Can you get E Cigarette Prescriptions on the NHS?

If you have ever thought about wanting to quit smoking, you certainly won’t be alone. Nearly 7 in 10 of all smokers say that they want to stop, and most think about it on a daily basis.

We all know that quitting smoking is one of the best things that you can do for your health – nearly a third of all deaths come from smoking or second hand smoke.

That’s a scary statistic!

It’s no wonder that more and more people are turning to e-cigarettes in order to try and kick the habit. All recent studies show that vaping is safer than smoking – but that is the hot topic at the moment. How much safer is vaping than smoking?

Are E Cigarettes safe?

We are all familiar with the side effects of smoking. Cigarettes affect nearly every single organ in your body and contain over 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.

Not only are they dangerous, but they also affect your sense of taste and smell, as well as burning a hole in your pocket and budget!

Cigarette usage is addictive though, and like other addictive substances breaking free of the routine and addiction can be incredibly challenging...

Many smokers are turning to vaping and e-cigarettes in order to try and break this habit as they provide a nicotine hit without the damaging effects of smoke and tar.

For those who are smokers, this is a reason that e-cigarettes are gaining popularity each year.

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Are e cigs healthier than regular cigarettes?

There is a common misconception that e-cigarettes are equally as harmful or more harmful than real cigarettes, so we have done some research and checked out 2 of the major studies into this question. Firstly, Cancer Research. Overall, their studies showed that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking as they don’t contain tobaccos and there is ‘no smoke, tar or carbon monoxide, and studies looking at key toxicants have generally found much lower levels than in cigarettes.[i]

So far so good, right?

The study then goes on to suggest that, as e-cigarettes are a relatively new product, their long-term effects aren’t fully known. Taking into account their established safety and effectiveness, Cancer Research UK shares the same views as many other health organisations that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking.

The British Heart Foundation takes a similar stance, with a closer look at the effect on the heart and blood vessels. They looked at 114 people who had smoked at least 15 cigarettes a day for 2 years, and within just one month of no smoking found that people’s blood vessel health had started to recover.[ii] However, they also agree with Cancer Research UK and their study; in that more research is needed into the long-term effects of vaping.

Are e cigarettes safer than smoking?

So, the consensus so far is YES – e-cigarettes are a lot safer than smoking.

The evidence so far certainly shows that e-cigarettes are safer than smoking, and whilst we don’t know the full extent of vaping effects on the body – not putting tar and cigarette smoke into your body is a step in the right direction. All recent studies show that:

• People who swap to regulated e cigarettes and products reduce the number of toxins in their body
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• Whilst nicotine is addictive, it does not cause cancer 
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• There is no evidence that vape clouds harm innocent bystanders 
•  
• If you swap to e cigarettes for a month, your blood vessels will become healthier than if you were smoking
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• Tobacco is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in the UK

Is vaping safe – NHS views and studies

There have been many scary stories about e-cigarettes in the media lately, from health-related issues such as popcorn lung to fatal accidents from faulty equipment. After looking at the NHS and their view on e-cigarettes, they seem to be in agreement with other studies – they are an amazing tool to help you stop smoking. They found that in 2019, when combined with face-to-face support, people who used vaping and e-cigarettes to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as those who used other nicotine replacement products.[iii]

Whilst they also agree that vaping is not completely risk free, compared to what ingredients make up cigarettes, vaping carries a fraction of the risks. E cigarettes and e liquid are tightly regulated for both safety and quality, and you don’t get carbon monoxide or tar from vaping.

In fact, the Department of Health and Social Care have announced that e cigarettes could be prescribed on the NHS relatively soon to be in line with the government's plan to become a smoke-free nation by 2030. This would make the UK the first country to be able to prescribe e cigarettes as a stop smoking aid, and this could help reduce the burden on the NHS by reducing the need for a lot of emergency treatment, needed for smokers. This is a landmark statement made by both the government and NHS, and definitely helps to support the idea that vaping is safer than smoking.

Will e cigarettes help you to quit smoking?

According to the government website, there are a whopping 2.7 million adult vapers in England[iv] – making e cigarettes officially the most popular method used by smokers to try and quit. Vaping is responsible for high success rates, with 68% of people moving onto e cigarettes being successful and not going back to smoking again. A Major UK study by the National Institute for Health Research studied 886 participants and split them into an e-cigarette group and a nicotine replacement group, to see the results after 1 year of trying to quit smoking. What they found was that 18% of e cigarette users quit smoking for the whole year compared to 9.9% of nicotine replacement users. They also found that over the year, 80% of the e cigarette users stuck to their product for 52 weeks, compared to 9% of the nicotine replacement users.[v]

Whilst this might seem like a lot of statistics, the numbers really do speak for themselves and it cannot be denied that by vaping and using e cigarettes, you are more likely to quit smoking and never go back.

That, and the fact that you can get much nicer flavours in e cigarettes, it’s a no-brainer!

Are e cigarettes safe when pregnant?

This is when it starts to get serious, and we are about to hit you with some scary facts…

Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy is responsible for complications during labour, premature births, an increased rate of stillbirths, miscarriages and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The evidence is overwhelming – but how safe is it to vape during pregnancy? Many pregnant women believe that vaping is less harmful than using real cigarettes – so we’ve taken a look to see what the research suggests

Based on the latest evidence, it has been proven that e cigarettes are significantly less harmful than cigarettes and are an effective aid for quitting. However, experts do not yet know enough about vaping and the effect of e cigarettes in pregnancy. We know that they don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide, so that’s a better start already. All e cigarettes contain is nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and flavourings. According to Public Health England, e-cigarettes are about 95% less harmful than smoking – so that’s not a bad thing!

Many mums-to-be use e-cigarettes when trying to stop smoking, but you should always take your midwife's advice before you make any decisions. Due to the lack of research, it might be worth looking into licensed Nicotine Replacement therapy products, such as gum and patches as these have been tested and are considered safe during pregnancy.

If you don’t want to consider these options, then it Is important to note that the NHS states that using e-cigarettes when pregnant is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

Always consult your midwife before making any decisions

Does the NHS do vapes on prescription?

Currently, the answer is no – the NHS does not currently offer e cigarettes or vapes on prescription. However, there has been a lot in the news recently about the NHS paving the way as the first health care service to offer vapes as a tool to quit smoking.

Recently, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have said that manufacturers of e cigarettes can submit their products to go through the same regulatory approval process as other medicines – amazing!!

If the product meets the medical approval, it will then be up to doctors to decide whether it is appropriate to prescribe an e cigarette to a patient who is looking to stop smoking. As we all know, e-cigarettes are not completely risk free, but they carry a small fraction of the risk of actual cigarettes. It should be noted that e-cigarettes would only be prescribed on the NHS as an aid to quitting smoking and would not be prescribed to a non-smoker or a teenager.

This is ground breaking!

The development of medically licensed e cigarettes would be a massive step forward and would provide patients and healthcare professionals alike with an additional tool to help break dependence on smoking.

The Big Question

So, we’ve covered a lot of important and serious subjects in this blog so far and have explored questions like are e-cigs from the NHS safe? and can e-cigarettes help smokers quit? and even looked at vaping when pregnant.

The main thing to take away from this blog is that – yes, e cigarettes have overwhelming evidence to suggest that they are a lot safer the smoking real cigarettes, and that e-cigs really do help smokers quit a new study shows

Now the big question…

Where to buy e-cigarettes?

When you are looking to start your vaping journey, you need to make sure that you only buy from reputable companies who specialise in vaping to ensure that you are buying genuine and safe products (but that’s a tale for another blog!)

The vaping community has grown massively over the past few years and is now worth a lot of money, inevitably flooding the market with illegal counterfeit products that have not been tested or regulated. Whilst these are mostly purchased by people unknowingly (they believe that they are buying genuine products) in order to have the best vaping experience possible and make sure you are safe whilst doing so, you need to make sure that you are purchasing from trusted and reputable companies.

Here are Vape and Go, we are dedicated to making sure that we only use trusted and reputable suppliers and manufacturers to ensure that your safety and enjoyment is our top priority.

If you are seriously looking to go smoke free, then take a look below at some of our best starter vapes and start your vaping journey now!

Best e cigs for smokers

If you are already a committed smoker, then the best way to try vaping for the first time is a disposable vape. Luckily for you, we have 2 of the most popular disposable vapes on the market right now – the Elf Bar and the Geek Bar

With little to no set up required, these small but mighty disposable vapes certainly pack a punch. They come pre-charged and pre-filled with 2ml of nicotine salts, so you don’t have to worry about what coils to use, filling the tank, priming the coil or messing around with switches and buttons. Available in a wide variety of flavours, the Elf Bar and Geek bar are gaining in popularity for all the right reasons.

With innovative draw activation, you don’t need to worry about wattages or battery strength – everything has been perfectly designed to make sure that it is simple and easy to use. With perfect mouth to lung vape performance, these vape pens mimic the draw of a cigarette, and the nicotine salt gives the buzz of a nicotine rush!

You can’t go wrong if you choose the Elf Bar or the Geek Bar as your first vape device

Best e cig for heavy smokers

If you are a heavy smoker and want something a bit more meatier, then the Geek Bar or the Elf Bar might not be for you. They are perfect to start off with, but eventually you might need something a bit more heavy duty.

It is understandable to be wary at first, if you have been smoking 20-30 cigarettes for the past few decades then you might think – how can vaping be even remotely close? Luckily for you, there are millions of people who have taken this step before you! They have done all the legwork and found the perfect combination of liquid, coils and devices so you don’t have to break a sweat when making your choice. The best advice is to speak to one of our friendly team who will be happy to help you make your decision.

It is important if you are going from being a heavy smoker to becoming a vaper that you buy the right device, otherwise you might start slipping back into old habits. The main things that you need to look for are:

• A large batter with long life,
• The ability to use nicotine salts (a new creation that allows higher strength nicotine to be vape without a harsh throat hit – essential for heavy ex-smokers!),
• A good coil to be able to take high PG e liquids,
• Mouth to lung performance (where you inhale the vape directly into your lungs just as you would when smoking).

Whilst there are plenty of people who have stopped smoking and moved onto vaping before, it is a very personal choice as everyone is different and everyone has different preferences. You may have to test and try a few before you settle on your favourite combination, but once you start you won’t look back!!

So, what are you waiting for? Take a look now at our fantastic starter kits, Elf Bar and Geek Bar disposable vape range to take the first step to a smoke free you.

• E-cigarette safety | Cancer Research UK
• Is vaping safe? | BHF
• Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
• Vaping in England: 2021 evidence update summary - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy | NEJM