New program may help you quit smoking

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Have you tried to quit smoking without success? There's a new program that may be able to help.

For many smokers, cigarettes control their lives.

Former smoker Kathy Hill said, "I always had a cigarette. The first thing on my mind in the morning would be having a cigarette. When i was at work it was 'when can I leave, so I can have a cigarette?'"

Smokers are addicted to nicotine. With each puff, nicotine gets in the blood and is carried to the brain. Nerve cells in the brain have specialized receptors for nicotine and the nicotine alters the cells - that produces the craving for more. The drug Chantix was designed to block the nicotine receptors.

Roswell Park Doctor Martin Mahoney said, "What it is able to do is reduce craving and result in an easier time quitting. And in fact, it's more effective than any other medication that we have to assist patients with quitting smoking."

Dr. Mahoney is leading a study to see whether longer pre-treatment with Chantix before quitting will make it even easier for smokers to give up cigarettes.

Hill was one of the first participants in the study. It included using a PDA to keep track of her craving and how she felt after each cigarette.

Hill said, "Was it satisfying? In the beginning it was, quite a bit, and at the end it was not at all."

Dr. Mahoney said, "And we use that to capture subtle information on changes in how they're thinking about their next cigarette."

Kathy had her last cigarette in April, "I just didn't feel like I wanted a cigarette anymore. The craving wasn't there. And it's just so refreshing, that I can walk with my grandchildren and chase after them, and I don't get out of breath."

They're looking for more smokers who want to quit. If you're interested, call Roswell Park at 1-877-ASK-RPCI. You'll be treated for free, and there's a good chance you'll become smoke-free.

News 4's Jacquie Walker asked, "But since this is a research study, don't some of the participants get a placebo instead of the drug?"

Doctor Peter Ostrow said, "Everybody gets Chantix. The standard treatment is twelve weeks, with the first week being before you quit. Half the people in the study will get an extra three weeks of Chantix before they quit, to see whether that makes it easier.