Cytisine is extracted from the Golden Rain acacia’s seeds. It was first promoted as a market product in Bulgaria in 1964. Cytisine is a cheap and effective medicine that helps smokers to quit smoking. It can increase a person’s chances of kicking the habit threefold compared to a placebo. One low-cost medication that contains cytisine is Tabex. Cytisine is a nicotine substitute extracted from laburnum seeds. Tabex has been used in Eastern Europe for more than four decades; nevertheless, there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate the medicine’s efficacy in helping smokers to quit.
A tablet that contains 1.5 mg of cytisine‘s active ingredient is widely available. The recommended dosage for this tablet is six tablets a day for the first three days of medication. This is equivalent to 9 mg. After the first three days of medication, the patient should gradually taper the dose to 2 tablets a day. The treatment should be halted by the 25th day of medication.
A different mode of medication involves placing a film of cytisine between the lip and the gum. In this method, you can use 0.75 mg of anabasine and 0.75 or 1.5 mg of cytisine. It is recommended that patients use between 4 and 6 films a day for the first 5 days before gradually reducing the dose until the 15th day of medication. It generally takes about 1.5 hours for the film to get dissolved in the patient’s mouth.
Tests involving cytisine
A trial was carried out by scientists from the Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology in Poland and University College London. It was found that Tabex is not just cheaper than other tobacco cessation products but it also seems to be more effective.
In a randomized placebo trial that involved 740 participants, the selected individuals were divided into two groups, the placebo group and the cytisine group. They were given a placebo or cytisine for twenty-five days. The groups also had minimal access to counseling services. The researchers were interested in finding out the number of participants who were able to quit smoking within 12 months after commencing the treatment.
They noted that 8.4% of individuals in the cytisine groups had abstained from smoking for 12 months. 2.4% of the individuals in the placebo groups avoided tobacco for 12 months. The conclusion of the researchers after this single trial was that cytisine was more effective compared to placebo in helping people to quit smoking. They noted that its lower price in comparison with the other pharmacotherapy used in smoking cessation can make it possible for a global campaign of smoking cessation due to its affordability.
Smoking and cytisine
Smoking kills approximately 6 million people every year. About 95% of smokers who try to quit without any assistance fail to keep off tobacco for six or more months. The majority of the number cannot afford some effective drugs that have been proven to help people quit.
According to one nurse, the secret to a longer and healthier life begins with quitting the smoking habit. Although smoking increases the risk of heart disease, it remains a challenging habit to kick. To increase your chances of quitting tobacco, you should get professional help.
The results of these latest trials give us hope. Although we need bigger trials first, cytisine offers an affordable treatment option that can help people kick this harmful habit. Meanwhile, anyone willing to quit should visit his general practitioner and inquire about the range of services that have been proven helpful.
Potential side effects of cytisine
Cytisine, also known as bafitoxin or soforin is an alkaloid similar to pyridine. Pyridine is a compound whose structure is closely related to benzene. Cytisine has similar pharmacological effects to the ones exhibited by nicotine. These two molecules are structurally alike. However, when taken in large doses, respiration can be undermined leading to death. The molecular formula of cytisine is C11H14N20 while nicotine’s is C10H14N2.
Other side effects of cytisine include nausea, change in appetite and taste, headache, heartburn, irritability, and dryness in the mouth. Some patients may also suffer vertigo, and digestion problems which may range from diarrhea, constipation, and tachycardia.
Sopharma AD in Bulgaria is licensed to sell Tabex. Its discovery was made by the Soviet Union when its drug research and development was expanded to Bulgaria. Russian soldiers named it fake tobacco. Researchers believed that cytisine could be the answer to smokers who want to quit tobacco in developing nations.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) from the figure of 6 million people who lose their lives from tobacco-related conditions the majority of them live in developing nations. The cost of treatment using cytisine Tabex ranges from $5 to $17 every month. Nicotine patches cost between $100 while a supply of Chantix for 12 weeks costs $300. A subsidiary of Sopharma Extab has purchased the world rights for selling cytisine in developing countries which include China and India.