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There are 2 types of pills. The first are those which alter your reaction to the feeling or taste of smoke in your mouth. The second is an anti-depressant medication which has shown that it removes the urge to smoke in some people.
Stop smoking pills can be divided in two groups
Pills that make smoking unpleasant
You might say that these pills don't do much but for some people its all the extra help they need along with their willpower to quit. These pills alone will probably not make stop smoking. In many poeople they create a disgusting taste in your mouth when smoke is introduced. They may help curb your cravings and may also help renew your resolve to quit if you slip and take a puff. These pills are usually comprised of all natural ingredients whit little or few side effects. Some of these pills also include ingredients that claim to calm you and speed up the process of eliminating the residue of nicotine in your body. If you are unsure ask your doctor about them.
Anti-Depressant Pills
How do anti-depressants help you quit smoking? Well it seems that no one really knows further than theory. They are thought to act on the part of your brain that is addicted to the ingredients in cigarettes. In many people they help to decrease the cravings, the withdrawal symptoms and the desire to smoke. That being said, you really need to talk to your doctor before starting this methods. There are many side effects which you should be aware of. It should also be noted that once you start using this type of medication you cannot stop suddenly and you have to be weaned off gradually to avoid further side effects.
In general, anti-anxiety drugs (known as anxiolytics) have not been shown to be effective in stopping smoking. However there is growing evidence that antidepressants may be effective, although the reason for this is unclear.
- The drug clonidine (usually used for treating high blood pressure) has also been shown to be effective, although it can have significant side-effects.
- There are also studies that show a drug called mecamylamine - when used in combination with other types of nicotine replacement therapy - can help improve the success rate for stopping smoking.
How do these drugs work?
Anxiolytics
There are two reasons why anxiolytics are thought to help you stop smoking. First, anxiety is sometimes a symptom of nicotine withdrawal and these drugs can reduce this. Second, addiction to smoking appears to be partly due to lower than normal levels of the chemicals dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain. Anxiolytic drugs increase the quantity of these chemicals in the brain, which might help to overcome the addiction.
Antidepressants
Because depression may be a symptom of nicotine withdrawal - and also because the act of stopping smoking itself may trigger depression - using antidepressant drugs can help smokers who are trying to give up. Also, nicotine may have an antidepressant effect on some smokers which is why they find it difficult to stop, and why using antidepressants can help.
Clonidine
Although this drug was originally designed to lower high blood pressure, it has an effect on the central nervous system (the brain). It is this effect that may reduce withdrawal symptoms when stopping smoking.
Mecamylamine
This drug is an example of a nicotine antagonist - in other words, it blocks the effect of nicotine on the body. Its use in helping smokers quit is therefore because it may block the rewarding effect of nicotine, and so reduces the reason to smoke.
Are these drugs safe?
All drugs carry the risk of having side-effects, and these are no exception. Common side-effects include tiredness, nausea, skin rashes, bowel problems and dizziness.
In addition to the common side-effects:
- clonidine may cause significant sedation and low blood pressure,
- mecamylamine can cause constipation.
Because of all these possible side-effects, such treatments should only be started after a careful discussion of the pros and cons of each option with your doctor. All these treatments can only be obtained on prescription.
How successful are these drugs?
With the exception of anxiolytics, these drugs appear to show some effect in helping smokers to quit. In comparison NRT increases the chances of stopping smoking by almost double compared to willpower alone. Most people will use nicotine replacement in the form of patches or chewing gum rather than use these drug alternatives.
It is not clear whether the effects of antidepressants are specific to specific antidepressant drugs, or would occur with any antidepressant.
Two small studies that tested mecamylamine and nicotine replacement therapy together suggest that this may be better than nicotine replacement alone in helping people to stop smoking, but more research is needed.
What are the benefits of these drugs?
- simple to take,
- effective for some people,
- useful if nicotine replacement treatments have failed or are unacceptable,
- discreet - there is no visible evidence of using an anti-smoking measure.
What are the disadvantages of these drugs?
- these drugs are not licensed for anti-smoking use and are only available on prescription,
- there can be significant side-effects with these drugs,
- you may still be tempted to smoke despite using these drugs,
- monitoring of your health by your doctor is usually necessary while taking these drugs.
