12/05/2012

The list of stop smoking aids is constantly growing, with more and more tools being added to the arsenal of the would-be smoke-free person. There have been non-nicotine, prescription-only drugs available for quite some time, but they have often produced inconsistent results. The latest stop smoking drugs do not claim yet to be able to help every single quitter, but they are, according to many experts, much more effective than previous offerings.



Sometimes, the very aids that are supposed to help people quit smoking contain nicotine. Ironically, this is the very drug that smokers are attempting to get out of their system. However, the idea is that, in controlled doses, these new stop smoking drugs can help wean the smoker from their dependency on the drug.



So far, stop smoking drugs don't seem to be very effective. Both researchers as well as those using the stop smoking drug are discovering that treatment has little effect on their desire for nicotine. Within short they return to smoking for their daily fix. Experts are hoping the new stop smoking drugs, which also eliminates the effects of nicotine, will fare better.



The newest stop smoking drug goes by the medical name Varenicline, and is sold under the name of 'Chantix'. It is not a nicotine replacement therapy, instead, it works by reducing the pleasure received from smoking, and eliminates the effects of the nicotine, so that eventually you feel no urge to smoke any more.



Replacement Therapies Are Not Always Effective



Replacement therapies have been available for several years, along with a drug called bupropion, which was sold under the name of Wellbutrin, and was originally intended to be used as an antidepressant. Wellbutrin was found to help people who wished to stop smoking, so it was re-branded as Zyban, and is now being sold as a stop-smoking aid. Again, this drug is only effective in some cases, but it is always useful to have another option in your stop-smoking arsenal.



Preliminary tests have shown that 44% of the people using Chantix as a stop smoking drug had been successful after the first 12 weeks. Researchers are watching the long term effects of the drug and monitoring these patients closely in their quest to remain smoke free. Chantix is an FDA approved smoking cessation drug, which is good news if you are trying to give up, as it means that many insurance companies will cover the drug.
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