Why stop smoking?

BMJ Group Medical Reference

If you have COPD and smoke, you can slow down the damage it does to your lungs if you stop smoking.

Everybody's lungs naturally work less well as they get older. But if you have COPD and smoke too, the extra damage smoking does will make your lungs get worse faster.

Recommended Related to COPD

Questions to ask your doctor

Here are some things you may want to talk to your doctor about if you have (or think you may have) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). How can you tell if I have COPD? What do my test results mean? What treatment should I have? How will the treatments help me? Does my treatment have any side effects? What should I do if I get any of these side effects? How often should I come back to see you if my ...

Read the Questions to ask your doctor article > >

If you stop smoking, your lungs will still get weaker, but not as fast as they would if you kept smoking.^[1]

A lot of products are available now that can help you stop smoking.

Nicotine gums and skin patches replace some of the nicotine you miss when you stop smoking. You can buy some of these products in pharmacies and supermarkets.
Another treatment that has helped a lot of people is a drug called bupropion (brand name Zyban). You'll need a prescription from your doctor to get this medicine. Bupropion doesn't give you any nicotine, but it cuts down your cravings for it.^[2]^[3]
Varenicline (brand name Champix) is a newer drug that aims to help you stop smoking. Research shows that it works, but for some people it might cause severe mood swings as a side effect.^[4]

For more about these treatments and how to give up smoking, see our section on smoking.

Citations

For references related to Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease click here.

Last Updated: January 07, 2011

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.