Advice for Quitting Smoking with a Medication Program
What Should You Look For, and How Should You go About a Medication
Program?
Quitting smoking surely isn’t easy, and there is no dearth of people
who turn to medication programs in looking for help. Data shows that
only around 5% of people who try to quit cold turkey succeed, and this
figure does go up considerably when medication is involved.
Around 15% of the people who are on nicotine replacement medication
manage to quit, and this goes up to 30% when combined with other forms
of medication. However, if you do intend to go on a medication program
in order to quit smoking, there are some things that you need to
consider.
If you do intend to take any medication, you should also know of any
accompanying side effect. Various medications designed to help you quit
smoking are known to produce various side effects, and knowing what to
expect at the very onset will only make your effort a little easier.
For instance, bupropion (Zyban), one of the most commonly suggested
non-nicotine based medication in Australia, is a medication that not
every body can use. People who suffer from any prior medical condition
need to start this program in consultation with a doctor, and this is
one of the primary reasons that you cannot buy this drug over the
counter.
Known side effects of the drugs bupropion and varenicline (Chantix)
include depression, anger, irritability, aggression, being confused, and
in some cases, even bouts of hallucinations. Severe cases of
varenicline’s side effects have also involved suicidal tendencies. Do
know that varenicline should be used with particular caution if you
suffer from any psychiatric condition.
Various anti smoking medications are also known to interfere with sleep
patterns, and this could include your experiencing insomnia,
sluggishness, drowsiness, and nightmares. You could also experience
disturbed sleep, feeling that you are very aware of what’s happening
even whilst you are asleep.
Anti smoking medication can also cause gastrointestinal problems, signs
of which would include cramps, stomach ache, excess gas, nausea,
vomiting, as well as change in appetite. Depending on the medication
that you take you could also experience restlessness, and problems with
breathing.
Many of these side effects would generally show up if you have any prior
underlying problems associated with your health. In certain cases, the
use of smoking medication has to be ruled out for this very reason. This
is why consulting a doctor before you start taking any medication to
help you quit smoking is something that you should seriously think
about, even if you intend to use over the counter drugs. If your
doctor rules out your taking non nicotine based medication, or if you do
not wish to do so because of the accompanying side effects, then you can
also think about using some form of nicotine replacement therapy, and
this can be in the form of nicotine based chewing gum, lozenges,
patches, inhalers, or even electronic cigarettes. All these products
essentially work by continuing to supply your body with a steady dose of
nicotine, which you have to gradually reduce. One important thing to
bear in mind if you use nicotine based medication is that you should
stop smoking cigarettes. This is simply because your smoking would
result in your body getting an extra supply of nicotine, and nicotine
overdose can lead to a heart attack.
So remember, while you do have plenty of options when it comes to
medication that can help you quit smoking, it is very important that you
exercise some caution and find out as much as you can about the
medication in question. |
