation. This can help you to learn better tactics for giving up and can help you to find support during the most difficult times after quitting as well as provide information about smoking cessation treatments. For every 100 smokers who quit with the help of a counsellor, 18 stay smoke free for over six months.

Prescription treatment

There are two prescription medications for smoking cessation treatment: Zyban and Champix. They both work by influencing the receptors in your brain that respond to smoking, reducing its pleasurable effects and quashing cravings. Patients taking Zyban can double their chances of smoking cessation over those who quit by willpower alone, while those taking Champix are four times more likely to become smoke free.

How can Champix help me to quit smoking?

Champix is a prescription smoking cessation treatment. It contains the active ingredient varenicline which can help you, firstly, by stimulating the same receptors in your brain as nicotine. This relieves the cravings and withdrawal symptoms you experience when you quit. Secondly, it blocks nicotine's effect on these receptors so that if you smoke, you won't experience any pleasure from doing it.

Champix is taken over a 12-week course and is currently the most successful form of smoking cessation treatment. You can obtain a prescription for Champix at Onlineclinic after you complete one of our online consultations. All consultations are examined by a doctor, so that you can be sure you are safe for this medication. Your treatment will then be dispatched from our pharmacy for overnight delivery.