Why do it with a pharmacist
Stopping smoking is not mainly a willpower problem. It is a timing, dosing and habit problem, and those are the things a pharmacist deals with every day.
Two things make the difference between an attempt and a quit:
- The right amount of nicotine replacement, at the right time. Under-dosing is the most common reason patches “do not work” — people use a strength meant for a lighter smoker, feel awful, and conclude the method failed. Matching the strength to how much you actually smoke, and combining a patch with a short-acting form for cravings, changes the odds considerably.
- Somebody expecting to hear from you. Accountability is unglamorous and it works. We set check-in points and we follow through on them.
What the support includes
- A proper assessment. How much you smoke, when the first one of the day is, what previous attempts looked like, what else you take, and what is going on in your life over the next month.
- A quit date you can actually keep. Not next Monday because it sounds decisive — a date chosen around your work, your family, and whatever stressful thing is already in the calendar.
- A nicotine replacement plan. Patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers — which combination, what strength, and how to step down over the following weeks.
- Check-ins. Short conversations at the points where people usually slip: the first 72 hours, the two-week mark, and the first month.
- A plan for a slip. One cigarette is not a failed quit unless you treat it as one. We agree in advance what you do the day after.
Working with your doctor
Some quit-smoking treatments are your doctor’s or nurse practitioner’s decision, not a pharmacist’s. Where that is the better route we say so, help you get your questions ready, and support you day to day once a plan is in place.
What it costs
The consultation is a private, fee-based service and we tell you the amount before you commit to anything. Nicotine replacement products are bought separately — we will show you the cheapest way to get the strength you actually need, which is often not the biggest box on the shelf.
Ontario also funds several quit-smoking programs. We will tell you if you look eligible for one, even though it means you do not pay us.
