NICOTINE patches do not seem to promote smoking cessation or increase infant birthweight when used by pregnant smokers, a randomised placebo-controlled trial has found (BMJ 2014; 348:gl622). Irrespective of whether women used a nicotine patch or a placebo patch, just one in 20 managed to abstain from smoking during pregnancy, and the average time to the first cigarette smoked after target quit date was 15 days. The researchers write: "In the absence of evidence-based drug interventions, behavioural support remains the core intervention to help pregnant smokers to quit."
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