The Quit Smoking Programme gives you all the support you need to stop smoking in 12 weeks. Here’s how it works:

Getting started: first, take an online consultation for a Varenicline Starter Pack. If your prescription is approved, you’ll be accepted on to the Quit Smoking Programme. During your consultation, you can choose to order a nicotine-free Ripple vape with your Programme to help reduce the behaviour patterns associated with smoking.

Weeks 1-2: in week one you’ll start taking varenicline from the Varenicline Starter Pack. Varenicline is a medicine that helps to reduce the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that often arise when quitting smoking. In week two we’ll set you a quit date, which is the date you'll stop smoking.

Weeks 2-8: from week two, you’ll start to receive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) via emails and texts to help you stay smoke-free. These messages are intended to give practical guidance on how to manage cravings and avoid the behaviour patterns that trigger them.

Every week, you can book a phone counselling session with one of our clinicians who can give you additional advice and support along your quit smoking journey.

Additionally, in week four, you’ll finish your Varenicline Starter Pack and move on to your first Varenicline Maintenance Pack. The Varenicline Maintenance pack will be sent to you automatically to help keep you on track with your treatment.

Weeks 8-12: in week eight, you’ll receive your second Varenicline Maintenance Pack. After continued therapy with varenicline, CBT, and phone counselling, your cravings should significantly diminish and you should no longer feel the need to smoke.

Weeks 12 and beyond: from the twelfth week onward, you shouldn’t need to rely on varenicline or any of the other therapies in the Programme to stay smoke-free. When you reach this point, you can officially declare yourself a non-smoker and start enjoying a healthier lifestyle.

Some people may need to taper their varenicline prescription toward the end of the Programme by gradually lowering the dose. This is to avoid triggering further cravings. If this is the case for you, then our clinicians can prescribe the appropriate doses of varenicline to help you taper off the Programme effectively.

To start the Quit Smoking Programme, simply take an online consultation for our Varenicline Starter Pack. If your prescription is approved, you’ll be enrolled on the Programme.

Varenicline blocks the action of nicotine by preventing it from binding to specific receptors in your brain. This helps to lessen the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that often occur when you try to stop smoking.

It can take you as little as 12 weeks to stop smoking with the assistance of varenicline. As each person is different, though, this time may be shorter or longer depending on the individual.

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Varenicline takes a bit of planning to use correctly, but is easy to use once you get into the routine of taking it. To take varenicline:

1. Set a smoking quit date before you take your first dose of varenicline. We will automatically set your quit date for the 14th day after you start taking varenicline. This is the date you will stop smoking. Write this quit date on your box of varenicline so you don’t forget it.
2. Once you have set your quit date, take 0.5mg once daily for the first 1-3 days.
3. Take 0.5mg twice daily on days 4-7.
4. Take 1mg twice daily from day 8 until the end of the 12-week treatment.

Please note: your doctor may suggest you take a different dose of varenicline, especially if you are already taking certain medications. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before taking varenicline, especially if you take medication on a regular basis, are about to have surgery, have pre-existing problems with your kidneys, or are under regular medical supervision.

You will automatically receive a new pack of varenicline every 28 days while on the Quit Smoking Programme to ensure you don’t run out.

The first pack of varenicline you’ll receive and use is the Varenicline Starter Pack. It contains 53 varenicline tablets (11x 0.5mg and 42x 1mg) and lasts for four weeks.

The second pack of varenicline you’ll receive and use is the Varenicline Maintenance Pack. This will be delivered to you 28 days after you receive your Varenicline Starter Pack.

Each Varenicline Maintenance Pack contains 56 tablets (1mg) and lasts for four weeks. You’ll receive two Maintenance Packs during the course of the Quit Smoking Programme. These will last you until the end of the 12-week treatment (by which time you should no longer need to take varenicline or feel the need to smoke).

You must take the Varenicline Starter Pack first because it gradually prepares your body for the higher dose of varenicline included in the Varenicline Maintenance Pack.

The Varenicline Starter Pack includes two doses of varenicline: 0.5mg and 1mg. You need to take the lower (0.5mg) dose of varenicline before you can begin taking the higher (1mg) dose.

The Varenicline Maintenance Pack only includes one dose of varenicline: 1mg. Therefore, you must get your body used to the lower dose included in the Starter Pack before you can progress on to the 1mg dose in the Maintenance Pack.

Research has shown varenicline to be an even more effective smoking cessation treatment than nicotine patches. One study demonstrated that more varenicline-treated patients stayed smoke-free during the last four weeks of their treatment than patients treated with nicotine patches.

Another study found that varenicline-treated patients had a significantly higher chance of abstaining from smoking for 24 weeks after starting treatment than patients who were given a placebo drug.

Varenicline is suitable for most people, however it is not suitable for:

• Children or adolescents.
• Anyone allergic to varenicline.
• Those taking cimetidine.
• Those with a predisposition to seizures.
• Those with cardiovascular disease.

Those with a history of psychiatric illness may also need closer monitoring while taking varenicline.

It is important to talk to your doctor before taking varenicline to ensure it is safe for you to take and does not conflict with any medication you are taking.

Always read the Safety Information Page and/or Patient Information Leaflet included with your medication to ensure you use it safely and effectively.

Like all medicines, varenicline can cause side effects - although not everyone gets them. The most common side effects include:

• Abnormal appetite; asthenia; chest discomfort; constipation; diarrhoea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; gastrointestinal discomfort; gastrointestinal disorders; headache; joint disorders; muscle complaints; nausea; oral disorders; pain; skin reactions; sleep disorders; vomiting; weight increase.

A complete list of side effects is available in the Safety Information Page and/or Patient Information Leaflet included with your medication, which you should always read before taking your treatment for the first time.

Please be aware that quitting smoking with or without treatment can cause various withdrawal symptoms, such as changes of mood (like feeling depressed, irritable, or anxious), sleeplessness, difficulty concentrating, decreased heart rate, changes in behaviour, and increased weight gain.

If you experience any of these symptoms you should contact a doctor, clinician, or another relevant healthcare professional.

After using varenicline in combination with the other therapies included in the Quit Smoking Programme (such as telephone counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy [CBT]), you should expect to be smoke-free by the end of the 12-week programme.

However, the time it takes to stop smoking may differ from person to person. You might find that you are able to quit smoking before the end of the twelfth week. On the other hand, it may take slightly longer for you to stop smoking. The combination of varenicline, phone counselling, and CBT offered in the Quit Smoking Programme is designed to help you quit as quickly as possible.

If you forget to take your daily tablet/s of varenicline, do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one.

Instead, if you forget a dose, just take that tablet as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, do not take the tablet that you missed and wait until your next dose instead.

No. You can still smoke during the first week of varenicline treatment. However, once you reach your “quit date”, it’s recommended that you stop smoking. It’s not dangerous to continue smoking, but continuing to smoke after you reach your quit date will make it less likely that you will quit successfully.

Our varenicline comes as part of our complete Quit Smoking Programme, which is a 12-week treatment plan designed to help you stop smoking. The Programme includes:

• A 12-week prescription of varenicline.
• One-to-one weekly phone counselling with a registered clinician.
• Daily cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the form of motivational emails and SMS messages to ensure you stay on track with your treatment.
• An optional Ripple vape to help reduce behavioural habits associated with smoking.

We only offer varenicline together with our Quit Smoking Programme because studies show that combining certain smoking cessation therapies works better than using them separately.

For example, one study found that more people stopped smoking after 3 months when varenicline treatment was combined with telephone counselling than with varenicline treatment alone.

Quitting smoking can be difficult. Fusing these treatments together gives you the physical, mental, and emotional support you need to stop smoking once and for all.