Chantix: the Quit Smoking Drug
Chantix, an apparently new quit smoking drug, was approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the year 2006 and is available in the tablet form. The usage of this medication is not recommended during pregnancy or for people under 18 years of age. Additionally, researchers strongly discourage the use of this quit smoking drug with other smoking-cessation products.
In the review by the FDA, the emphasis was given to a new drug, known as Varenicline tartrate, which is an active agent in Chantix. The presence of this chemical is so important that it took only six months for the consent as opposed to the typical 10 months of scheduled evaluations. It is mainly because of the fact that the results showed a higher rate of smoking cessation than Zyban, another quit smoking drug approved by FDA.
12 Weeks of Treatment
The recommended line of intervention with Chantix is determined as 12 weeks. However, longer treatment may become sometimes necessary for some individuals. This quit smoking drug should not be used on its own; counseling and behavior modification are also used as an integral part of the treatment procedure. An additional 12 weeks of treatment intervention may heighten the probability of smoking cessation for prolonged period of time.
The chemical response of Chantix is the same as nicotine as it virtually affects the same sites. Essentially the function of Chantix can be categorized under two heads: (1) offering effects resembling the nicotine action for easing withdrawal symptoms and (2) blocking the action of nicotine since it holds the same synaptic sites, if the individuals resume their smoking habit once again.
Cigarette smoking is a really complex habit to break since nicotine dependency plays the leading role here. The therapy based on the Chantix quit smoking drug, is found to be effective for many smokers since it helps in motivating them to quit. Many healthcare professionals successfully use this quit smoking drug therapy in order to offer help to the hundreds of millions of smokers who are truly willing to quit their smoking habit.
Potential Outcomes
The efficiency of this quit smoking drug in smoking cessation was revealed with the help of six clinical trials. As identified in the study, the outcome of 12 weeks of treatment for Chantix was far superior to other smoking cessation product like Zyban. Although there are a wide number of benefits associated with Chantix, the usage of this quit smoking drug may offer few unavoidable side effects such as nausea, altered taste perception, insomnia, vomiting, insomnia, headache and unusual dreams.
