Friday, March 13, 2009

Medicines to Stop Smoking

By Amy Hudson

In spite of different treatments available to help people quit their smoking habit, there are just 2 prescribed stop smoking pills that are free of nicotine. These nicotine-free quit smoking pills are Zyban and Chantix. Most available smoking cessation pills are classified as nicotine replacement therapies, and are mostly meant to transfer one's nicotine addiction from cigarettes/tobacco to the nicotine replacement. Zyban, which has an active ingredient called Bupropion, is primarily an antidepressant drug which was later demonstrated to have nicotine antagonistic functions and have since been used as a stop smoking drug. Whereas, Chantix, otherwise known as Varenicline, is considered as a partial nicotine antagonist and is a recent addition to quit smoking pills.

Zyban

Buopropion, the active ingredient of Zyban, is a nicotine antagonist. This denotes that Zyban will help manage your body's incessant need or craving for nicotine. Taken 2x per day for 8 to 12 weeks, the Zyban medication is known to enable you to quit smoking within only 8 days after starting the treatment.

On top of managing your cravings for nicotine, this pill further treats any symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, for example, depression, weight gain, and even anxiety. A success rate of more than 15% has been observed among subjects who have successfully quit smoking through this medicationalone. Zyban is additionally a quite potent antidepressant recommended by most doctors particularly because it doesn't cause certain sexual dysfunction not like most most other antidepressants.

Then again, there have been several seizure cases observed following consuming Buopropion. Though the seizure cases were recently revealed to be a dosage mistake, this anti-smoking pill is strictly not advised for those with epilepsy or those with any seizure-inducing conditions.

The other Zyban side effects are nausea, excess sweating, tremors, dry mouth, and tinnitus. Abrupt Zyban interruption will trigger mania, generalized pain, irritability, anxiety attacks, dystonia, and headaches.

Chantix

Chantix, or Varenicline, is another prescription medication that does not contain nicotine. A recent addition to smoking cessation drugs, Chantix/Varenicline has a better success rate in helping people quit smoking in comparison to Zyban. As a nicotine receptor partial antagonist, this pill works to lessen your body's nicotine craving plus lower the level of satisfaction you get from using tobacco.

Presently, Chantix has a 19 to 23% success rate in helping smokers quit, and it can produce results at 6 months or more after starting treatment. A good number of smoking cessation medications are used for a twelve week a period, which can be extended for 12 more weeks if little results were originally observed.

However, the Chantix drug does come with some side effects that can't be denied, such as nausea plus specific gastrointestinal problems like constipation and flatulence, pain, plus various psychological difficulties. Varencicline consumption is closely linked to psychosis, suicidal tendencies, increased violence, and homicidal tendencies. As a result, the drug is prohibited for cops and airline pilots. Reports indicate that Chantix was the #1 drug with related incidents throughout the first quarter of 2008. At this time, the FDA has mandated more testing of Chantix.

Notwithstanding what stop smoking medication you eventually decide on to help you fight your addiction, you are advised to assess any side effects as well as weigh your options with utmost care. - 15437

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