Novartis Consumer Health has announced that Awkaf has endorsed the usage of its nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) product, Nicotinell, during Ramadan. Approval has been granted by Awkaf so that the use of Nicotinell patches by smokers who wish to combat their cravings and quit smoking will not break or invalidate their fast.
“Nicotine is extremely addictive and NRT can help smokers to cope with the symptoms associated with the withdrawal from the drug during fasting hours,” commented Dr Ahmad Abdullah, supervisor of quit smoking clinic in the Department of Preventative Medicine in Abu Dhabi. “The fact that Nicotinell can be used during this period is significant news to some smokers who are considering quitting smoking altogether,” he continued.
Nicotinell is a proven smoking cessation product which controls the levels of nicotine into the bloodstream by helping quitters to gradually decrease their intake of Nicotine. A range of Nicotinell products to suit light, moderate and heavy smokers have been developed helping them to give up the habit for good.
Describing the effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), Lalaine Chu Benitez, Brand Manager, Novartis Consumer Health, said: “Irritability, restlessness and insomnia are the main withdrawal symptoms that 80% of smokers face when they give up. NRT patches alleviate this by breaking the cycle of nicotine addiction by delivering a steady low dose of nicotine (lower than a cigarette) to the system. This maintains relatively constant blood levels above the craving threshold, so that the smoker has less likelihood of experiencing withdrawal symptoms.”
For people wanting to stop smoking, NRT helps to gradually diminish the physiological dependence on nicotine. Through a 3-month weaning process from a higher dosage to a lower one, the smoker is freed from further craving. Managing this dependence, coupled with dealing with the psychological aspect of smoking triggers, such as coffee, tea, after meals, places associated with the habit, etc., makes for successful quitting.
Novartis Consumer Health is about to embark on a mall wide smoking cessation promotion. Featuring a number of activities designed to raise awareness on the alternatives to smoking, the programme kicks off in Deira City Centre from October 14-16, moves to Abu Dhabi mall on October 21-22 and finishes in Sharjah City Centre on October 28-29. (menareport.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
