- Stop Smoking Pills -
Using Chantix and the Drug Zyban to Control Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms and Cravings

The stop smoking pills sold as Champix and Chantix contain the chemical known as varenicline.

The chemical buproprion is sold as the drug Zyban and was originally prescribed to treat anxiety and depression symptoms.

These stop smoking drugs are not nicotine replacement therapy, rather they work on the brain neurochemistry altering the chemicals that regulate mood. This appears to make nicotine withdrawal symptoms more manageable when you are trying to stop smoking cigarettes.

What Do Stop Smoking Drugs Do?

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that sends messages along neural pathways that result in sensations of pleasure and "feeling good". You can think of this neurotransmitter as a "pleasure-enhancing" molecule that creates the chemistry necessary to feel pleasure and enhance enjoyment of life.

Some scientists believe that dopamine is involved in nicotine dependency and that nicotine boosts dopamine levels in the brain.

It is not surprising then that stop smoking pills are really chemicals that work on these pathways.

When nicotine is present, receptors on brain cells get the message to fire off dopamine and everything feels better.

When nicotine leaves the body and is not replaced, nicotine withdrawal symptoms start. They are thought to be caused by empty neuro-receptors on the brain cells and the resulting lowered levels of dopamine.

Stop smoking pills are believed to work by keeping empty neuro-receptors filled up as nicotine is lost from the body. This prevents the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings for another cigarette.

---

If you use pills to quit smoking just remember that at some time in the future these chemicals should also be withdrawn. It is at this time that you might be most vulnerable to taking up smoking again.

Stop smoking drugs are not meant to be a single solution in the stop smoking process. They work best when you also engage in getting healthy through diet and exercise. In fact exercise is known to also release those "feel good" hormones so it can also be used for help to stop smoking.

Education, counselling, and support groups will also give you a psychological boost that you might need at this time.

---

Return to the Home Page: Smoking Facts Reveal
The Real Dangers of Cigarette Smoking