Stop Smoking Using Pills
Paula is a 40-year-old manager of an insurance company. This woman smokes an average of 2 packs a day and has tried different products in the market to quit smoking. Since these products don’t seem to have any effect, it was time to try a different approach.
If the usual things purchased over the counter don’t work, perhaps it is time to get assistance from the doctor. A few days later, an appointment was set up. After reviewing Paula’s physical conditions, the specialist decided to prescribe a pill.
The name of the pill is Wellbutrin. The doctor explained that this was first used to treat depression. Recent studies show the drug can be given to patients who have ADHD and want to quit smoking.
The doctor told Paula to have this once a day for the first three days. On the 4th day and the proceeding weeks during treatment, this can go up to two pills a day. One should be taken in the morning with the second about eight hours later.
After four months of treatment, all the hard work paid off. Paula no longer wanted to smoke and was cured of the addiction.
The road to being addict free from smoking is not easy as Paula and others will attest. There will be times that the person will experience withdrawal symptoms similar to those who are trying to give up smoking or taking drugs.
Since Wellbutrin is almost a 10-year-old drug and has accomplished minimal success, modern science is now working on a new pill. This new drug is called Chantix is now available through a medical prescription.
Pfizer made this new pill and tests have shown that patients who use this drug can be off the habit in as little as 12 weeks. The chemicals used for this drug block the release of dopamine which cuts the craving especially for those who are chain smokers.
Those who smoke then will first cut down on the number of packs or cigarettes taken per day until this goes to zero. Unlike Wellbutrin, Chantix cannot be used with other forms or nicotine replacement therapy.
Another drug being developed is called Rimonabant. Doctors first announced this in a medical conference in 2004. Though this drug is still under development, doctors believe this can kill two birds with one stone.
This can help patients quit smoking and at the same time lose some weight. The manufacturer of this drug is Sanofi Synthelabo based in Sweden which is hoping to get FDA approval once all the tests are complete.
Some scientists believe that there is a relation between smoking and overeating. The drug works by blocking the neurons in the brain from transmitting signals which will make the individual eat a lot or light a cigarette.
Initial tests using 1,036 volunteers have shown that those who take the pill and make changes in the diet can lose up to 20 pounds and even trim 3 inches from the waistline in one year.
The patients also had an increase in the LDL by up to 23%, which is known as good cholesterol in the body and a reduction in the bad otherwise known as triglycerides.
There are other pills developed by being developed in research labs around the world. The person should be open to new medicines and techniques in order to quit the habit.
|
