Thursday, September 20, 2007

Smoking Cessation Pills - Do They Work?

Smokers like the idea of smoking cessation pills. Studies in America have shown that 80% of smokers think they should quit. Many of them think that smoking cessation pills have the answers they are looking for as they offer that potential miracle cure that will take the pain, anguish and torment of smoking cessation away from smokers. But is this really the case?

There are a number of treatments available to aid smoking cessation in the form of smoking cessation pills. There are also varying degrees of success associated with each type. The two most common types of smoking cessation pill that actually do have an effect are explained here.

The first smoking cessation pill I would like to consider is probably the best known; zyban. It was developed in the 1970s as a treatment for depression when it was marketed as wellbutrin. When researchers were conducting trials of the drug, they found that the test patients were reporting quitting smoking at a significant rate. This lead to further studies where the sole focus of the study was to determine the impact of wellbutrin on smokers.

Many studies have been completed since and it is commonly agreed now that 16% of smokers, who try to quit smoking using wellbutrin as their smoking cessation pill, will succeed after one year. I.e. they will quit at some point be smoke free one year after the course of treatment has been completed.

It is not known how zyban works specifically, but it is clear that it interferes with the normal brain chemistry associated with nicotine addiction.

The side effects most commonly reported are similar to the side effects suffered by any person quitting smoking. These side effects may be from the drug zyban itself or they may be from nicotine withdrawal. Significantly, any alcohol, heart or blood pressure problems will need careful consideration by your doctor if you wish to use zyban.

The most significant side effect associated with zyban is the 1 in 1000 siezure rate. This can be life threatening so is a serious consideration for any would be quitter. You dont want to kill yourself trying to quit smoking after all!

The second smoking cessation pill I would like to consider is the new kid on the block. It is called varenicline and marketed as chantix in the US and as champix in the UK.

Pfizer, the manufacturer has claimed a 44% success rate in smoking cessation studies but there has been much criticism of their claims. Significantly, when Pfizer have sponsored studies into the effectiveness of chantix as a smoking cessation pill, they have been very stringent on which smokers are allowed into the group. It is thought that hardcore smokers or people who have serially been unable to quit smoking have been excluded in order to bump up success rates.

Independent reviews of all chantix studies have shown the truer success rate of chantix as a smoking cessation pill as being about 22%. This is not a huge success rate when compared to the claims initially made by Pfizer!

The most commonly cited side effects associated with chantix are those of nausea, sleep problems and weird dreams or nightmares. The other significant side effects are shared side effects found from nicotine withdrawal.

Due to the high rates of nausea, stomach cramps, feeling bloated, constipation or diarrhoea associated with chantix, up to 30% of patients have to abandon the treatment. Not mush fun if you have shelled out $300 for your smoking cessation pills only to find you cannot take the drug after all!

My advice is that smokers should try any non-pharmaceutical methods to quit smoking before they turn to smoking cessation pills such as chantix or zyban. Not only is there hypnosis that is very commonly known and probably as effective as chantix, there is also cognitive behavioural therapy that has very high success rates thought to be well over 50%.

As ever, every time you fail to quit smoking, you are one step closer to success. Never stop trying to quit.

Why do people try to quit smoking before they know how to quit smoking? Pete Howells is the author of the EasyQuit System available only online at http://easyquitsystem.com. He also blogs, post articles and videos at http://easyquitsystem.com/blog and at http://quit-smoking-motivator.blogspot.com

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Cutting Down On Your Cigarettes May Lead To Quitting Smoking

Jenny hopes to quit smoking by cutting down her smoking. She feels gross when she skips smoking in the morning. As the evening sets in, she returns to her old smoking habit. She hates herself when she gives in to cigarettes. She dislikes the smell of tobacco smoke at times. Nevertheless, she enjoys it overall. She's not sure whether trimming down the number of cigarettes she puffs can help her quit smoking completely.

If you want to quit altogether, then cutting down on smoking may be a good start. It's better than doing nothing at all. It may not be the ideal solution to your smoking problem. But if you are not ready yet, smoking reduction can lead you in the right path.

A study by Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Use Research at Yale suggests that older smokers can quit smoking for good when they cut down on their smoking. The study focused on American smokers aged between 51 and 61. Most experts believe that the only way to give up smoking is to quit completely. On the hand, Dr Tracy Falba, the lead researcher said, But cutting down the number of cigarettes smoked seems to promote quitting. Cutting down first may be an option for people trying to quit. Even though the research was based on older smokers, Dr Falba believed that smokers regardless of their age can benefit from reduced smoking.

From the results of the study, smokers who cut back more than 50 percent of their smoking doubled their chances to quit. Even some smokers on small reductions have better chances of stopping smoking.

Most smokers who try to quit fall back because of relapse. This study revealed that those on reduced smoking didn't experience any relapse in the long run. However, this may give the wrong impression to those who reduce but continue to smoke. They should remember the reason for cutting down is to quit smoking entirely. Reduction without working towards cessation is pointless.

This method may not work for you. What happens if you can't deal with the withdrawal symptoms? Can you resist smoking in this difficult situation? You may need help to counter the effects of withdrawal symptoms. Consult with your doctor whether cutting down can help you quit smoking. It's not easy. You may need more than your willpower and determination to succeed.

Michael Cage produces health content at Health Maestro Blog. Get more quit smoking tips at http://www.deadlypuff.com

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Stop Smoking - The Best Way

Addiction to smoking is something that affects many people around the world. With the wide availability of cigarettes in todays world, it is extremely easy to get hooked early to nicotine and tobacco. Everyone knows that cigarettes can cause serious health problems, but still people smoke. People smoke for a whole range of reasons, but none of them can seem to put down the cigarettes when they need to. In the end, it comes down to a mental issue that prevents people from being able to stop.

People begin smoking for a bunch of different reasons. Some do it because smoking is cool, while others do it because their friends are doing it. Few people simply go into a store and decide that they would like to buy a pack of cigarettes. It just does not happen that way. Outside influences are very important to smoking addiction. Because of this, smoking addiction is something that must be broken at the mindset level. If smoking makes you feel tough or cool, and you cant stop when you should, then something is badly wrong.

Do you smoke a couple packs of cigarettes every day? Do you feel like you could put the cigarettes down for good if you absolutely had to? Most people believe that they could probably quit smoking if they absolutely had to. Then, when the time comes to stop smoking, they cant do it. It is because they are focusing on cigarettes and the actual act of smoking. While it is true that there are chemicals within cigarettes that cause addiction issues, the mental issues play just as big of a role.

Fancy patches and special gum has been designed to help people stop smoking. Sometimes they work and sometimes they dont. It is just a matter of how motivated a person is in their goal to quit smoking. In my years as a hypnotherapist, I have treated people for smoking issues. Hypnosis is more effective as these physical helpers because it will help a person change their outlook and mindset.

Hypnosis is something that should strongly considered by people who feel like they cant beat cigarettes and smoking addiction. Its not just something that is done during a magic show. It is a real, tangible solution to awful problems that can eventually kill you. Get the information you need today in order to make a quality decision on hypnosis.

For a great hypnosis cd to stop smoking and more on stop smoking hypnosis, please visit Richards site.

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