Men’s health centre

Nicotine is so addictive that many smokers who want to stop just can't give up cigarettes. Even with help, stopping can be hard. You may need to try several times before you stop for good.

The main thing is to keep trying and to get help if you need it. There are several treatments available, and your GP or pharmacist will be happy to help.

Key points about treatments to help you stop smoking

• There are several good treatments to help smokers stop.

• Getting professional help from your doctor, a nurse, or a trained counsellor can help you stop smoking.

• If you smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day, nicotine replacement can help you give up. Nicotine patches, gum, nasal spray, lozenges, tablets that you put under your tongue, and sprays are all forms of this treatment.

• A drug called bupropion (brand name Zyban) helps many people give up smoking.

• A drug called varenicline (brand name Champix) may work better than bupropion.

• The NHS offers a smoking helpline, which smokers and their families can call for free, expert advice. It's open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. The number is 0800 022 4 332.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations about treatments to the government, has published guidance on how doctors and nurses can help people give up smoking. ^[40] It says that people who are interested in giving up smoking should be referred to a local NHS Stop Smoking service or a similar programme, or be offered nicotine replacement therapy or other drugs to help them give up.

How to get smoking cessation treatments on the NHS

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (or NICE for short), the government body that decides which treatments should be available on the NHS, has approved the use of nicotine replacement therapy (sometimes called NRT), bupropion, and varenicline to help people stop smoking. Your GP can prescribe these treatments to help you stop smoking only if: ^[41]

• You have a target stop date. This means you have made a commitment to stop smoking on or before a certain date

• You're also offered counselling and support

• You're over 12 years of age for NRT, or over 18 for bupropion or varenicline. ^[42] Bupropion and varenicline aren't licensed for use by young people.

Your first prescription will be enough to last only two weeks after your target stop date. You'll be given a second prescription only if you show you're still trying to stop.

You'll have to wait six months for another prescription if your attempt to stop fails. But if something stressful happened that interfered with your attempt to stop, you may be able to try again sooner.

You won't be given NRT and tablets together. You need to decide with your doctor whether NRT, varenicline, or bupropion is the best treatment for you.

You can also buy NRT products from a pharmacy. But if you don't pay for your NHS prescriptions, you may find it helpful to have them on prescription from your doctor.