Quit Smoking Now

Prescription drugs are also available to help smokers quit. Some can be used along with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and some must be started before your planned Quit Day. Talk to your doctor if you want to use medicine to help you quit smoking. You will need a prescription for any of these drugs.

Bupropion (Zyban)

Bupropion (Zyban^®, Wellbutrin^®, or Aplenzin^®) is a prescription anti-depressant in an extended-release form that reduces symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. It does not contain nicotine. This drug acts on chemicals in the brain that are related to nicotine craving. Bupropion works best if it’s started 1 or 2 weeks before you quit smoking. The usual dosage is one or two 150 mg tablets per day.

If you are able to quit smoking after 7 to 12 weeks of bupropion your doctor may have you keep taking it for some time afterward to help keep you from going back to smoking. Keep up with your other support systems during this time and for a few months after you quit.

This drug should not be taken if you have ever had seizures (it can cause or worsen seizures), heavy alcohol use, serious head injury, bipolar (manic-depressive) illness, or anorexia or bulimia (eating disorders).

Reported side effects of bupropion include dry mouth, trouble sleeping, appetite changes, agitation, constipation, and headaches. People using bupropion should call their doctors if they feel depressed or start thinking of suicide. They should also call their doctors for changes such as feeling anxious, agitated, hostile, aggressive, overly excited and hyperactive, or not being able to sleep. These are rare, but can happen, often near the start of treatment or after a dose change.

Some doctors may recommend combination therapy for heavily addicted smokers, such as using bupropion along with a nicotine patch and/or a short-acting form of NRT (such as gum or lozenges). The combination has been found to work better for some people than using any one part alone.

Varenicline (Champix)

Varenicline (Champix^®) is a prescription medicine developed to help people stop smoking. It works by interfering with nicotine receptors in the brain. This means it has 2 effects: it lessens the pleasure a person gets from smoking, and it reduces the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Varenicline should be started a week before your Quit Day.

Several studies have shown taking varenicline can more than double the chances of quitting smoking when compared to taking no medicines at all. Some studies have also found it may work better than bupropion, at least in the short term.

Varenicline comes in pill form and is taken after meals, with a full glass of water. The daily dose increases over the first 8 days it is taken. The dose starts at one 0.5 mg pill a day for the first 3 days, then the 0.5 mg pill twice a day for the next 4 days. At the start of the second week, the dose is raised to 1 mg in the morning and evening. For people who have problems with the higher dose, a lower dose may be used during the quit effort. Varenicline is given for 12 weeks, but people who quit during that time may get another 12 weeks of treatment to boost their chances of not smoking. Keep up with your other support systems during this time and for a few months after you quit.

Reported side effects of varenicline have included headaches, nausea, vomiting, trouble sleeping, unusual dreams, flatulence (gas), and changes in taste. People with heart disease may have a higher risk of heart attacks while on varenicline. There have also been reports of depressed mood, thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide, and changes in behavior in people taking varenicline. People who have these problems should contact their doctors right away. Reports of these side effects have been rare, but they can be serious when they do happen. Most people who take varenicline tolerate it well.

Not much research has been done to find out if varenicline is safe to use at the same time as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. One study has suggested that using varenicline along with NRT is well-tolerated and safe, even though more people taking both drugs had side effects than those taking only one. The company that makes varenicline had already noted that people who used the drug along with NRT had more side effects such as nausea and headaches. More research is needed.

Other drugs being studied to help smokers quit

Other medicines such as naltrexone, which comes as a pill, are being studied. It’s being used along with other treatments (like bupropion and NRT) to see if it can help reduce cravings.

Another drug called cytisine was recently tested in Poland and found to help reduce smoking when compared to placebo. About 8% of smokers still didn’t smoke after a year, compared to about 2% of those on placebo.

Also still being tested are anti-smoking vaccines that are given as a series of shots.

Tests of these new treatments have been promising. So far they seem to be safe, but larger studies are needed to show these treatments work before the FDA can approve them for this use. Large studies of these treatments are now under way.