Smoking Cessation

Don’t forget MileOne is implementing a non-tobacco user medical insurance premium on January 1, 2016. Read on for more details.

All employees, please take note that in the upcoming year there will be a higher medical insurance premium for anyone still using tobacco products 90 days from the time of enrollment. If you are a tobacco user, MileOne recognizes that quitting is going to require willpower and perseverance.

There are two types of products that can help with smoking cessation — those that contain nicotine and those that do not.

Nicotine replacement products are designed to wean your body off tobacco by supplying you with nicotine in controlled amounts while sparing you from other chemicals found in tobacco products. Available over the counter and by prescription, nicotine replacement products should be used for a short time to help deal with nicotine craving and withdrawal.

Over the counter nicotine replacement products include:

• Skin patches (available as generic product and under the brand names Habitrol and Nicoderm)
• Gum (available as generic product and under the brand name Nicorette)
• Lozenges (available as generic product and under the brand name Commit)

Prescription-only nicotine replacement products are under the brand name Nicotrol and include:

• Nasal spray
• Oral inhaler

Before beginning a nicotine replacement therapy, talk with your doctor if you have:

• Diabetes, heart disease, asthma or stomach ulcers
• Had a recent heart attack
• High blood pressure that is not controlled by medication
• A history of irregular heartbeat
• Been prescribed a medication to help you quit smoking

If you chose to quit smoking using products that do not contain nicotine, there are two effective therapies available, Chantix and Zyban. Both are available in tablet form on a prescription-only basis.

Chantix acts at sites in the brain affected by nicotine. It provides some nicotine effects to ease withdrawl and blocks the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if users resume smoking. Zyban helps patients abstain from smoking; however, the precise means by which it is accomplished is unknown.

Be sure to read the product’s patient medication guide in its entirety if you use or plan to use Chantix or Zyban.