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Nitrous oxide might help smokers quit

מתוך medicontext.co.il

ATLANTA (Reuters Health) – A dose of "laughing gas" on quit day seems to help smokers kick the habit. Dr. Jesse H. Haven, of the Anchor Health Center in Naples, Florida, and colleagues reported the finding here at the 2001 Annual Scientific Assembly of the American Association of Family Practitioners.

Dr. Haven's team hypothesized that nitrous oxide might help smokers quit because it has been found to replenish stores of dopamine, which become depleted during drug and alcohol withdrawal. They note that in inpatient alcoholism treatment in South Africa, nitrous oxide is part of the standard of care because it has been shown to decrease withdrawal symptoms.

To investigate, the researchers administered a mixture of half nitrous oxide and half oxygen to 25 smokers on the day that they planned to quit. The patients inhaled the gas for 20 minutes through a mask. Pregnant patients and those with respiratory disorders, psychiatric disorders or claustrophobia were excluded.

Overall, Dr. Haven's group found an 85% reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day in the 3 days after the patients took the gas. They conclude that "nicotine cravings were helped significantly by the administration of nitrous oxide." None of the patients was using any other kind of smoking cessation therapy.

According to Dr. Haven, many of the patients who quit completely have remained cigarette-free. "Of the 40% of patients who quit, many have remained cigarette-free as far as 6 months out," he said.

"I was encouraged by the results," Dr, Haven told Reuters Health. "Patients seemed to enjoy the treatment and it simultaneously helped them quit, so we want to continue to see if it works with some other smoking cessation treatments that are already available."

He noted that many physicians may not be set up to administer the gas in their own office, but he encourages physicians to recommend the therapy to patients. "This is an extremely safe procedure," he said. "If there is any therapy that helps a few more smokers quit, physicians should be recommending it to their patients."

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