Pharmacy professors establish Clinic for Tobacco Independence at LLUMC Transplantation Institute

by James Ponder

Two Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy (LLUSP) professors have an exciting new mission on their hands: to help patients of the Transplantation Institute at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) prepare for organ transplantation by kicking the smoking habit. The duo—Linda Davis, PharmD, and Hyma Gogineni, PharmD—completed requirements for the tobacco treatment specialist certificate from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “We worked very closely with expert physicians here at Loma Linda including Dr. David Sachs, Dr. John Hodgkins, and Dr. Linda Ferry,” Dr. Gogineni explains, “to gain more insight into the field of tobacco dependence treatment.” 

“Our job is to motivate patients to stop smoking, give them the tools to counteract withdrawal symptoms and cravings, and help them understand that they are equipped to stay smoke-free for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Davis asserts. “We discuss the medication choices and prescribe the medications best-suited for their individual needs. Part of the intake session also includes educating them about the science of addiction. People tend to think of smoking as just a bad habit, but nicotine is actually as addictive as heroin.”

“That seems extreme,” Dr. Gogineni adds, “but it’s true. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin. I think it’s very important for people to realize that it is like other addictions, and that using just one over-the-counter drug nicotine replacement therapy medication—patch, gum, or lozenge—is usually not enough.” Dr. Davis strongly agrees. “Combination treatment—including a nicotine patch and a fast-acting nicotine replacement product for withdrawal symptoms—is the treatment of choice for most of our patients.

Dr. Davis points out that the new Clinic for Tobacco Independence at the Transplantation Institute offers patients in need of organ transplants three significant benefits. “First,” she says, “stopping this addictive behavior decreases the likelihood of cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke. Second, it improves their eligibility for organ transplantation. Finally, it speeds the recovery process by fostering post-surgical wound healing. It’s a win-win situation.”

Although the Clinic for Tobacco Independence just opened in August, 2009, Drs. Davis and Gogineni report they already have a group of 15-20 potential patients in the liver transplant program.