Zyban-Review
Many smokers who decide to quit smoking often don't know how to go about it. They need help to be able to ensure success in accomplishing their commendable objective, as quitting is certain to give them a host of health benefits. But whether subscribing to Zyban is the right way to do it is what we are going to take a close look at.
About the Product
Zyban is a trademark, referring to the generic drug called bupropion, owned by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a major pharmaceutical corporation. More than five years have elapsed since this drug appeared on the market and the product has sold well. Initially positioned as an antidepressant, its smoking cessation benefits became known later on.
How it Works?
The company claims that Zyban does not have any nicotine and also that it does not have many of the substances used conventional stop-smoking products. Nicotine is an addictive property of cigarettes so it appears counter-intuitive to have nicotine in a product of this kind, as done by some competitors of GSK.
How Much it Costs?
Zyban will set you back by $80 to $110, depending on whether you buy the branded product or the generic. This price is for a packet of 30 tablets, with 2 tablets a day being the recommended dosage.
How You Make it Work?
The use of a product without nicotine in a bid to give up smoking effectively means that you are trying to quit both cigarettes and nicotine at the same time, making the task doubly hard to accomplish. For Zyban this is the biggest challenge.
Final Review
Quitting smoking can lead to withdrawal symptoms of a sort while a powerful drug such as Zyban can have side effects that could compound the negatives associated with withdrawal, such as depression, thereby leading to suicidal thoughts. It is not surprising to learn that some people expect that the Food and Drug Administration will step in to stop the release of drugs such as Zyban. But all the FDA has done is to cause the manufacturer of Zyban to have a statutory warning displayed on the packing, thus making packs of Zyban no different in appearance from packets of cigarettes. The FDA apparently follows a policy of allowing medications such as Zyban to be sold on the market and acting only after they receive feedback from real users. If the negative side effects are not too severe, the FDA will do no more than have pharmaceutical companies put warning labels on such products; the organization will only have the product withdrawn if the drug ends up causing a lot of fatalities. Real user feedback for Zyban has been positive, with many buyers claiming that Zyban does what it promises to do. They claim that they have not only successfully quit smoking but have managed to stay that course for years. The company claims that Zyban's effectiveness is double that of a placebo when it comes to helping people to quit smoking, as proved by a statistical study. Also, the study established that those who used Zyban to help quit smoking were not as susceptible to mood swings compared with those who used a placebo to accomplish the same objective. This is probably owing to the antidepressant effect of Zyban. A multi-pronged approach to quitting smoking would be best advised rather than a drug such as Zyban that can lead a person to believe that pill-popping is a quick fix solution to life's problems. This is especially so in respect of an attempt to quit smoking because the smoking habit works on various levels. Apart from addiction to nicotine, smoking also has psychological implications, and a person gets used to having a cigarette in his hand at all times. So there is a need to tackle the psychological aspect as well when you ingest a pill such as Zyban, with alternative devices such as support groups -- with whom you can talk about your decision to quit -- and harmless substitutes for cigarettes, such as chewing gum. While Zyban has been shown to accomplish its aim better than Chantix, that doesn't necessarily make it the ideal prescription drug to help you give up the smoking habit. The negative effects of Zyban could nullify whatever positives it might help achieve. Clinical trials are said to have shown that Zyban is better than a placebo, so it could be preferable, if Chantix is the only other alternative considered, while taking care to seek the prior advice of your doctor. Use Zyban only if nothing else works. Ideally, you should opt for a drug free remedy such as natural solutions or support groups that won't entail the negative side effects that are concomitant with the use of such drugs.
