In the land of instant gratification, the idea of going to the doctor, receiving an injection and then going home a non-smoker sounds great. In fact it sounds too good to be true. So is it?
For more than a decade, there have been injections available that are supposed to help you stop smoking. They started out using scopolamine and atropine in the injections. The newer version uses scopolamine and Atarax. It is marketed under the name SMART Shot.
Scopolamine is most commonly used to treat motion sickness, intestinal cramping and to dilate pupils during eye exams. It is currently being investigated for its possible usefulness by itself or in combination with other drugs to help people with breaking the nicotine habit. Side effects include: dry mouth, throat and nasal passages, thirst, blurred vision and sensitivity to light, constipation and difficulty urinating.
Atropine is made from the deadly nightshade plant and can be poisonous. It is used to treat extremely low heart rates in cardiac arrest, as an antidote to some poisons. Its side effects include: dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of balance, dilated pupils, confusion and hallucinations.
Atarax is an antihistamine used primarily for the treatment of itches and irritations, to reduce nausea and as a weak pain killer. Side effects include: deep sleep, dizziness, ringing in the ear, low blood pressure, dry mouth and constipation.
Now how these drugs are supposed to help you quit smoking, I don't know. And apparently neither does the FDA. The website that markets the SMART Shot (www.smokingshot.com) states "The SMART Shot is a new and improved smoking cessation shot consisting of a combination of two medicines that have been around for over a decade and are FDA-approved for indications other than quitting smoking." At first glance it appears that this is a FDA-approved product. But read the wording closely and you will see that the site states that the two drugs (scopolamine and Atarax) are FDA-approved drugs. (And the are.) But that the FDA does NOT approve those drugs to be used as a smoking cessation product. (Which it doesn't.)
But does it work? Bottom line - who knows. SMART shot claims a 70-80% success rate, but doesn't back up their claims with any data or show any proof in the form of results from clinical testing.
Meanwhile, testing is underway on a stop smoking injection called NicVax. It is a vaccine that is supposed to make the immune system create antibodies that will bind with the nicotine and prevent it from ever reaching the brain.
So maybe someday there will be a stop smoking injection that is known to really work, but for now there doesn't appear to be.
For more than a decade, there have been injections available that are supposed to help you stop smoking. They started out using scopolamine and atropine in the injections. The newer version uses scopolamine and Atarax. It is marketed under the name SMART Shot.
Scopolamine is most commonly used to treat motion sickness, intestinal cramping and to dilate pupils during eye exams. It is currently being investigated for its possible usefulness by itself or in combination with other drugs to help people with breaking the nicotine habit. Side effects include: dry mouth, throat and nasal passages, thirst, blurred vision and sensitivity to light, constipation and difficulty urinating.
Atropine is made from the deadly nightshade plant and can be poisonous. It is used to treat extremely low heart rates in cardiac arrest, as an antidote to some poisons. Its side effects include: dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of balance, dilated pupils, confusion and hallucinations.
Atarax is an antihistamine used primarily for the treatment of itches and irritations, to reduce nausea and as a weak pain killer. Side effects include: deep sleep, dizziness, ringing in the ear, low blood pressure, dry mouth and constipation.
Now how these drugs are supposed to help you quit smoking, I don't know. And apparently neither does the FDA. The website that markets the SMART Shot (www.smokingshot.com) states "The SMART Shot is a new and improved smoking cessation shot consisting of a combination of two medicines that have been around for over a decade and are FDA-approved for indications other than quitting smoking." At first glance it appears that this is a FDA-approved product. But read the wording closely and you will see that the site states that the two drugs (scopolamine and Atarax) are FDA-approved drugs. (And the are.) But that the FDA does NOT approve those drugs to be used as a smoking cessation product. (Which it doesn't.)
But does it work? Bottom line - who knows. SMART shot claims a 70-80% success rate, but doesn't back up their claims with any data or show any proof in the form of results from clinical testing.
Meanwhile, testing is underway on a stop smoking injection called NicVax. It is a vaccine that is supposed to make the immune system create antibodies that will bind with the nicotine and prevent it from ever reaching the brain.
So maybe someday there will be a stop smoking injection that is known to really work, but for now there doesn't appear to be.
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