Tobacco
Cessation Program at Island Drug and La Conner Drug
We are
very excited to be able to offer this important program to help make our
community smoke free!
According to
the American Lung Association, an estimated 392,000 people die each year in the
US from tobacco-caused disease, making it the leading cause of preventable
death. Another 50,000 people die each year from second hand smoke.
Smoking cost the
United States over $193 billion in 2004, including $97 billion in lost
productivity and $96 billion in direct health care expenditures, or an average
of $4,260 per adult smoker.
Smoking causes and
contributes to a myriad of diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema), coronary heart
disease, stroke, cataracts, pneumonia, periodontitis, and bladder, esophageal,
laryngeal, lung, oral, throat, cervical, kidney, stomach, and pancreatic
cancers; and these are only a handful of complications and conditions that can
arise from tobacco use or being exposed to secondhand smoke.
There are so many
benefits to quitting, but here are a few that may surprise you:
-
After 24
hours of quitting your chance of a heart attack decreases
-
After 5 years
of quitting your chance of stroke is reduced to that of people who have never
smoked
-
After 15
years your risk of death returns to the level of people who have never smoked
-
If you smoke
1 pack of cigarettes per day, you’re spending between $120-180 a month which
is $1440 – 2160 per year
-
You won’t be
poisoning non-smokers that are exposed to your secondhand smoke
We know quitting is
hard; tobacco dependence is a chronic disease that often requires repeated
intervention and multiple attempts to quit. Effective treatments exist, however,
that can significantly increase rates of long-term abstinence. According to
recent tobacco cessation guidelines developed by the US Department of Health and
Human Services, individual, group, and telephone counseling are effective, and
their effectiveness increases with treatment intensity. Our new service will
provide that intensity in the form of three one-on-one counseling (more if it’s
needed) in which behavior modification strategies are discussed, stress
management is reviewed and a treatment plan tailored to the smokers needs is
made. We also will be making phone calls for following up or support.
We also have the
ability to prescribe the common medications used to take the edge off of
withdrawals and help make the quitting process easier. Nicotine replacement
therapy includes nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhaler and nasal spray.
These products will provide the nicotine your body craves so you don’t
experience withdrawal symptoms. You should not smoke while using any of these
products or nicotine overdose can occur. Bupropion sustained release tablets,
commonly used for depression, is also effective for tobacco cessation.
Another really effective medication, and the newest, is Chantix. This drug has
two different kinds of effects on the nicotine receptor; it stimulates it to
stave off cravings and blocks it at the same time so that smoking doesn’t give
you any feelings of pleasure. It has been shown to be the most effective with
higher abstinence rates at 3, 6 and 12 months after quitting. Because we can
prescribe these medications directly, there’s no waiting to hear back from
primary care providers.
Again, medications
are great to use to help deal with the physical addiction, but behavior changes
also need to be made to overcome the psychological addiction. In some cases,
avoiding an activity all together might need to be done for awhile until urges
and cravings are at a minimum. Coping mechanisms become important by replacing
the bad habit by a good habit; they can also be great distracters from the urge
to smoke. Through our program, smokers will learn coping mechanisms and stress
management techniques that will help overcome the addiction of smoking.
Island Drug and La
Conner Drug are committed to promoting the health and well-being of the
community we serve. We believe that this program coupled with a willingness to
finally quit and make healthier choices, we can significantly reduce the risk of
tobacco related diseases and make lives better. If you or someone you know
would like to quit, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our pharmacies for
information on this important service.
Resources:
-
FREE Online
Smoking Cessation Log.
This is a very helpful tool in the quitting process. You log all the
cravings, cigarettes smoked or not smoked, and associated activities and times
of day. The info that gets collected is then able to be printed out and
analyzed. Look for this icon on our website,
www.laconnerdrug.com and create a FREE and private profile today!
- Please
click here to listen to a podcast on this topic where one of our
pharmacists expands on the medications and statistics and our program
referenced above.
-
Island Drug &
LaConner Drug Smoking Cessation Program
For
$130 (just $100 for our prescription customers), or about a month’s worth of
cigarette costs, you receive the following:
- Three
sessions of one-on-one time with one of our pharmacists.
- Before
and after lab values; cholesterol, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart
rate.
- Take
home resources and information
- Follow
up calls with our pharmacists
-
Prescriptions for smoking cessation medications as appropriate (cost of
medicine not included)
i.
We will update your primary care provider on all medications so
your chart at their office is up to date.
References:
1.
American Lung
Association.
www.lungusa.com
2.
Smoking and Tobacco
Use. Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
www.cdc.gov/tobacco
3.
“Prescription to
Quit.” Washington State Pharmacy Association.
Dent
L.A., Scott J.G., Lewis E. “Pharmacists-Managed Tobacco Cessation Program in
Veterans Health Administration Community Based Outpatient Clinic. Journal of
American Pharmacists Association. 2004; 44 (6): 700-715.