Are the medications to quit smoking dangerous?
No. Every medication has to be prescribed and recommended with care. While some of the cessation drugs have some side effects (as listed on the last page of your pocket guide), these medications have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use as cessation aids and a few are available over the counter (no prescription required). It is important for you to ask the patient’s physician if you have any questions or concerns. The important thing to remember is that despite any risks of side effects, which are minimized by adequate prescribing, continued smoking poses a far greater health hazard and the benefits of quitting have been demonstrated to far outweigh any perceived risks of cessation medication that are properly prescribed. For any doubts regarding the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine replace therapy, please see #5.
