May 20, 2024 – Lauren Rogers, a 23-year-old content creator, knew her vaping was causing the dizziness associated together with her POTS Diagnosis worse. But she couldn't stop.
“I was so addicted,” she said.
After watching videos online of former vape users sharing the advantages of being nicotine-freeRogers tried it herself. She was initially successful, but after a tough day she suffered a relapse and started Cigarettes.
For the estimated 11 million U.S. adults who wish to kick addictions like vaping, it could actually seem unimaginable to kick them. But a drug that has historically been used to assist people quit cigarette smoking may offer a glimmer of hope for individuals who wish to quit vaping.
Cytisinicline, a plant alkaloid, is analogous in structure to nicotine and interacts with Nicotine receptors within the brain and helps reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings related to vaping.
If approved, the drug could grow to be the primary FDA-approved treatment for vaping.
Study results
Cytisine has been in the marketplace for a while and is used as a smoking cessation aid in parts of Europe and Asia, but it surely has gained more attention in recent times as clinical trials and research have shown it to be effective and protected.
Of 160 adult e-cigarette users who participated in a brand new study, those that took cytisine over 12 weeks were greater than twice as more likely to successfully quit vaping in weeks 9 to 12 as those that took a placebo, 31.8% versus 15.1%, in response to recently published leads to JAMA Internal Medicine.Participants took 3 milligrams of cytisine or placebo tablets 3 times each day, and no serious unwanted side effects or adversarial events were reported.
Withdraw challenges
Nicotine withdrawal might be probably the most difficult aspect of quitting vaping. And for non-smokers who start vaping, quitting might be even tougher, especially due to addictive properties of nicotine, says Cindy Jacobs, MD, president and chief medical officer at Achieve Life Sciences, the Pharmaceutical companies behind cytisine.
Vaping technology can be becoming more sophisticated, and there are cool looking devices that contain fruit-flavored smoke.
Cytisine does bind to and activate nicotine receptors within the brain, but at a lower intensity than nicotine. In other words, this partial activation helps reduce nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms without producing the identical level of enjoyment related to nicotine.
Binding to those receptors also helps reduce cravings related to nicotine. The drug can even partially block the consequences of nicotine when an individual relapses, ultimately reducing the likelihood of a full relapse.
“You take cytisine and you don't feel that nicotine effect. When you stop, you don't have those severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms that force you to start again,” Jacobs said.
Dangers of vaping
Vaping is popular amongst young adults, a lot of whom began vaping as teenagers, in response to the study Main authorNancy Rigotti, MD, director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Many of them are at a point where they no longer want to be addicted to nicotine,” said Rigotti, a professor of medication at Harvard Medical School. “Or they are concerned about the potential long-term health effects of vaping and are thinking about quitting.”
Lung damage, Cardiovascular system Injuries and even possibly Cancer-causing chemicals in flavored vapes are only a few of the potential long-term health consequences of vaping, Jacobs said. There have been extreme health events related to vaping; recently 22-year-old man in North Dakota underwent a double lung transplant in connection along with his vaping and is now urging others to quit.