Quit Smoking Shot - Have You Heard Of Shots To Stop Smoking?

The two medicines involved in a new stop smoking shot - the SMARTTM Shot - has been around for about ten years, Scopolamine and Atarax, and are now FDA approved for stop smoking aids.

SMART stands for Scopolamine Medicated Anticholinergic Receptor Treatment, with Scopolamine as a medicine that contains the ingredient of the seasickness patch, while Atarax is an antihistamine like Benadryl.

Together, they block the brain nicotine receptors and ease the physical withdrawal pains of the nicotine by placing one shot in the hip or buttocks, instead of the older shots which consisted of three shots - two behind the ear and one in the buttock - of other more traditional shot methods.

For the next two weeks, medication and the scopolamine patch are used jointly with a success rate of 70 to 80% while patches have a success rate of 20%, which is considered a normal rate of success. The thing to remember is that it can cause side effects, so doctors advise medical examination before allowing the patients to go ahead with the treatment especially if there are medical concerns or medical drugs being taken.

People who recommend the treatment say that the shots prevent withdrawal symptoms by blocking the nicotine receptors. Others say that this happens only when very high doses of atropine are injected. According to one study, about 40% of the people who took this treatment stopped smoking, though some clinics claim a success rate of 80%.

There are some who are quite critical of anti smoking shots. They believe that more work needs to be done before establishing the efficacy of these drugs. The side effects commonly associated with anti-smoking shots are blurred vision, difficulty in urinating, dizziness, dry mouth, confusion, etc. Hallucinations, heart attack, coma, and stroke may be caused by excessive doses of anticholinergic drugs.

This new shot has been developed by Dr. Voelker, who has spent the last ten years studying and fighting smoking, COPD, emphysema, and lung cancer. He has also pioneered early lung cancer detection and treatment, then taught these methods around the country to other doctors.

A director of the Doctor's hospital pulmonary and critical care department at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital, he is board certified in internal medicine, critical care, and pulmonary medicine - while also being listed in medicine's "Who's Who". The shot or injection treatment is certainly not advisable for women who are pregnant, or for individuals who have heart rhythm problems, prostate problems or are taking mood-altering drugs.

It is best to opt for the treatment as a last resort if you have any of these conditions, while needing to find out the rate of success, the reputation and the support offered by clinics that offer stop smoking shots in comparison.