Smoke free with a prescription: a doctor's appointment without detours

The doctor's appointment costs €69 online and €79 at the practice, with the initial and follow-up consultation at the same price. A repeat prescription only, without a consultation, costs €49. There is no subscription and there are no hidden fees. You pay for medications or nicotine replacement separately at the normal pharmacy price.

Yes. The video consultation works anywhere in Germany, and you only need a smartphone or a laptop with a camera. Prescriptions come as an e-prescription straight to your phone and can be redeemed at any pharmacy, with home delivery on request. If you prefer personal contact, you can come to the practice in Munich or to a further location across Germany.

If a medication makes medical sense and is suitable for you, yes. In the consultation the doctor checks pre-existing conditions, other medications and your dependence and then decides with you on varenicline, bupropion or nicotine replacement. There is no promise of a particular product in advance, that would not be reputable.

Varenicline is the active ingredient in Champix. The original product was temporarily unavailable, and there are now successor products with the same active ingredient. The doctor checks with you in the appointment what is currently available and, in the event of shortages, chooses an equivalent alternative.

That can only be answered reputably by a doctor. Bupropion can reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, but it is not an option with seizure disorders or certain eating disorders, among other things, and it can interact with other medications. This review is exactly the core of the appointment at Cureal.

That depends on your dependence. Nicotine replacement is available without a prescription, is well tolerated and catches the withdrawal, especially as a combination of a patch with gum or spray. Prescription-only tablets such as varenicline or bupropion are often more effective in studies with stronger dependence. The doctor works out with you what suits how much you smoke.

The acute phase with irritability, restlessness and strong cravings is usually considerably weaker after two to four weeks, and the first few days are the hardest. Individual bouts of craving can still occur later, but they only last a few minutes. Medications and nicotine replacement can cushion exactly this phase, and your plan gives you concrete alternative actions for such moments.

Then the plan has not failed, it is adjusted. Relapses are part of a dependence and are no reason for shame. In the follow-up appointment the doctor looks with you at what triggered the relapse and adjusts the strategy or the medication. Many people only manage to quit for good on the second or third attempt.

Cureal is a private medical consultation, so you pay for the appointment yourself. Certified courses and apps can be reimbursed in full or in part depending on your health insurer, which you clarify directly with your insurer. Whether and how the two can sensibly be combined is something you discuss in the appointment.

Yes, and often that even makes sense. Apps give structure, courses give a group, and free offerings such as rauchfrei-info.de provide good everyday tips. What none of these offerings does: the medical review of which medications are safe and sensible for you. That is exactly the building block Cureal adds.

Yes, precisely then. Failed attempts usually do not show a lack of will but that willpower alone is often not enough against a physical dependence. With medication reviewed by a doctor, a plan for your concrete triggers and a follow-up appointment you change exactly the conditions that were the problem before.

Yes. With e-cigarettes and vapes too, nicotine is the addictive substance and the dependence works in a similar way. The doctor discusses with you how high your nicotine intake actually is and which exit route suits, from nicotine replacement with a decreasing dose through to medication support.