Effectiveness of pharmacological smoking cessation treatments: a retrospective comparison of common methods

Objective: This study aimed to compare the short-term (three-month) effectiveness of three smoking cessation therapies, bupropion, nicotine patch, and cytisine, and to retrospectively evaluate the impact of cytisine therapy on craving reduction and its side effect profile under routine clinical practice conditions. Methods: A total of 565 individuals who presented to the Smoking Cessation Outpatient Clinic between February 2024 and January 2025 and completed treatment with either cytisine, bupropion, or nicotine patch were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, chronic disease status, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) scores, and smoking cessation outcomes were assessed to compare treatment success across the three therapies. Among patients treated with cytisine, early craving reduction and reported side effects during the first week were recorded and analyzed in relation to cessation outcomes. Statistical significance was set at p