Zyban - No More Tears! (Zyban)

Member Name: lkhouse

Product:	Zyban
Date:	11/10/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reduces Cravings Like No Other Stop Smoking Aid

Disadvantages: Use Must Be Monitered Closely Due To Side Effects

Zyban, also know as Welbutrin, can be obtained from your doctor or local Stop Smoking Service as an aid to quit smoking.

Background - Zyban was orginally introduced as an anti-depressant, however during trials medics noticed that around a third of all smokers taking the drug suddenly lost the urge to smoke. Hence Zyban was then used as a "stop smoking" drug. It is still not known exactly how Zyban works, however it is thought that it blocks the receptors in your brain from receiving nicotine from the cigarettes you smoke.

Use - You will need an appointment with a health worker/doctor/stop smoking professional to obtain the drug. They advise that you attend stop smoking clinics before stating to use the drug, to ensure you are in the right frame of mind. You are asked to give a carbon monoxide reading on your first visit - mine was 12, which was a huge wake up call for me in itself, as it should be around 0-1. They also check your carbon monoxide reading on your visits back to the service whilst you are taking Zyban, as they do like to keep a close eye on you. If you havent quit within a reasonable amount of time after taking the drug, you will be taken off it. I was told that Zyban will only be prescribed to someone once in their lifetime due to it's huge cost to the Health Service, whether this is true for all areas of the Country, I am unsure. I think this is a huge incentive to really give it your best shot.

Taking Zyban - To begin, you are advised to take one tablet a day for six days, increasing to two tablets a day, eight hours apart, on the seventh day. You take Zyban whilst you are still smoking, and quit at a date you have decided on sometime in the second week. I would recommend that you don't take your second tablet after about 6pm, as it can make it difficult to sleep if taken after this. About three days after I had begun taking two tablets a day, when I had a cigarette I really noticed the foul taste of them, almost like your first cigarette all over again. It wasn't enough to stop me continuing to smoke until my quit date however, and I did get worried during the days leading up to my quit date, that this wasnt going to work for me.

Stopping Smoking - On the first day I quit, I felt terrified that the "wonder drug" just wasn't going to work for me, that I was somehow a different kind of smoker from all the others it had "cured". I smoked 20 a day, and had been smoking for nearly eight years, since I was in my early teens. I struggle to remember not smoking, which is a depressing and sad thought. I had tried to quit smoking numerous times before, using nicotine gum, patches, Alan Carr's book, and willpower. I had only gone days, sometimes even hours on previous attempts, so things didn't bode well for me. I usually got tearful, stressed, emotional, panicky, and a general nightmare to be around because all I could think about was smoking. I'd notice every person on TV with a cigarette, could smell someone smoking from a mile off, and would sooner or later find myself hunting through drawers for a stray cigarette, or even through the bin for those I had thrown earlier prior to my quitting attempt. So you can see why I didn't hold out much hope for Zyban. Yet my Zyban attempt couldnt have been further from any of my prior efforts.

The cravings were reduced, I felt relatively calm and relaxed, and the days not smoking seemed to pass quickly. Now don't get me wrong, I did have to use my willpower at times, but I had expected that. The main thing for me was that I didnt experience that mindless panic that I'd had on every previous attempt. The cravings did come, but they were more like a passing thought of a cigarette, which I felt easily equipped to put out of my mind.

Side Effects - Some of the possible side effects are listed as: insomnia (as mentioned, dont take Zyban after 6pm!), dizziness, anxiety, depression, dry mouth (I did notice this - make sure you have a bottle of water on you at ALL times!), fever, rash, and loss of appetite.

Whilst on Zyban - You are avoided to avoid or minimise your use of alcohol whilst on Zyban due to risk of seizures. You should expect to be on Zyban for around three months, so be prepared to go pretty much alcohol free for this time. I felt that this actually helped me in quitting, as alcohol can lead to reduced willpower, and also that "drink and a fag" state of mind. You can use NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) whilst on Zyban if you feel it is not enough on it's own, but make sure you check with your health professional before doing so. There has been some bad press about Zyban's side effects, which is why the Health Service will keep a close eye on you, with appointments every two weeks or so. You should ensure if you get any side effects that you are concerned about that you see someone straight away. People who are already on anti-depressants will probably be unable to take Zyban, as Zyban is also an anti-depressant itself.

Success - I quit for 3 and a half months on Zyban, so only a limited success. This was completely my own fault, I felt "cured", so decided to stop taking Zyban early, against my health advisor's advice. I was fed up of not drinking and really felt I had kicked it, but unfortunately within about a month, I ended up smoking on a night out after too many beverages. The next day I woke up with the awful craving for a cigarette again, and lasted two more days before I bought a pack of ten, promising myself I'd only have one and throw the pack away. The rest is history, and everything went downhill from there - I'm now back on 20 a day.

Although Zyban didn't work for me in the long run, this was completely my fault, and I really wanted to let others know about Zyban, as I think if taken properly, this really would work. IIf this review would help one person to quit then it would be worth it without a doubt.

Good luck to anyone thinking of trying Zyban, my advice is that you have nothing to lose, so go for it, and let me know how you get on! :-)

Summary: Try It, Try It, Try It!!!