Hurlburt Field pharmacy helps with tobacco cessation

Published Jan. 8, 2013
By Senior Airman Krystal Garrett
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- -- The 1st Special Operations Medical Group pharmacy is providing Hurlburt Field personnel with nicotine replacements for individuals wanting to stop tobacco use.

One of the base pharmacist, hoping to catch people who have a New Years resolution to quit smoking, wants everyone to know of their options.

"Patients are given one quit attempt a year," said Capt. Karl Bitun, pharmacist of 1st Special Operations Medical Support Squadron. "When patients visit the pharmacy they are asked a series of questions that help determine whether the gum or the patch will work best for them. "

DoD card-holders with military medical benefits can visit the pharmacy and pick up nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges, or both.

"These two medications are great products that work differently, "said Bitun. "The patch works at a stable level throughout the day, while the gums allows for a quick fix for a crave."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined.

For more information about tobacco cessation resources, contact the Hurlburt Field Health and Wellness Center at (850) 884-4292.

Pharmacy