Chantix Can Help Smokers Quit

For those of you who are smokers; there is good news. Three articles published in todays issue of JAMA demonstrate that stopping smoking may become easier. Results from these studies show that the new drug Chantix by pharmaceutical-giant Pfizer is four times more effective in helping smokers quit the habit than the ?cold turkey? method, and twice as effective as the widely used Zyban by GlaxoSimthKline. Chantix is unique when compared to other smoking-cessation drugs. While most use nicotine-replacement methods-such as the patch or gum-to curb the habit, Chantix encourages the release of dopamine-a neurotransmitter produced naturally in the body. Chantrix works by reducing cravings and reducing the withdrawal symptoms that lead smokers to light up again and again. The first study involved the random assignment of 1 025 smoking adults to take Chantix, Zyban, or a placebo After 12 weeks, 44% of patients given Chantix had stopped the habit, while only 29.5% of patients given Zyban and 17.7% of patients given placebo had stopped smoking. Another studycompared the rate of relapse in patients who had initially quit smoking after receiving only 12 weeks of treatment with Chantix. The determine relapse rates, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either Chantix for an additional 12 week course or placebo. The results showed that 70.5% of patients taking Chantix remained smoke-free, while only 49.6% of patients on placebo were smoke-free. While the results from these studies show Chantix has a significantly higher success rate when it came to helping smokers quit and stay smoke-free than Zyban, Chantix is not a cure-all; more than half of the participants-including those on Chantix-failed to quit smoking. In addition, Chantix was associated with nausea and abnormal dreams in 30%. While smoking can be a difficult habit to quit, Chantix may provide the needed help to curb the habit.