Nicotine dependence and cessation
Nicotine pharmacology and withdrawal, assessing dependence, combination NRT, varenicline, cytisine (now available in Australian pharmacies) and bupropion, the 2024 vaping laws, smoking and drug interactions in hospital, special populations, and nicotine poisoning.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Smoking kills up to two in three long-term smokers. In 2019 it caused one in six deaths among Australians aged 45 and over (45 and Up Study, BMC Med 2025). Stopping before 45 avoids most of the excess risk.
- 8.3% of Australians aged 14 and over smoked daily in 2022 to 2023, while current vaping rose to 7.0%, highest in young adults (AIHW NDSHS).
- Use Ask, Advise, Help: ask everyone, advise quitting, and help with pharmacotherapy plus behavioural support (Quitline 13 7848).
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Sources
- Supporting smoking cessation: a guide for health professionals (2nd edition, with 2024 updates on cytisine and nicotine vaping products)AU/NZRoyal Australian College of General Practitioners, 2024
- Vaping laws (pharmacy supply of therapeutic vapes from 1 July and 1 October 2024)AU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2024
- Australia now has access to cytisine for smoking cessationAU/NZNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, 2026
- National Tobacco Strategy 2023-2030AU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, 2023
- Courtney RJ et al. Effect of cytisine vs varenicline on smoking cessation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2021;326:56-64AU/NZJAMA, 2021
- Anthenelli RM et al. Neuropsychiatric safety and efficacy of varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine patch in smokers with and without psychiatric disorders (EAGLES). Lancet 2016;387:2507-20The Lancet, 2016
- Banks E et al. Relationship of tobacco smoking to cause-specific mortality: contemporary estimates from Australia. BMC Med 2025AU/NZBMC Medicine, 2025
- Walker N et al. Cytisine versus nicotine for smoking cessation. N Engl J Med 2014;371:2353-62New England Journal of Medicine, 2014
- Taylor G et al. Change in mental health after smoking cessation: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2014;348:g1151BMJ, 2014
- Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence (NG209)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2021, updated
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback