Quitting Smoking: How a Primary Care Visit Helps You Stop for Good

What it involves

MedlinePlus explains that smoking causes an addiction to nicotine, a stimulant drug in tobacco, which makes quitting difficult. It also says tobacco use is the most common preventable cause of death and that quitting can improve both the quality and length of your life.

Who this is for

• Patients who smoke and want to stop but have not found a method that works
• Patients who are not ready yet but want to know what quitting involves
• Patients with a cough, high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease who know smoking makes it worse
• Family members trying to support someone who is quitting

What to expect

• A direct, non-judgmental question about tobacco use, which national guidelines list as a routine question for every adult
• A conversation about how much you smoke, your past attempts, and what got in the way
• A review of options, including counseling and medicines that may suit your health and other medicines
• Follow-up visits to adjust the plan, since many people need more than one try

What improves first

MedlinePlus lists several early benefits of stopping: a lower heart rate and blood pressure, less carbon monoxide in the blood, better circulation, less coughing and wheezing, and the return of the sense of smell and taste. In the long term it says quitting can help you live longer, and that your risk of cancer decreases with each year you stay smoke-free. Blood pressure is a good place to see the change, and the blood pressure readings guide explains the numbers.

Why smoking harms so many organs

MedlinePlus says smoking is the leading cause of cancer in the United States and harms most organs of the body. Secondhand smoke can increase cancer risk for others, and if you are pregnant it can harm the fetus. Smoking is the main risk for narrowed leg arteries, discussed in the peripheral artery disease guide, and for lung disease, covered in the COPD guide. The heart is affected too, as the heart disease risk guide explains.

Methods that are used

MedlinePlus lists counseling with a provider about your habits and readiness and setting a quit date, nicotine replacement products or medicines to reduce nicotine addiction, and reducing the number of cigarettes slowly or stopping all at once. It says you may need to try different things, and that a mix of counseling and quit-smoking medicine has been shown to be the best method. Medicines and nicotine products may not be right during pregnancy or breastfeeding, for teenagers, or with certain medical issues, which is why they go through a provider.

What about vaping

Some people think switching to e-cigarettes can help them quit, but MedlinePlus says that has not been proven. It adds that researchers still have a lot to learn about the health effects of using e-cigarettes. If you vape or use both, mention it at your visit, because it affects how a provider plans a quit attempt.

Withdrawal and how to ride it out

When you stop or cut back, MedlinePlus says you may have short-term effects such as irritability, anxiety, moodiness, weight gain, or trouble sleeping. These are called withdrawal symptoms, and a provider can help reduce them and find the best way for you to quit. Mood changes that linger are worth raising, and the anxiety guide and insomnia guide explain what else can be behind them.

Keeping it going

Many people try several times before it lasts, and a slip is not a failure. Telling the people around you, removing cigarettes and ashtrays from the home and car, and planning for the moments you used to smoke are common steps. Ask at the end of each visit when to come back, and mention any cough that does not improve, which the persistent cough guide describes.

Sources

• MedlinePlus — Quitting Smoking
• MedlinePlus — Smoking