Quitting Smoking: Planning To Succeed With Zyban!

Step One: The Big Decision

One of the most frustrating things about deciding to quit smoking can be people's reactions: "Well, it's about time!" or "It was a filthy habit, why didn't you quit sooner?" But as anyone who has been using nicotine knows, it's one of the hardest decisions, and one of the most difficult tasks, many people face. For many of us, smoking isn't just a physical addiction: we may associate smoking with our first cup of coffee in Paris or favorite college bar. It may help you relieve stress or even remind you of a fondly loved parent or grandparent, now gone.

So before creating a plan to stop smoking, stop and CONGRATULATE yourself on making a tough decision that will lead to a healthier life both for you and your family.

Step Two: Consider Zyban

There are many things that you can do to prepare yourself for quitting, including taking medication.

Some people use nicotine patches or gum. Keep in mind, though, these substitute one form of nicotine for another. While they do stop you from smoking, they don't help you get over a dependence to nicotine. When you stop using the patches or gum, you may find that you miss the nicotine and need to go back to smoking.

Think instead about asking your doctor to prescribe Zyban for you. Zyban has a chemical found in an antidepressant (Wellbutrin), but Zyban works to change your brain chemistry easier to quit smoking (pretty neat huh?). As long as you're not on Wellbutrin (or other medications) or have a seizure disorder, a Zyban prescription can be the start of your trip to Smoke-Free Living.

Step 3: Planning Ahead

It takes Zyban a week to ten days to start working, so once you start the medication, pick a quit date about two weeks later. In the meantime, you may keep smoking, if you wish. By the time you've reached your official quit date, Zyban will be ready to help you adjust to not smoking.

During that week, do a little more planning ahead of time. There are times during the quitting process that you'll probably "miss" having a cigarette in your hands, so make a list of things you like to do with your hands that you can do instead of smoking. Want to get back to knitting? Maybe you can get rid of some one-time projects on your to-do list: cleaning the car out or create that vacation photo-album or family webpage.

Make a list of the things that motivated you to quit and write it down. Are you worried about your health? Maybe you're thinking about starting dating: being a non-smoker might open up the places you go to meet people. For some people, saving money is a motivator; the amount you spend on cigarettes could buy you golf clubs or a new dress! This list can be a helpful reminder when you feel cravings coming on.

Step 4: The Early Days of Smoke-Free

While Zyban will make it easier to keep from reaching for a cigarette, having distractions in place will help you get through periods of craving. Keep in mind that cravings only last a few minutes and you're tough - you can handle anything for a few minutes! Use deep breathing or a quick walk around the block to ease your tension until the craving passes.

You should also keep an eye out for side-effects of Zyban; common ones are dry-mouth and trouble sleeping, but if you notice other effects (including symptoms of allergy) contact your doctor right away.

Step 5: The Non-Smoking You

People may stay on Zyban anywhere from 7 to 26 weeks, though 7 to 12 weeks is most common. At that point, you are ready to move onto your smoke-free and Zyban-free life!

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD the only online pharmacy offering smoking help forums. and Zyban online.

Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

---

10 Tips for Responsible Medication Use

All medications, which include prescriptions, over-the-counter preparations, vitamin and mineral supplements, and herbal preparations, are potentially dangerous. Following some simple rules will not only reduce your chance of having a problem, but should... Read More

The Ease of Using a Motorized Wheelchair to Improve Mobility

No person likes to feel housebound and dependent on others. While people who have been injured or suffering from a debilitating disease may not have full functionality of their motor skills, it is... Read More

Medical Billing PDA: 21st Century Convenience for Medical Practices

Medical Billing PDAOne of the first things I notice about a medical office, whether it be with my dentist, my family doctor, or my optometrist, is the walls full of color-coded files containing... Read More

Jet Lag Pills ? Panacea or Placebo Effect?

We live in an age that demands an instant cure for every conceivable ailment under the sun and so it's no surprise that jet lag has joined the band of conditions for which... Read More

Overview of FDA Recalled Drug - BEXTRA

Bextra, also known as valdecoxib, is a prescription medicine known as a COX-2 Inhibitor. Like Vioxx and Celebrex, it supposedly lessen the pain of inflammation and fever without causing stomach irritation... Read More

Electric Wheelchairs

When you search online for Electric Wheelchairs, like any other things, you will face a situation, where you will need to choose a provider out of so many companies that offer the service.... Read More

Coumadin Users Can Avoid Unnecessary Complications By Wearing Identification

The police arrive at the accident scene promptly. A driver has run his automobile into a guardrail while exiting a highway. The driver does not seem to be injured but is somewhat incoherent... Read More

Marketing Authorisation - Medicinal Products

Marketing Authorisation: Medicinal Products The case of R (on the application of Merck Sharp and Dohme Ltd) v Licensing Authority [2005], concerned the application for marketing authorisation for a generic product which was... Read More

Who Else Wants General Information on Arthritis?

Today there are about 70 million Americans with arthritis?that's one person out of every four who suffer both pain and the expense of this crippling disease. In one year alone, arthritis will be... Read More

CT and MRI Scans in Neurological Practice: A Quick Overview

Before computed tomographic (CT) scans became available in the 1970s, there was no good method for imaging the brain. The available methods and technologies struck around the target without quite hitting the bull's-eye.We... Read More

Mind Altering

"It's a chemical imbalance." I've heard those words so many times in the last decade, it's becoming routine for Doctors to blame everything on it.Have you been listening to the News, the talk... Read More

A Closer Look at Neck Pain Relief

Neck pain afflicts many people at some point in their life - two-thirds of American adults report having experienced at least one incidence of neck pain in their lives. You can strain your... Read More

How Is Mold Like AIDS?

Don't laugh. Both get a lot of coverage in the press. Mold isn't a politically sensitive issue but there are a lot of similarities.1. Both get into your system without being felt.If you... Read More

Defective Heart Defibrillators Recalled by Guidant Corporation

On June17, 2005 Guidant Corporation recalled close to 50,000 heart defibrillators worldwide because of potential malfunctions that could cause injury or death. This recall comes in the wake of two recent deaths among... Read More

Vioxx and Bextra Lawsuits Could Tie Up Courts for Years

In September, 2004, pharmaceutical giant Merck voluntarily withdrew its painkilling medication Vioxx from the market. Studies show that Vioxx increases the risk of heart attack and stroke among patients who have used the... Read More

Zoloft Side Effects: Akathisia and Violent Behavior

Zoloft is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor); a prescription drug that combats depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as other various problems. SSRIs work by... Read More

?Ooohhh? my aching knee!!!? Insider Secrets on How You Can Get Relief Quickly and Easily!

When your knee hurts, getting relief is all that's on your mind. Getting the right relief, though, depends on knowing what's wrong. The correct diagnosis will lead to the correct treatment.Know Your Knee!The... Read More

Joint Pain Relief

If you joints are constantly killing you, here are three suggestions:1. Traumeel is a product that has been used for years in Germany to relieve pain. I have not been overly impressed with... Read More

Hypertension & High Blood Pressure: How To Improve Life Threatening Weight-Related Diseases

The American Heart Association estimates that one of three Americans have have hypertension. And yet many of us don't know what it is, why it's dangerous, and what the treatment options are.What Is... Read More

Causes and Types of Cerebral Palsy

In the case of Cerebral Palsy there is no one cause of this severe condition. There are many things that may increase the risk of this condition but will not cause cerebral palsy... Read More

?Get Rid of Tendonitis ? Now!? Advice From An Expert?

Tendons are ropes of fibrous tissue that connect muscles to bones. It is this connection that permits joint motion. When muscles contract, they pull on the tendons which cause the bones to move.... Read More

Cetyl Myristoleate Seperating Fact From Fiction

I am a strong believer in Cetyl Myristoleate for the treatment of arthritis. For the last three years I have been researching and writing about Cetyl Myristoleate. I am constantly searching for new... Read More

Treatment for High Blood Pressure

The treatment of high blood pressure is one of the most important areas of modern medicine. Good quality care and blood pressure treatment can reduce the risk of death, the risk of stroke... Read More

Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease With Lipitor and Pravachol

Results of a new study comparing the effectiveness of Pfizer Inc.,'s Lipitor with Pravachol, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, was recently published in the New York Times. The study details the clinical observation that... Read More

Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness

As a physician specializing in psychiatry, I know that many emotional conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders are true medical illnesses with a biologic (physical) origin. Psychiatry has become more and more... Read More

Questions to Your Physician or Psychotherapist

According to ongoing research about the needs of patients with emotional problems misinformation or shame to speak about the problem with the doctor or psychotherapist is a major limitation to treatment success. However,... Read More

Bextra and Vioxx Withdrawal Spurs Price Increase Among Rivals

The market for painkillers is huge. People don't like pain and inflammation, and last year Americans spent nearly $4 billion on just two of them ? Vioxx and Bextra. Those two drugs, part... Read More

Three Antioxidants (ginko biloba, grade seed extract, and selenium) for Alzheimers Treatment

Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's DiseasePart 3 of 83. Three Antioxidants: ginko biloba, selenium, grape seed extract. There are numerous antioxidants available to combat free radicals in the bloodstream of Alzheimer's patients. The... Read More

Tempest in a Tea Cup, Wisdom in a Sake Cup

What an oxymoron the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has turned out to be. This vegan organization has one colossal ax to grind with their archrival, Darth Atkins. This is an old score... Read More