A set of “revolutionary” anti-smoking pills set to be launched on the NHS could be the best way to help quit vaping, research suggests.
Britons are embracing vaping in unprecedented numbers, with around one in ten adults estimated to be addicted to the habit.
However, while vaporizers are generally considered safer than cigarettes and a useful smoking cessation tool, surveys have found that about 8 percent of adult vapers have never smoked before.
Academics in the US and UK now believe two common smoking cessation tools recommended by health chiefs could prove vital in thwarting the habit.
Their landmark review of nine trials, involving more than 5,000 participants, found that the vareniclinen tablet, known as Champix, and text message-based interventions were the most effective.
Experts, who called the findings “important”, however warned that more research was still vital before this advice became more widely disseminated.
The daily varenicline pill was first marketed in the UK by Pfizer in 2006.
However, it was withdrawn in 2021 after it was found to contain elevated levels of the potentially carcinogenic compound N-nitroso-varenicline.
Britons are embracing vaping in unprecedented numbers, with around one in ten adults estimated to be addicted to the habit.
The daily pill was first marketed in the UK by Pfizer in 2006 under the brand name Champix.
But the drug, which triples your chance of quitting smoking, will soon be available again on the NHS – but will be manufactured by another pharmaceutical company, Teva UK.
“This is an area of research that is in its infancy, but is growing rapidly and organically from people who vape asking for help to stop vaping,” said the study’s lead author and assistant professor of health policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Jamie Hartmann. Boyce said.
“We also know that people who use vaping as a way to quit smoking are often interested in how they can quit smoking safely without relapsing into smoking, which is really important.”
Dr Ailsa Butler, lead author of the study and public health policy expert at the University of Oxford, added: “With the results of our Cochrane review, health professionals now have initial evidence of specific approaches they can recommend, particularly for younger people who want to quit smoking. vape
“However, we urgently need more research to explore these and other approaches.”
E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in the form of vapor, which is produced by heating a liquid that typically contains propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and other chemicals.
Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco nor do they produce tar or carbon, two of the most dangerous elements.
The effect of nicotine on the brain is well known: within 20 seconds of inhalation, it triggers the release of chemical messengers such as dopamine, associated with reward and pleasure.
Activists have long blamed predatory manufacturers for the growing crisis, claiming they are intentionally appealing to children with colorful packaging, compared to highlighter pens, and kid-friendly flavors like bubblegum and cotton candy.
But it also increases heart rate and blood pressure and causes blood vessels to constrict. This is because nicotine triggers the release of the hormone adrenaline.
Despite NHS bosses insisting it is safer than smoking, vaping is not without risks. E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and their long-term effects remain a mystery.
Experts worry that high nicotine content could raise blood pressure and cause other heart problems.
Doctors have expressed fears that there could be a wave of lung disease, dental problems and even cancer in the coming decades in people who adopted the habit at a young age.
In the study, varenicline was found to be “potentially effective for adults trying to quit vaping,” the researchers said.
However, due to the limited number of studies evaluating its impact specifically on vaping, more research is vital.
The scientists also found that programs designed to provide support through text messages appeared to be particularly effective for young people ages 13 to 24.
“The interventions tested are similar to those we know work to help people quit smoking,” Professor Hartmann-Boyce said.
“However, we don’t know if they necessarily help people stop vaping, and that’s why it’s important that we do these trials.”
Last April, a shock study warned that e-cigarettes may increase the risk of heart failure.
Another suggested that vaping triggers cellular changes that can cause cancer.
Last year, MailOnline also found that the number of adverse side effects related to vaping reported to UK regulators has exceeded 1,000, five of them fatal.
The extensive list includes everything from headaches to strokes. Members of the public and doctors can submit them.
In July, in the first global guideline setting out possible interventions to help people stop using tobacco products, the World Health Organization called the evidence on e-cigarettes “complex.”
Vaporizers cannot be recommended as a way to quit smoking because too little is known about the harms and benefits, the UN agency said.