Chantix too risky? Learn what other smoking cessation resources are available

Medications are supposed to help patients get well—but what happens when they have the potential to cause patients harm? A recent study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, along with researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of East Anglia, shows that using varenicline (whose brand name is Chantix) is associated with a 72% increased risk of hospitalization as a result of a serious cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or an arrhythmia. One of the reasons that people quit smoking is because they want to reduce their risk of heart disease, yet varenicline—one of the most commonly-used drugs to aid people in quitting smoking—appears to be associated with one of the very diseases that people are trying to avoid by taking the drug in the first place.

If you want to quit smoking but don’t want to risk taking medications that are associated with adverse cardiovascular events, there are a number of other resources available to you. Below is a comprehensive list of resources that includes written information about tobacco cessation, smartphone apps, how to obtain individualized counseling, in-depth information about smoking cessation medications, and more.

NCI Smoking Quitline at 1–877–44U–QUIT (1–877–448–7848) provides individualized counseling, printed information, and referrals to other sources.View this NCI fact sheet, "Where To Get Help When You Decide To Quit Smoking": http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/tobacco/help-quitting

SmokeFREE.gov resources
This Web site is dedicated to helping you quit smoking: http://www.smokefree.gov/

National Cancer Institute resources

http://www.smokefree.gov/

is a Web site created by NCI’s Tobacco Control Research Branch; check out their Step-by-Step Quit Guide.

Smokefree QuitGuide app for your smartphone: http://www.smokefree.gov/apps/
"Help for Smokers and Other Tobacco Users" is a free booklet created by the US Department of Health and Human Services packed with tips on how to quit:

http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/tobacco/helpsmokers.htm

"FDA 101: Smoking Cessation Products" is an article put out by the Food and Drug Administration that discusses the variety of approved products, both over-the-counter and prescription, that can help you quit smoking.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm198176.htm
Your employer.

Many employers offer tobacco cessation programs as part of the employee benefits package. One such program is

Health Advocate’s Tobacco Cessation

program. This 13-week program provides employees with unlimited one-on-one support from trained specialists. Check with your employer to find out if they offer Health Advocate’s Tobacco Cessation program or any other smoking cessation initiatives.

American Cancer Society

http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GuidetoQuittingSmoking/index
Their website includes a guide to quitting smoking.

American Heart Association

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/QuitSmoking/Quit-Smoking_UCM_001085_SubHomePage.jsp
1-800-AHA-USA1

BecomeAnEX.org http://www.becomeanex.org/This website features a free, online plan to help you quit smoking.

American Lung Association http://www.lungusa.org/
1-800-LUNG-USA