Key takeaways
- Many seniors continue to smoke and believe 'it's too late' to stop
- Still plenty of health benefits for motivated senior smokers to quit
- True relaxation, financial freedom among benefits of stopping
- Seniors must stick with responsible pharmacy NVPs and GPs to quit.
Coming from a different time where the harms of cigarettes weren’t so commonly known, it’s no surprise that Australia’s older generation continues to smoke daily, after having done so since their teenage years in many cases.
According to a survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2022, 16% of Australians aged between 55 and 64 years old are current smokers, and 7.1% aged 65 years old and beyond are current smokers.
Most seniors have already found themselves unable to quit smoking through countless attempts with regular methods, and unfortunately, many are even unwilling to do so. This can be due to a feeling that “it’s not worth quitting now”, or that “the damage is already done”.
This simply isn’t true. There are plenty of health benefits for seniors to stop smoking, and with new and effective quitting tools and therapies emerging, quitting is not only attainable, but very worthwhile.
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So, what about vaping for seniors? Let’s learn more about it in this post.
The Effects of Smoking on Seniors
As our body ages, it gets worn out much faster. Continued consumption of tobacco compounds on the possible risks of severe diseases like coronary heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
But, you’ll certainly feel the short-term effects of smoking much faster too.
After smoking a cigarette, you’ll likely feel your airways tighten which makes breathing much more difficult, and you may experience the physical effects of emphysema such as a chronic cough and phlegm production.
Your endurance and overall fitness will also have taken a big hit, lessening your ability to enjoy the important things in life such as playing with your grandchildren, or exploring the outdoors.
Are your joints feeling much more painful today than yesterday? Smoking is most likely to blame due to it narrowing your blood vessels, and you may have brittle bones due to lower calcium absorption and an increased risk of bursitis and tendonitis.
Why Still Strive to Quit Smoking?
By stopping smoking in your golden years, there are not only plenty of health benefits, but also the opportunity to have a far more enjoyable retirement – here are just a few potential benefits:
- True Relaxation: Some seniors and older adults focus on the ‘relaxation’ aspect from the cigarettes they consume. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. By stopping smoking, they can achieve true relief from the symptoms of short-term smoking and let their body recover and naturally strengthen itself.
- Financial Freedom: Cigarettes are incredibly expensive now, costing over $14,000 a year for a pack-a-day smoker. Rather than sitting at home puffing away your money and health, you could be holidaying to the places you always wanted to see, or buying a new car or campervan.
- A Safer Environment for Everyone: Smoking is very dangerous to pets, children, and non smokers. By stopping smoking you’ll no longer be endangering your family.
Can Seniors Use Pharmacy Vaping Products?
As a second-line therapy, responsible nicotine vaping products (NVPs) you can purchase from a pharmacy can help seniors, especially those that have tried and failed to quit in the past and may have seemingly given up.
Unlike NRTs like patches and gums, NVPs imitate the sensations of smoking, such as the throat hit, inhale/exhale, and even the gesture-based triggers like the hand-to-mouth motion.
Unlike cigarettes, pharmacy NVPs do not contain the thousands of chemicals found in cigarette smoke as the nicotine is delivered through heating a liquid which produces an aerosol (commonly known as ‘vapour’), rather than combustion into deadly smoke.
While NRTs have helped many smokers of any age quit cigarettes, the latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.
But, it’s important to stick with responsible NVPs from your local pharmacy and stay well away from the illegal vapes commonly found under the counter in tobacconists and convenience stores.
Learn more on this below.
The Dangers of Illegal Vapes
You’ve very likely seen the news about illegal vapes – the brightly coloured disposable products from overseas that are sold illegally in many tobacconists and corner stores.
Illegal vapes are imported under the radar from foreign manufacturers by blackmarket criminal groups (the same ones who smuggle in drugs and illegal tobacco products) for as little as $1 and are sold at as much as a 3,500% markup, including to teenagers and children.
With completely unknown manufacturing and hygiene standards, consuming illegal vapes is potentially extremely dangerous – they’ve been found to contain heavy metals like nickel and lead, foreign saliva, and as high as 357mg of nicotine (which can significantly increase the risk of nicotine overdose in seniors and older adults).
Pharmacy NVPs: High-Quality Tools for Seniors
Now that you know about illegal vapes, it’s time to learn why pharmacy NVPs are a legitimately helpful tool for any older adult who wants to stop smoking.
NVPs that you can buy from your local pharmacy are specifically designed for smoking cessation, are rigorously tested for inhalation safety, are locally insured, and are trusted by doctors and pharmacists as a tool to help you quit smoking.
Like all other medicines on the shelf, they’re supplied by Australian medical wholesalers and have undergone the same rigorous vetting to ensure you’re only receiving a quality product that your GP and pharmacist can stand behind.
How to Get Pharmacy NVPs for Seniors
Go Through First-Line Solutions First
Some motivated smokers can handle cold turkey just fine and see success within a few tries, but oftentimes, smokers have strong withdrawals that can draw them back to lighting a stick.
That’s where nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products come in. These are readily available and stocked at your local pharmacy.
NRT products are the most trusted quitting option available for motivated smokers. They might not imitate cigarettes, but they contain a small dose of nicotine that may be enough to alleviate your withdrawals. These come in the form of patches and gums for easy and convenient nicotine delivery.
While NRTs can be effective, they don’t work for everyone. If these haven’t done the trick for you, you may now be eligible for a nicotine prescription to use nicotine vaping products (NVPs).
Chat to a GP
As mentioned, NRT products have worked for many successful ex-smokers. But, you might have ingrained behaviours and triggers that only something that mimics a cigarette can successfully address, such as the hand-to-mouth motion, and needing something to puff on during your morning coffee.
That is where NVPs become very handy in helping you fight the urge to consume tobacco.
You need a nicotine prescription before you can purchase NVPs, so you’ll need to consult with a GP to help you on your smoking cessation journey.
And, if your GP deems it necessary, they can write you a nicotine prescription for NVPs.
You can chat to your usual GP about this.
Visit Your Local Pharmacy
Once you have your nicotine prescription, you can pop down to your local pharmacy. Over 2,200 pharmacies across Australia hold these products in-store, but any pharmacy can order these in for you if they don’t currently stock them.
Both your pharmacist and GP can advise you on how best to use the product, such as the initial setup, and the number of puffs to take when you feel withdrawals.
Summary
Can seniors use pharmacy vaping products for quitting? Yes they can – as long as they have the guidance and regular assessment of a GP. With an NVP from a pharmacy, it can be easier for seniors – who stand to benefit the most from quitting – to kick their smoking habit for good.
And if you need help to stop smoking, we can help.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to friendly Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including via the use of pharmacy NVPs.