Do Anti-Smoking Pills Really Work?

There has been a lot of debate recently as to whether or not smoking pills (i.e. tablets which help you to stop smoking) actually work. A number of studies have concluded that they do and a few other studies have found that they don't.

So which is it? Which study should we believe over the other, and why? We look a close look at each of the applicable studies, and we think we've got the answers.

Smoking Cessation Pills Do Work

Let's first start with the studies showing that anti-smoking pills don’t work - because the studies actually prove themselves wrong.

A review of the studies coming to this conclusion all show that the scientific process behind each individual study was flawed. In other words, the conclusion was reached in a way that would not stack up under scrutiny.

Hence, we needed to see if the tests proving that smoking pills did work also fell victim to this problem. Good news - they don't. The studies which concluded that smoking pills and patches do work were all carried out properly, and showed the following things:

• Smoking patches are more effective than pills.
• Users were 5 times more likely to give up with the help of a cessation drug.
• Relapse was equally as unlikely.
• No adverse side effects of cessation drugs were reported.

This is extraordinary news. Not only does it mean that smoking pills and patches are a suitable and reliable replacement for smoking nicotine, they are also a safe alternative which can be used by almost anyone.

Pills vs Patches

So, which product wins the competition - pills or patches? It would seem that in 9 out of 10 cases, it's the pills. Why? Because pills are more effective at providing the necessary chemicals to the brain to curb the smoking cravings.

This is in stark contrast to an issue such as weight loss, where it is actually patches which are better at delivering the necessary ingredients to the brain. With smoking however, more of the active ingredients are absorbed from the intestines, and therefore because of the intense power of nicotine in the brain, a more successful effect can be achieved to stop the smoking.

So - if you're looking for a smoking cessation aid, a good place to start looking is in the anti-smoking pill isle. You'll be sure to find something effective in there.