First it was the nicotine patch, then came the gum, inhalers and other products intended to help smokers kick the habit by getting over their nicotine fixation. The new kid on the block in this ever increasing list is a nicotine solution that can be mixed with drinks, which scientists claim could be useful in over coming the addiction.
Researchers at Duke University have tested and patented this nicotine drink and are now looking for a pharmaceutical company to help conduct larger clinical trials. You can put this stuff in your coffee, your peach Snapple ice tea or soda, whatever you like to drink, Eric C. Westman, an assistant professor at the Duke University Medical Center who has headed the study, said.Attempts to quit smoking have always increased every time a new product is available to help addicts kick the habit. In 1998, the nicotine patch accounted for 49 percent of the drug-assisted attempts to quit, nicotine gum 28 percent and Zyban - a prescription drug - 21 percent. The nicotine inhaler and nasal spray accounted for less than 3 percent.
But there is widespread criticism that these forms of nicotine replacement are not always user friendly. But with the number of smokers increasing day by day and the number of diseases caused due to smoking also increasing, these nicotine replacement options, however fanciful, are always welcome.
