Introduction: Cigarette smoking can damage every organ in the body and is the leading known preventable cause of death globally. It is estimated that 70% of patients want to quit, and about 50% report a quit attempt in the past year, yet only 4-7% are successful. These low quit rates represent the importance of appropriate treatment for smoking cessation through behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic means.
Areas covered: Pharmacotherapy approximately doubles patients' chances of quitting, and the first-line approved pharmacotherapetuic options include nicotine gum, lozenge, patch, nasal spray, and inhaler, sustained-release bupropion, and varenicline. Second-line therapies include nortriptyline and clonidine. Recent evidence suggests a potential role for cytisine and naltrexone. Healthcare providers play an important role in helping patients quit smoking; therefore, a clear understanding of appropriate dosing, regimen, technique, disadvantages, advantages, warnings/precautions, and contraindications for available pharmacotherapeutic options is essential.
Expert opinion: To improve chances of success, providers should consider patient preferences and prior experiences with quitting, provide medication-specific counseling for the selected therapy, and encourage adherence with the behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic treatment regimen.
Keywords: Smoking cessation; bupropion; nicotine gum; nicotine inhaler; nicotine lozenge; nicotine nasal spray; nicotine patch; nicotine replacement therapy; tobacco cessation; varenicline.