EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FREE NICOTINE PATCH THERAPY IN A CHARITY CLINIC FOR SMOKING CESSATION
Abstract: The purpose of this
study was to evaluate the efficacy of a free nicotine- patch therapy for
smoking cessation in Saudi smokers. A single centered prospective study was
carried out in a charity clinic for smoking cessation in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. A total of 31 subjects who
attended the smoking cessation clinic from June 2014 to August 2014 were
studied. All participants were male and their mean age was 31.1±6.4 years. The
duration of history of smoking was 12.9±6.8 years. The nicotine- patch therapy
outcomes were measured at baseline and at 6 weeks after using nicotine- patch
therapy. At base line the number of cigarettes per day was 27±10 and carbon
monoxide (CO) level was 20.2±8.3. The analyzed statistics revealed that there
were significant decreased in the number of cigarette per day (p=0.001) and
Carbon Monoxide (CO) level (p=0.001) over 6 weeks of nicotine- patch therapy.
After 6 weeks of therapy, abstinence rate was 58 % (verified by CO level) and
no serious adverse reactions were documented. The most common side effects were
nausea, headache and local irritation sings. In addition, our finding revealed
that smokers were likely to suffer from withdrawal symptoms following trying to
quit. These withdrawal symptoms include sleep disturbance, loss of
concentration and weight gain as well as irritability. Results of this study
show that free nicotine-patch therapy is an effective measure for smoking
cessation in Saudi population.
Keywords: nicotine patch
therapy, smoking cessation clinic, side effects
Author: SYED WAJID ALI, Sultan
Alghadeer Alghadeer, Mohammed N Alarifi, Salmeen D Babelghaith
Journal Code: jpfarmasigg160042
