Zyban; The Smoking
Cessation Wonder Drug

Zyban is another pharmaceutical that helps people stop smoking, and in some circles is known as the anti-Chantix. That's because, where Chantix has been accused of causing severe mood swings in its patients, including multiple suicides, Zyban is an anti-depressant, and the rare occasions that a patient has committed suicide while using it, the drug itself has never been implicated as one of the causes for that suicide.

The original drug was called Bupropion, and it was created by Burroughs Wellcome, which is now called GlaxoSmithKline in 1969, and granted a patent in 1974. In 1985, the FDA gave them permission to market it as an anti-depressing drug, which they did under the name Wellbutrin. Initially it seemed to cause a high number of seizures in patients, and was pulled from the market and reevaluated. It was determined that the dosage was too high, and went back on the market in 1989. In 1997, it was approved for use as a smoking cessation aid under the name Zyban.

The strangest thing about Zyban, or bupripion, is that no one really knows how, or why it works; at least no one outside of the company does. Zyban in a dopamine inhibitor, and does not inhibit monoamine oxidase; that's about all anyone knows beyond the fact that it does go throughout the body, and is processed somewhat in the liver. What's known for sure is that it alters the brain chemistry, and people who use it for whatever reason don't have the urge to smoke anymore. The recommended course of treatment is 7 to 12 weeks, though most people lose the urge to smoke within 10 days. For smoking cessation, dosages must be kept under 300mg a day.

Recently, Zyban was touted for its ability to help pregnant women stop smoking, which is very common. The results of the study performed by John Hopkins University in Baltimore were reported at the 2009 Joint Conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) and SNRT-Europe.

Nearly 90% of pregnant women dependent on illicit substances continue to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy. Smoking is harmful to the fetus, increasing the risk of miscarriage, separation of the placenta from the uterine wall before delivery, low infant birth weight and increased fetal and infant mortality. Also, smoking can cause problems for babies after delivery, such as asthma.

The study showed that Zyban worked well because it's also an anti-depressant. It was tested against two other drugs, citalopram and escitalopram, and far exceeded them in getting women to reduce their smoking, as well as improved their mood, because the study also said that around 75% of pregnant women have periods of depression during their pregnancies. This overall study was interesting because it's always been recommended that pregnant women not use Zyban.

Of course, Zyban isn't perfect. Some people will have to deal with side effects that, by comparison, are fairly minor, including headaches, nausea or constipation, dry mouth and difficulty in sleeping. Other reported side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness, and problems with concentration.

Overall, Zyban seems to be a very valuable tool in the smoking cessation fight. If you're having problems quitting smoking, talk to your doctor about this pharmaceutical.

© Smoke Not So Much 2009

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