Fresh Lime Alone for Smoking Cessation (LIM)
Tobacco Use Disorder
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Tobacco Use Disorder focused on measuring Fresh lime, nicotine gum, smoking cessation, craving
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age over 18
- Smoked regularly at least one year prior to study entry
- Had the desire to quit smoking
- Signed informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Having current dental problems
- Active peptic ulcer disease
- Psychiatric disorders
- Citrus allergy
- Pregnancy
- Use of illicit drugs
- Participation in another clinical trial and/or using any first-line smoking cessation aids within the past 30 days
Sites / Locations
- Panyananthaphikkhu Chonprathan Medical Center
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Fresh lime
Nicotine gum
Those who were randomly assigned to receive fresh lime were instructed to use it every time they began to crave cigarettes and as often as they needed. Fresh lime needed to be washed and cut into several small pieces by 1st cutting each lime into quarters and then each quarter further into 4 pieces. When needed, subjects were told to suck each piece of lime and thereafter chew the lime skin. To maintain freshness, the remaining slices were to be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator as soon as possible. All participants in this group had to report the number of fresh lime slices used per day in the self-report card.
The dosage of nicotine gum used in this group was primarily based on the participants' FTND scores. Those with FTND score of 4 or above were given 4-mg nicotine gum. The 2-mg gum was assigned only to light smokers. Appropriate gum use by "chew and park" technique was instructed to all subjects in this group. They were advised to use the gum whenever they began to crave a cigarette but not to exceed more than 20 pieces per day. All participants in this group also had to report the total number pieces of gum used per day in the self-report card. Like the lime use group, phone calls were also made every 2-3 days during the initial month of study to remind them of technique and record keeping.