Once you have made the decision to stop smoking, you have a wide variety of methods to help you keep your resolve. Many smokers have successfully quit for good by combining nicotine replacement therapy with a medication called bupropion, or Zyban. Statistics indicate that using these products together will almost double your chance of stopping smoking for good. Nicotine replacement therapy is delivered in the form of a gum, skin patch, nasal spray, or inhaler. These products provide a substitute source of nicotine, without the other harmful toxins found in cigarette smoke. When you use any of these products, they will reduce or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms that plague smokers when they quit smoking. It is recommended that you continue using these products for between three to five months. Each month, you will decrease the amount of the product used, to taper your nicotine dependence. Zyban is a prescription medication that you get from your physician. This drug works directly on the chemicals in your brain that cause nicotine cravings. You will start taking this medication about two weeks before your planned quit date. This way, the drug will be at the optimum level in your body to help you battle the nicotine cravings. You will continue taking this medication for seven to twelve weeks after you stop smoking. The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a study that found combining Zyban with nicotine replacement therapy is an effective way to help people permanently stop smoking. Both Zyban and nicotine replacement products offer extensive stop smoking programs and support systems to help you permanently quit smoking. By combining these products, and taking advantage of the support programs they provide, you will double your chances of stopping smoking for good. |
