MedicX can help you quit smoking

17.06.09

In the current recession, more people than ever are trying to give up smoking - which is great news for one Chorley pharmacy that offers on-site advice and support for quitters.

MedicX Pharmacy - which has a base in Peel Street/ Library Street - provides a range of different services for smokers, including clinics run by the NHS Central Lancashire Stop Smoking Service, information leaflets, stop-smoking products like nicotine patches and pharmacist advice available until 10pm, seven days a week to help people who don't have the time to visit their GP. 

Steve Jeffers, MedicX Pharmacy director, reveals that a number of national and local stop-smoking campaigns have combined to encourage a growing number of people to try to give up in this difficult economic climate. He said: "A 20 a day smoker can save over £2,000 a year if they stop buying cigarettes, so there is always an uplift in people asking for stop-smoking advice when the price of cigarettes goes up. His top three tips for smokers who want to give up are:

• Try nicotine replacement therapy, using a nicotine patch, gum, nasal spray or inhaler to help counteract the nicotine withdrawal symptoms when you quit smoking.
• Visit your doctor for prescription-only tablets Zyban or Champix, which may help stop the cravings for nicotine.
• Attend stop smoking counselling or support groups.

The Stop Smoking Service runs clinics in one of the MedicX Pharmacy consultation rooms on Peel Street/ Library Street in Chorley every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning. 

For more advice about giving up smoking, contact the NHS Central Lancashire Stop Smoking Service 0800 328 6297, visit www.central-lancashire.nhs.uk, or contact MedicX Pharmacy on 01257 754754.