I read this today and thought people might have some thoughts:

I’ve just recently quit taking anti-anxiety medication, after slowing it down for a couple of weeks.  I’m getting a little weepy and anxious, but feel it’s good to get the drug out of my system.  I also take a med for nausea, which is caused by the anxiety, and so my nausea is getting worse now, though not too bad.

I’ve been wanting to quit smoking for a few months now, and I think a stop smoking medication would be really helpful for me, something that blocks the effects of the nicotine or whatever.  However, I’m worried about the effects of having stopped my anxiety medication combined with the anti-nausea meds effects and a new quitting smoking drug.  I’m trying to find stories about drug interactions.  I also occasionally smoke marijuana but want to quit that too.

My Doctor is on vacation until next week so I’ll see him then, but I’m eager to get as much info as possible.

There’s more out there than just the gum for quit smoking aids!  What brand of the patch works best?  Does the gum work?  Can your doctor help you out?

Check out the comments for suggestions from other people who’ve tried to quit!

I read this bit about a woman worried about drug interactions with stop smoking pill Chantix and her husband’s Priolsec:

My husband is taking CHANTIX to stop smoking, but now he feels bloated all the time, to the point that it’s sometimes a bit painful and he finds it hard to get comfortable. His eating habits have not changed, and he still gets to sleep just fine at night. On the good side he has stopped smoking 2 packs a day and cut down to just a few. He would like to keep taking CHANTIX, but he really feels it’s eating away at his stomach. He also takes PRILOSEC, everyday, and has always had bad heart burn if he forgets to take his PRILOSEC. WHAT CAN HE DO FOR HIS PAIN ?? and still take CHANTIX. Is this painful gut due to CHANTIX, or taking CHANTIX & PRILOSEC together. If so, what can he take to stop smoking, that will not effect the PRILOSEC. He really needs the PRILOSEC, heart burn runs in the family. Or, if he still wants to take CHANTIX, how can he avoid the stomach pain?

Any thoughts?  Leave a comment.  I think drug side effects are an interesting topic.

My mom is trying to stop smoking for at least the 4th time now, and she is having a lot of trouble doing so. she doesn’t want to buy anything or use any medication, expensive or not, but she doesn’t know what to do. i just want to help her out and really think using some kind of stop smoking medication would aid her.

Anyone have any tips on convincing her to try anything?

Whenever I am driving around, or when I am sitting at the house doing nothing, that’s when you crave them the most.  is it just out of habit?

Smoking is such a hook on so many levels, isn’t it? So to stop smoking cigarettes, you might have to change your habits on top of dealing with the nicotine addiction.

If you think it’s really NOT the nicotine, then try a candy cane. You can still inhale (air) deeply and mimic the act of smoking with the candy cane. Or get hooked on vitamin water or something. Just substitute one activity that you can do while driving safely. If you’re just sitting around the house, that’s easier–you have to stop the desire when it crops it, and you can do like five push ups when you get the crave. Do them slowly and breathe deeply. I found when I was trying to quit that if I could get past that initial urge, I was fine till the next urge hit. I ate those hard red & white peppermints, and drank ice cold water to put a taste in my mouth that was absolutely horrible to my idea of what would taste good with a cigarette. I was a coffee and cig person, so the candy & ice water combo was just not something I wanted to have with or before a cigarette. Another idea is to get one of those squeezy things that weight lifters use to develop their grip. You could have one in your hand while driving, and one in each hand while sitting around the house. Squeeze and breathe your way through the urges. It will get better if you just don’t cave. Hope that helps.

Nicotine supplements like gum and patches are not helpful when taking Chantix as a quit smoking aid, which attaches to the nicotine receptors in the brain. The medication essentially tricks the brain into thinking you already have the nicotine in your system, which decreases the craving for smoking. So nicotine supplements generally won’t make a difference in how you feel and could cause some nausea. Most of my patients that have taken Chantix are able to quit after about 1 week and most are successful in quitting completely if they take it for the recommended 6 months.

The idea behind most stop smoking pills is that they block the pleasurable benefits of nicotine, so that when and if you smoke, your ‘happy’ side effects are non-existent.  They usually have to build up a little in your brain so that you are able to wean yourself off of the dreaded cigarettes!!

Does it work? What are the side effects?  I’d love to hear more about this type of stop smoking aid.

Have you personally quit smoking cigarettes or known someone who has? If so, what if any quit smoking aids did they use to help them and in what manner were they used? I want to try my 4th attempt at quitting smoking and all input and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Someone told me that you can actually go to the tobacco industry’s websites to get free quit smoking product samples.  I love the idea of this.  Anyone have any more information?