The chances of having a relapse during the first six months after quitting are significantly reduced when a smoker is on Chantix, according to one study.



Chantix was approved by the FDA in May, 2006.

Chantix works in a different way from Zyban or nicotine replacement therapies. Nicotine replacement therapies give you small doses of nicotine, the aim being to provide the smoker with their drug while they overcome the enormous psychological problems that come with quitting. Zyban undermines the reuptake of addiction linked brain chemicals by neurons - dopamanine and norepinephrine. Chantix makes the patient produce more dopamine, which helps lower the cravings. At the same time, brain cell receptors that help perpetuate addiction are blocked.

One study included 1,025 volunteers, all of them smokers who wanted to quit. Chantix, Zyban and a placebo were compared. The study lasted one year. Here is what they found:

-- 44% of those on Chantix were not smoking at 12 weeks

-- 29.5%% of those on Zyban were not smoking at 12 weeks

-- 18% of those on a placebo were not smoking at 12 weeks

-- 22% of those on Chantix did not smoke from week 9 to 52

-- 16% of those on Zyban did not smoke from week 9 to 52

-- 8.4% of those on a placebo did not smoke from week 9 to 52

Another study, from the Unversity of Wisconsin included 1,027 volunteers, all of them smokers who wanted to quit. Results were almost the same as those found in the previous study

The third study involved people in seven countries - 1,900 smokers who wanted to quit. All of them took Chantix for the first 12 weeks, after which 1,236 (65%) were still not smoking. The 1,236 quitters were then divided into two groups: One group continued taking Chantix while the other took a placebo. This continued for another 12 weeks. At the end of the 24-week period:

-- 70.5% of those on Chantix were not smoking

-- 49.6% of those on a placebo were not smoking

After one year a significantly higher number of those who had been on Chantix were still not smoking compared to those on the placebo.

has some side effects, which were experienced by about one third of all the volunteers. They included nausea and strange dreams.

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