Are There Stop Smoking Treatments That I Can Consider Employing To Successfully Kick The Habit?

After I suffered a heart attack and lived to tell the tale, I believed that I’ve been given a new lease in life. I’ve since decided to eat better, drink better, and live better. I’ve also decided to stop smoking. Unfortunately, that has been the hardest part of all since I’ve been smoking for over 30 years. Is there a stop smoking treatment that I could consider to help me finally kick the habit? What sort of stop smoking treatment is best for someone of my condition? 

First of all, the best stop smoking treatment available is within one’s self. Quitting smoking takes a lot of determination and tenacity in order to succeed. Unfortunately, most smokers can’t fight the temptation on sheer will power alone. Such is the power cigarette addiction.

Over the years, several stop smoking treatments have been developed and made available to the masses. Nicotine patches and gums are the most common ones. Ten years ago in 1997, a stop smoking treatment in the form of a pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is known under the names of buproprion, Zyban, and most commonly, Wellbutrin. It was designed to reduce the depression experienced with withdrawal symptoms in smokers. It was not very popular, however, because it seemed to work on some people and not on others. It wasn’t a very effect stop smoking treatment.

Recently, seeing the huge gap in the stop smoking treatment market, major pharmaceutical companies have been researching and developing new drugs as a stop smoking treatment. Some claim that their drugs are almost ready for FDA approval. How effective these new stop smoking treatments are remains to be seen, but they are showing a lot of promise, giving hope to those who are suffering from cigarette addiction.

A most promising stop smoking treatment is currently being developed by Pfizer under the name Varenicline to be marketed as Chantrix. Pfizer’s researchers have since identified the brain receptors that nicotine binds to. Chantrix is designed to latch on to the same receptor sites that nicotine would normally bind to when inhaled in smoke. At this point, dopamine would normally be released to enhance the brain’s pleasure centers. Chantrix works by slowing the release of dopamine, which in turn curbs the craving to smoke when the nicotine effect wears off. It sounds like a very promising stop smoking treatment but some people are wary of side effects. The most common side effect reported by testers is nausea, a small price to pay for a projected quit rate of 22% to 44%.

Another stop smoking treatment that’s showing promise is developed by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Synthelabo. The drug Rimonabant to be marketed as Acomplia is part of a new class of drugs that not only aid in smoking cessation, but also weight loss. It is currently still under testing stage but has so far shown favorable results.

Hopefully, with all the stop smoking treatments that will soon be made available in the market, more and more smokers intending to kick the habit will be successful. It is important to consult with a health professional to find the best stop smoking treatment for you.