The Stop Smoking Pill

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The stop smoking pill is here. This is a prescription drug that provides relief from nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms that plague smokers during their break from cigarette smoking. The stop smoking pill medications in the market today are Zyban and Rimonabant. Pfizer has recently come up with Champix. What makes stop smoking pill products ahead of the nicotine patch are their nicotine-free formulation.

Neurobiology and Stop Smoking Pill Products

Neurobiology is the science that studies the brain and the nervous system of humans and animals. A specialization of this science focuses on the brain and the nervous system. Stop smoking pills were engineered to work on these systems to curb nicotine dependence; hence, its relation to the science.

Stop smoking pills work on the endocannabinoid system which impacts on the tobacco dependence. These work on the brain to reduce the degree of cravings and the withdrawal symptoms. These wreck the release of the pleasure chemical or dopamine. Champix from Pfizer reduces and eventually takes the gratification out of smoking. Zyban increases the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine the way nicotine does. The increased levels of these brain chemicals give people a sense of well-being and vitality. During the cessation treatment, people experience a vast reduction of the urge to smoke and the easing of nicotine withdrawal.

How Are Stop Smoking Pills Taken?

The stop smoking pill therapy is helping millions quit smoking by easing nicotine withdrawal pains and lessening the cravings for nicotine. The first to be marketed was Zyban. This drug gained a following after reports of successful smoking cessation treatments. Zyban was joined by other brands, the latest being Champix from Pfizer.

The Champix clinical runs showed that 44% of the men participating in the trials were able to quit after three months, a very impressive figure. The men in the clinical study were given the pill twice daily and they found relief from withdrawal symptoms. Their cravings also lessened during the weeks they stopped smoking. The first three days daily dosage of Champix is 0.5 mg. On the fourth and seventh day, the same dose is given but this time, twice daily. On the 8th day until the last day of treatment, the dose remains at 1 mg. twice a day.

Zyban is the oldest stop smoking pill, being developed in 1996. Patients are prescribed 150 mg once daily for the first three days. The dosage is increased to 150 mg. twice a day. Zyban is taken about 7 to 12 weeks for best results.

Side Effects

Zyban has had reported side effects, like dry mouth, headaches, insomnia, agitation, and change in appetite. Champix side effects run from nausea, headaches, abnormal dreams, dizziness, dry mouth, diarrhea, flatulence, mood swings, tremor, and heart palpitations. Stop smoking pills can also trigger skin reaction, increased blood pressure, indigestion, and constipation.