Smokers quit more and more often with the help of medicines | Interior

In addition to substitutes (such as nicotine gum and patches), the medicines varenicline and bupropion are especially prescribed. Fernicline in particular is often used. The drug nortriptyline is also prescribed, but is not suitable for all patients. Clients are not advised who have had a heart attack, for example, according to the MEB medicine authority.

“In recent years I have seen more and more patients who come to see me for help with quitting smoking. As a general practitioner, I am always the first to recommend behavioral support for smoking cessation, supplemented with any nicotine replacement products. Finally, I look at whether it is necessary to prescribe other medicines. However, these drugs can also have side effects, some of which are serious, “said Janneke Belo, general practitioner and member of the MEB.

Between 2012 and 2017, an average of 315 GP practices participated in the study each year, with an average of one million patients.

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