Willpower and motivation are still essential. Some
of the above preparations include a personalised stop smoking plan and support
funded by the drug company. Ask your pharmacist about this.
Boots has introduced a free service for those
thinking of giving up smoking. It is called the Pro-change programme and is
available in selected stores. For more information telephone the Pro-change team
on 0115 949 2186.
Zyban (bupropion)
Zyban is not a drug that instantly stops
you smoking.
You have to have the willpower and
motivation to stop smoking in the first place. Zyban can help you to stop
smoking only if you are motivated to quit and are prepared to “tough out”
the withdrawal symptoms that occur on stopping nicotine “fixes”.
Giving up is not easy. Cigarettes have
been designed to maximise the drug hit from nicotine. It probably hits the brain
faster than heroin.
The various forms of nicotine replacement
therapy should probably be tried first because Zyban is not suitable for
everyone and does have serious side effects in some people.
Probably, the most serious side effect to
be considered in terms of potential effect on your life is the 1 in 1000 risk
that the drug may cause an epileptic fit. If
this happened to you, you must not drive afterwards until the medical adviser at
the DVLA has considered the circumstances. If he is not satisfied that the fit
will not recur you may lose your licence for
a whole year after your last fit.
The
commonest side effects
are dry mouth, insomnia and dream
abnormalities.
Side effects occurring in
more than 1 in 100
users
are fever, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, insomnia,
tremor, concentration disturbance, headache, dizziness, depression, agitation,
anxiety, rash, itching, allergic reactions including nettle rash type rashes and
taste problems.
Side effects between 1 in
100 and 1 in 1000
include
chest pain, general weakness, rapid heart beat, raised blood pressure, flushing,
confusion, loss of appetite, tinnitus and visual disturbance.
Side effects in 1 in 1000 include
epileptic fits (already mentioned), faints and low blood pressure. Severe
allergic reactions include angioedema, shortness of breath, wheezing, allergic
shock and various allergic rashes.
Joint and muscle pains with fever and/or rash resembling serum sickness have
occurred.
Driving and Machinery
Zyban can cause symptoms such as dizziness and
light-headedness. Only if you are
reasonably certain that your performance is not adversely affected by the drug
should you drive or operate machinery.
It should not be used
by under 18s, pregnant or breastfeeding women, diabetics on tablets or insulin,
those with past history of head injury, liver or kidney disease etc.
Zyban interferes with the way many medicines work so it may not be suitable if
you require medicines for other medical conditions.
This
is only a summary of the important information you need to consider. You must
still read
the leaflet in the pack.
How
to take it
You should identify a date when you intend to stop smoking. As Zyban needs time
to work, you start it in the week before your stop date. One tablet once a day
for 3 days then one tablet twice a day for the rest of the course in the
majority of patients.
Swallow each tablet whole with a drink of
water.
Leave at least 8 hours between the 2 tablets.
Taking more than this does not make Zyban work any better but does increase the
risk of epilepsy.
Support
This is very important. The drug pack comes with information about the “Right
Time Programme”. A free service which gives practical advice and guidance to
help you succeed. The phone number is 0800 169 1313. Open 7 days 9am-9pm.
Xenova success in anti-smoking vaccine trials
Source: Financial Times Date: 15/07/2004
Xenova has announced the successful clinical trial of its TA-NIC treatment. The company yesterday reported that 43 per cent of smokers either stopped smoking or got less pleasure from cigarettes after being treated with the vaccine - results which should pave the way for a vaccine to prevent former smokers falling back into their old habits. The Financial Times and Guardian report on the story. The FT notes that at least two other companies are competing with Xenova. Cytos, a Swiss biotech company which is already in the final phase of testing a nicotine vaccine, and US group, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, which claims that it may be possible to prevent addiction to nicotine in the first place.
Child smokers to be given nicotine patches on NHS
Source: The Times Date: 30/12/2005
Children as young as twelve will be eligible for NHS nicotine replacement therapy to help them stop smoking, after a safety review of nicotine patches and gum ruled that the products were safe for use by those under 18 and pregnant women. The Department of Health, which is working with the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency on availability of the patches, has claimed the decision came after the Committee on the Safety of Medicines concluded that there were certain groups for whom it was important to give up smoking immediately.
Pill to triple chances of quitting smoking
Source: Daily Mail 17th August 2006
A drug which can almost triple a smoker's chances of quitting for at least a year could soon be available in the UK. Champix, made by Pfizer, works by mimicking the effects of nicotine on the body. It is being considered by European regulators and could be launched in the UK within months.
Varenicline (Champix) did better than placebo at keeping smokers abstinent for a year in a manufacturer-sponsored trial published in the current Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers followed groups receiving 7 weeks of treatment with various varenicline regimens, and compared their abstinence with groups on bupropion and placebo. The subjects were otherwise healthy smokers; exclusion criteria included, among other things, depression, panic disorder, and a history of cardiovascular disease.
The continuous quit rate for weeks 4-52 was significantly higher in the group receiving twice-daily varenicline (14.4%) than in the group receiving placebo (4.9%). The rate in the bupropion group (6.3%) was not statistically different from placebo. Another study in the issue from the same group looked at varenicline dosages of either 0.5 or 1.0 mg twice daily for 12 weeks. Both dosages produced weeks 9-through-52 abstinence rates of around 20%. The major side effect was nausea, occurring in 15 to 40% of drug recipients.
Champix 'binds' to nicotine receptors in the brain, reducing the severity of cravings and other withdrawal symptoms.
The Minster Practice, Lichfield
