Smoking is a hard habit to quit. What is interesting is that most smokers understand that
smoking increases the chances of heart disease, lung cancer and high blood pressure. Smoking also takes a huge financial toll especially those in the middle income bracket. But if 46 million Americans have
quit smoking, you too can do it, even if it means taking a few more tries.
There are various methods of quitting. You can go ‘cold turkey’ depending entirely on your own will power without taking any form of support. However, statistics reveal that the success rate in such cases is extremely low and only 10 out of 100 people remain non-smokers for 12 months. Counseling and support groups that engage in
smoking cessation programs help to
stop smoking for smokers.
There are broadly two categories of medication: nicotine replacement therapy and non-nicotine medications.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT):
Most nicotine substitutes are available over the counter. These medicines help in reducing the withdrawal symptoms and the cravings that one experience while trying to quit
smoking. You can use a nicotine patch, nicotine gum or nicotine lozenge for NRT. Nicotine patch allows nicotine to flow into the bloodstream through the skin. Nicotine gum delivers nicotine from the lining of the mouth to the blood while nicotine lozenge dissolves in your mouth and allows nicotine to flow to the blood from the mouth. Nicotine inhaler and nicotine nasal spray are available only through prescriptions.
Non-nicotine medications include nicotine vaccine, anti depressants and Chantix.
Chantix(Varenicline) makes it easy to quit smoking. It is the latest
smoking cessation pill available in the market. Among the other anti-smoking drugs, Chantix(Varenicline) is the most effective
stop smoking pill against this killer product. Chantix works in two ways. It reduces the usual pleasures and kicks that one enjoys while taking nicotine and also helps in calming the withdrawal symptoms. The total duration of the Chantix treatment is 12 weeks. However, some clinical experiments show that the drug worked effectively for 44 per cent compared to 30 percent of the patients who were under anti-depressants, and other nicotine-replacement therapies including patch, gum and lozenge which have been rebranded as zyban.
Chantix works on the same receptors in the brain that nicotine reacts which leads to the release of dopamine. Thus Chantix not only acts as a shield but also protects you against the terrible withdrawal symptoms. This drug is manufactured by Pfizer and can be obtained only through prescriptions.
Nicotine is highly addictive and the success rate of people
quit smoking is low. But with the help of this latest medicine one can be successful, provided of course he has the strong will power to do so.
