In smokers who lapse during nicotine patch treatment, continued patch use increases the likelihood of recovering abstinence
- Division of Primary Care, UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Correspondence to: Tim Coleman
, Division of Primary Care, UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG72RD, UK; tim.coleman{at}nottingham.ac.uk
Commentary on Ferguson SG, Gitchell JG, Shiffman S. Continuing to wear nicotine patches after smoking lapses promotes recovery of abstinence. Addiction 2012;107:1349–53.
Implications for practice and research
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Quitting smokers who use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are often advised to stop using this if they restart smoking; quitters often discontinue NRT after brief smoking lapses.
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Quitters who continue using NRT during brief lapses may be more likely to return to abstinence.
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Treating lapses with NRT probably encourages short-term cessation; research should investigate this further and test the impact on smokers’ long-term abstinence and health gain.
Context
Smoking is the greatest reversible cause of morbidity and mortality; cessation is the most important lifestyle change for improving future health. NRT is the most widely used cessation treatment, but 75% of those who attempt cessation will restart smoking within 1 year.1 Treatments which stop brief lapses from becoming chronic relapse to smoking could increase treatment success.
Methods
Ferguson and colleagues conducted subgroup analyses of data from a …
