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A Look at Stop Smoking Medications and They Work
By PATSY HAMILTON
Currently there are two popular stop smoking medications approved by the FDA and marketed in the United States. And, there are other stop smoking prescription medications available in other countries, but still less than 3% of smokers quit in any given year according to recent studies.
Nicotine is a powerful drug that is highly addictive. So, those who are trying to quit smoking must deal with changing old habits as well as withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine replacement therapy, like patches and gums, and stop smoking medications can only help with the “physical addiction”. Other plans are needed to adjust behavior, which is why so many people are unable to quit, even when using a stop smoking prescription medication.
Zyban
Zyban was approved by the FDA as a stop smoking prescription medication in 1997. It is actually the same drug (Bupropion) as the popular anti-depressant known as Wellbutrin.
In the United Kingdom, Bupropion marketed as Zyban SR was approved for use as a stop smoking aid in 2000, but the drug is not used to treat depression in that country. Zyban is also available in Germany, Columbia, Thailand, Korea, Canada, Brazil, France, Australia, Poland and Pakistan under various trade names.
As with other stop smoking medications, Zyban is supposed to help curb cravings for nicotine and reduce the physical urge to smoke. No one is quite sure how this might work, but it is probably related to chemicals produced by the brain while smoking.
Recent studies indicate that nicotine increases the production of a “feel good” chemical known as dopamine. Zyban does not increase the production of dopamine but it prevents it from breaking down so quickly.
Without a stop smoking prescription medication like Zyban, dopamine breaks down quickly, so within two hours, the urge to smoke returns. Urges to smoke that occur more often than every couple of hours are related to habits, lifestyle or behavioral associations, not to physical addiction.
Chantix
In the United States, this is the newest of the stop smoking medications, although similar drugs have been marketed in Eastern Europe for over twenty years. Like Zyban, it is supposed to reduce the urge to smoke. It may also make smoking less pleasurable.
Both drugs are effective for some people. Chantix has more side effects than Zyban, but there is a higher chance of physical dependency on Zyban than on Chantix.
It is important to remember that a stop smoking prescription medication only addresses part of the problem. These medications assume that everyone who smokes is addicted to nicotine. We have all known people who quit smoking “cold turkey” for health reasons or because of someone they loved, so obviously this is an addiction that can be conquered, with or without drugs or nicotine replacement.
One of the most important things that you can do before you try to quit is “find your motivation”. Counseling, support and planning are all important, too. In fact, some studies have shown that counseling alone is just as effective as either one of the popular www.stop-smoking-blog.com stop smoking medications. Some plans are even more effective. To learn more please visit the www.stop-smoking-blog.com Stop Smoking Blog, a resource for those who wish to quit, written by those who have.
Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a health writer. Currently she is writing a series of articles about how to stop smoking. Read more at http://www.stop-smoking-blog.com.
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