Stop Smoking - Nicotine Lollipops

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The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Have you quit smoking yet? Don’t stop reading because this will be yet another preachy person sticking their nose in my business about my decision to smoke. From the pharmacy business point of view, I want you to keep smoking. Smokers spend much more money in the pharmacy than non-smokers.

Smoking is the number 1 cause of premature death in North America. Now dead people aren’t good for business, but thankfully, smokers usually get sick before they die. A heart attack which kills the smoker is bad news, but if we are lucky, maybe the smoker will get a debilitating stroke. Stroked out smokers who can’t feed themselves, use the toilet by themselves, or walk by themselves get lots of health problems that need medications.

Even before something as drastic as a stroke, smokers are good for the pocket book.. Smoking decreases the blood flow to the skin, and this leads to leathery-looking skin and increased wrinkling. So, smokers are good for cosmetic sales. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to get cataracts -an eye problem that can lead to blindness. There will be eye drop sales to smokers with cataracts. Smoking is the main reason people get cancer in the mouth. If we are lucky, a doctor, a dentist and a pharmacist should all make mula on a mouth cancer smoker. Smoking makes it harder for your saliva to remove germs in your mouth. Smokers get stains, bad breath, and a higher chance of gum disease. Again, dentists and pharmacists should make more bucks on smokers. Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to develop psoriasis - a disfiguring red and silver rash that can occur anywhere on your body. We can sell smokers creams for that. Smokers are more prone to stomach ulcers. Smoker’s ulcers don't heal as fast, and they're more likely to recur. We have expensive stomach pills to sell smokers for those ulcers. Finally, guys, smoking causes impotence. Viagra sales are great to smokers.

Of course I am not serious about wanting to make money off of smokers. As a health care professional, I want you to have a healthy life. Smoking reduces the chances of a healthy life.

So, you have decided to quit, but you want something to reduce your cravings. Nicotine replacement is now available as a patch, gum, or an inhaler. There is also a prescription pill called Zyban. It doesn’t have nicotine in it and works on brain chemicals that have to do with addiction. Many people have already tried the nicotine patch, the nicotine gum and the prescription pill Zyban. Maybe its time to try something different. How about a Nicotine Lollipop? Nicotine Lolli’s are items that we can customize for people under the direction of their doctor.

At the moment we make 2mg and 4mg Nicotine Lollipops in about 6 different flavors, but again we can customize the flavor or the strength under the direction of your doctor. The idea behind the Nicotine Lollipop is the same as the nicotine gum or nicotine patch, we are putting some of the nicotine back into your system that the cigarette used to provide. This will help reduce (not eliminate) the cravings for cigarettes. The added bonus is psychological. People who have used the Lollipop say they like that they are still putting something in their mouth like they used to do with cigarettes.

How do you use the Nicotine Lollipop and how long does it last? This will vary person to person, but in general one Lollipop will last about 1/2 a pack of cigarettes. During your regular cigarette break you put the Lollipop in your mouth for about 5 minutes or until the craving passes (whichever is less) and then you reseal the Lollipop in our special child proof container and put it away until your next craving. What strength of Lollipop do I need? Your doctor will help you choose when they write the prescription, but usually the 2mg Lollipop is for 1 or less packs a day, and the 4 mg is for people who smoke more than a pack a day. Finally, the Lollipop can be used with the pill Zyban if your doctor chooses.

Dauphin has many people interested in helping you to quit. The Health Dauphin Tobacco Reduction Committee (629-3001) sent all the health care professionals the following list of quit smoking resources:

Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance Inc. http://www.mantrainc.ca/
Booklets
· One Step at a time (Canadian Cancer Society) 1-888-532-6982
· Get On Track (Manitoba Lung Association) 1-888-566-5864
· On the Road to Quitting (Health Canada) 1-800-O-Canada
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.