Today there are 5 million tobacco-related deaths per year, with 1.3 billion people who smoke, and tobacco is the leading cause of death that can be preventable according to the World Health Organization. A thing that used to considered "cool", such as the Marlboro billboards across the country, is now on the tip list of killers.



To combat this, the stop smoking injection, or the stop smoking vaccine, is one of the most successful and aggressive stop smoking aids with a 70-80% success rate of all the available smoking aids. A medical therapy, this type of aid takes place in a medical clinic under experienced physicians with supervision. Counseling and group therapy also work well to combine with the injection aid for smokers who are struggling to successfully quit.

Three injections of Scopolamine or Atropine behind the ears, on the hip, or on the arms, will block the nicotine receptors in the brain. As a part of the treatment, the patient is required to wear a scopolamine patch behind his ear and take atropine tablets for two weeks after getting the shot. The brain will not recognize that it needs nicotine so the nicotine addiction will eventually vanish - as an antismoking aid, these injection chemicals act on the nicotine "sensitive" areas of the brain and reduces the craving for a smoke. A single session may last from an hour to an hour and a half and costs approximately 350-500 dollars, but it usually is covered by health insurance policies.

The drugs involved with the stop smoking injections are medically classified as anti-cholinergics and are mainly used in helping to control neural activity in the brain. They have been extensively used previously in the medical field in the form of anesthetics during surgery or as a temporary means of curing Parkinson's disease. The most common side effects associated with these anti-smoking injections are dizziness, dry mouth, headaches, and problems in urinating which happens soon after the injection is given, if it happens at all.

Long-term effects include hallucination, strokes, and heart attacks. However, these are rare, and are usually observed only in those smokers who are subjected to high dosages. In extreme cases, the person can also end up in coma. A smoker needs to undergo a complete medical check up before treatment. However, this treatment should be avoided for pregnant women or those who suffer from cardiac disorders. People who are using other narcotics also should avoid the anti-smoking injections also. If nothing else is working for you, you should try the injections for quitting smoking before going back to smoking, as your health is very important.