Effectiveness of pharmacologic therapies on smoking cessation success: Results of three years of smoking cessation clinic

Background:This study aimed to determine the efficacy of several pharmacologic treatments in patients who applied to a smoking cessation clinic. Methods: This retrospective study included 422 patients who presented to our smoking cessation clinic between January 2010 and June 2013, used the pharmacologic treatment as prescribed and completed one-year follow-up period. All patients were assessed using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and received both behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. Patients smoking status at one year was learned by telephone interview. Results: The patients were 24.3% female and 75.7% male with a mean age of 38. Patients were divided into three groups: varenicline (166 patients), bupropion (148 patients) and nicotine replacement therapy (108 patients). These groups smoking cessation rates were 32.5%, 23% and 52.8%, respectively, and were statistically significant. The overall success rate was 35%. Further analysis revealed that pharmacologic therapy and gender (p=0.01) were factors that showed statistically significant effects on smoking cessation rates. Males had higher success rates than females. Lack of determination emerged as the most important factor leading to relapse. Conclusion: Nicotine replacement therapy was found to be more effective at promoting abstinence from smoking than other pharmacologic therapies.