According to a study, it is found that plant-based substance cytisine may be more beneficial than nicotine replacement treatment and enhances the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking by more than double when compared to a placebo.
New Year – New Resolution :
As we embark upon a new year, let us take a moment to reflect on our well-being and consider the impact of our habits on our health. One resolution that can truly transform your life is the decision to quit smoking.
This resolution is not just about giving up a habit; it’s about reclaiming control over your life and prioritizing your well-being. The journey may be challenging, but the researchers say with cytisine it is easier and more effective than other smoke control methods.
What is Cytisine ?
Since the 1960s, Cytisine has been safely used in eastern Europe to help people quit smoking since it has a shorter half-life and treatment duration than varenicline. Originating from the Cytisus laburnum plant, cytisine functions as a partial agonist of the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which is accountable for the central effects of nicotine.
Due to its generic composition, corporations find it difficult to maintain market exclusivity, and the cheap selling price provides little financial incentive for them to pursue expensive regulatory approvals elsewhere. Advanced atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, and pregnancy or lactation are among the contraindications. Nausea and dyspepsia in the gastrointestinal tract are side effects that go away on their own.
Cytisine versus Other Smoking control Methods :
People who choose to stop smoking may go through withdrawal symptoms, which include mood fluctuations, irritability, cravings, and problems concentrating. The abrupt decrease in nicotine levels is the main cause of these symptoms.
In order to offset this, smokers turn to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which helps people stop smoking, in the form of nicotine patches. According to scientists, they could have discovered something that works better than NRT.
When compared to a placebo, researchers have shown that the plant based drug, a generic and reasonably priced smoking cessation medication, considerably increases the probability of successfully stopping smoking by more than twofold.
How it is better than other Techniques for giving up smoking :
According to a review of 12 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), Cytisine, a drug used to treat anxiety disorders, provides moderate-quality evidence of efficacy. 2996 participants participated in eight RCTs that compared cytisine with a placebo.
The research discovered a clear correlation between the efficacy findings and the degree of behavioral therapy. However, studies carried out in low- and middle-income nations failed to show the proven effectiveness of cytisine. The estimated NNT is 11.
Cytisine was shown to be somewhat more effective than non-reactive therapy (NRT) in two trials that compared the two treatments. The RR for non-serious adverse events in meta-analyses was 1.24.
When compared to a placebo, cytisine more than doubles the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking and has a benign safety profile with no indication of major safety issues. Cytisine may have modestly higher quitting rates than nicotine replacement treatment, according to limited studies.
Not Available in LAMInations :
Nevertheless, the study published in the journal Addiction states that it is NOT licensed or sold in the majority of nations outside of central and eastern Europe, rendering it inaccessible in much of the world, including many low- and middle-income nations. The research strengthens the case for cytisine as a cheap and useful smoking cessation medication.
Lead author Dr. Omar De Santi stated that it would be particularly helpful in lowering smoking in LAMI (low and middle-income) nations where affordable smoking cessation medications are desperately required. Smoking is widely acknowledged as the leading avoidable cause of mortality worldwide. He said that Cytisine may be a significant remedy for that problem.
