But scientists have discovered that being treated for psoriasis , a disorder marked by red, flaky patches on the skin, may also help smokers kick the habit. Methoxsalen can lower the craving by making nicotine stay in the blood longer, the researchers say. As a result, smokers taking the drug should find it easier to cut down on the number of cigarettes smoked. The hope is that this will make it much easier for them to quit eventually.
People can stop more easily if their patterns of smoking are much lower.
After 60 minutes of abstinence, the subjects were allowed to smoke at will for 90 minutes. Smokers who received methoxsalen plus nicotine smoked fewer cigarettes, had longer intervals between cigarettes, and took fewer puffs on each cigarette than those who were assigned to the other groups. The investigators also measured the amount of carbon monoxide in the breath of all study participants at the end of the free-smoking period.