title: Discontinuation of nicotine replacement therapy among smoking-cessation attempters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) doubles successful quitting, but more than half of NRT users do not comply with optimal treatment regimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the 2005 Colorado state tobacco survey, quit attempters who utilized NRT (N=366) were analyzed in spring 2007. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to examine reasons for discontinuing NRT, length of time on NRT, and quit intentions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reasons for discontinuing NRT were resuming smoking (34%), side effects (17%), NRT not helping with quitting (14%), quitting smoking (10%), and cost (5%). Poverty, age, and non-Latino minority status were associated with reasons for discontinuation other than quitting smoking. Having side effects was associated with a short duration of NRT use and 95% lower odds of intending to quit in the next month.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the first population-level study examining reasons for discontinuing NRT, general-population smokers who initiate NRT use when attempting to quit are highly likely to discontinue NRT prematurely. Age and culturally-appropriate medication management interventions may increase NRT compliance and improve cessation outcomes.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado, USA. emily.burns@uchsc.edu
authors.forename: Emily K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Arnold H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Levinson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003120:Colorado; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine