QUITTING smoking is never easy, but a team of researchers have unveiled the aids most likely to make you quit.
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| Common cessation aids have been put to the test |
From hypnotism to chewing gum - there are plenty of methods and techniques aimed at helping a smoker try and stub out the habit, but with so many available it might be confusing as to which one to choose.
Scientists set out to discover the answer and have revealed the most effective three stop-smoking aids.
The nicotine patch, the prescription drug varenicline and combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) were all listed as equally effective and only small differences were measures between the three.
At 12 months, 20.8 per cent of patch wearers were clean of smoking in the past seven days, 19.1 per cent of varenicline takers and 20.2 per cent of those on NRT.
Despite this good news, those taking varenicline were more likely to experience side-effects, and participants recorded insomnia, constipation and indigestion.
The authors say that their study suggests nicotine patches are just as effective as prescription drugs.
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| Nicotine patches were found to be marginally the most effective |
They added: “The results raise questions about the relative effectiveness of intense smoking pharmacotherapies.”
The study involved over a thousand smokers who were given one of the cessation aids for 12 weeks. After six and 12 months, participants reported their success rate and underwent carbon monoxide testing.
The NHS say giving up smoking is the biggest single step you can take to improve your health.
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| Quitting smoking dramatically reduces your heart disease risk |
After just three months, they say your breathing will have improved and by one year your risk of heart attack and heart disease will have fallen to about HALF that of a smoker.
If you want to quit you can either contact the NHS Stop Smoking Service or contact your GP.
The research will be published in JAMA.
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