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It can be very difficult to quit smoking. Most smokers experience the withdrawal symptoms as particularly challenging. Quit smoking tablets help you overcome cravings and increase your chances of becoming an ex-smoker.
Order a prescription for Champix, online - or ask our doctor to recommend a medication.
About
Why is quitting smoking so difficult?
Many smokers make numerous attempts at quitting. This is due to the fact that smoking is not just a habit but also involves a physical and psychological addiction to nicotine. On average, smokers tend to try to stop smoking at least six times before they manage to quit. These repeated unsuccessful attempts often lead to disappointment and frustration, leaving smokers too discouraged to try again.
What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
Whether a smoker achieves his or her goal of never smoking again is highly dependent on their motivation. The more determined you are, the better are your chances of quitting. There are many good reasons to stop, which may help you achieve your goal. The most well-known disadvantage of being a smoker is the increased risk of certain types of cancer, such as lung, bladder and larynx cancer. Smoking has a similarly bad impact on your heart health and can lead to heart attack, blood clots and stroke.
For many smokers, the health risk is not the only problem associated with their habit. The financial implications of being a smoker also motivates many to quit.
If you have children or are planning to become a parent in the near future, you have a particularly good reason to give up smoking. Children whose parents smoke have a much higher risk of developing asthma during their childhood and smoking during pregnancy is known to put the baby at risk as it can lead to premature birth. According to a study conducted by the German university of Münster, a baby’s risk to die of sudden infant death is eight times higher if one or both parents are smokers.
Can therapy help to quit smoking?
The more determined you are to stop, the better. Behavioural therapy and contact with other smokers who are hoping to quit have been proven to be very helpful tools and increase your chances of stopping. You should think about why you would like to stop and be clear about your motivation and the advantages of being a non-smoker.
Which withdrawal symptoms can occur?
When you stop smoking, you will experience physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. If you think about situations in which you tend to crave a cigarette, you will probably notice a pattern. Knowing which situations trigger your cravings can help you avoid a relapse and develop a personal strategy for not smoking. During the first days of not smoking, ex-smokers tend to be irritable and impatient due to the lack of nicotine.
During the withdrawal period, you may find it difficult to concentrate and have trouble sleeping. Some smokers also experience headaches and minor tremors. Usually, these symptoms weaken and cease to occur within a week of the last cigarette, however, the intensity and duration of these symptoms differ. The desire to smoke outlasts the physical withdrawal period, which is why some smokers relapse after several months of not smoking.
What can I do to minimise withdrawal symptoms?
A nicotine replacement therapy can help avoid cigarettes. At the same time, however, replacement products continue to support the nicotine addiction, as you continue to ingest the nerve poison. Still, this type of medication can serve a purpose during the first days of not smoking. The dosage is calculated depending on how many cigarettes you used to smoke and the intake of nicotine is gradually reduced and phased out. Recent research suggests that the effectiveness of this therapy option has been overestimated in the past. Smokers taking part in a study of the IFT institute for research in Munich were not found to be likelier to quit permanently when using nicotine products.
Treatment Options
Which treatment options are there?
Champix is a new drug, developed to help smokers on their journey to a smoke-free life. Champix contains the active ingredient Varenicline and is free from nicotine. When you smoke a cigarette, particular receptors of your central nervous system are stimulated by the nicotine and cause the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, known to promote the feelings of well-being and relaxation which smokers enjoy. Champix occupies these receptors and prevents the intake of nicotine, as well as its effect. At the same time, Varenicline reduces withdrawal symptoms and minimises the cravings. It helps smokers to stop consuming nicotine and makes it easier to stop smoking permanently. According to a study carried out by the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, Champix increases your chances of quitting significantly. 23% of the participants of their study who were taking Champix were still non-smokers 40 weeks after their last cigarette. In comparison, only 9% of participants who were given a placebo had managed not to relapse.
Side Effects and Warnings
Which quit smoking side effects are likely to occur?
When you stop smoking, you will notice some withdrawal symptoms. In addition, most types of medication designed to aid smokers can also cause side effects. Common side effects when using nicotine replacement tablets or plasters are light-headedness, headaches, dryness of the mouth, hiccups, bloatedness, and nausea.
Smokers who choose a therapy with Champix often experience headaches, insomnia, unusual dreams, nausea, an increased appetite, being sick, dry mouth, feeling drowsy, tiredness, dizziness, constipation, diarrhea and stomach pains. You may notice changes in your sense of taste and feel unusually full after a meal. It is difficult to tell withdrawal symptoms and side effects apart and some of the side effects listed may in fact be withdrawal symptoms (which can also affect individuals giving up smoking without Champix).
Treatment Comparison
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Champix
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Champix ~ Active Ingredient Varenicline Champix contains Varenicline, reduces withdrawal symptoms and the enjoyment of cigarettes |
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Healthwave is a pharmacy that supplies prescriptions direct to your door anywhere in Ireland. They operate a membership service designed to reduce your prescription costs and provide more convenient access to medication through a postal delivery service.
Membership costs €25 per year for the whole family.
