Should I Try To Stop Smoking with Prozac?

I’ve been trying to quit smoking but so far going cold turkey is not working for me. I’ve been told that Prozac helps. How true is it that one can stop smoking with Prozac? Would I be successful if I try to stop smoking with Prozac? 

Trying to stop smoking with Prozac is not a very effective way to quit the habit, but to give the drug credit, it does help some people. Prozac is an antidepressant, and since one of the withdrawal symptoms experienced when giving up cigarettes is depression, Prozac definitely helps in that department. But stop smoking with Prozac is almost a myth in itself.

One of the original smoking cessation drugs is called Zyban or buproprion. It was also originally knows as Wellbutrin, a well-known antidepressant in the same league as Prozac. Wellbutrin increases the quit rate from 8% to 16%, as opposed to a placebo, by reducing withdrawal symptoms when quitting. It can be argued that by trying to stop smoking with Prozac, the same results might be met. It is, indeed, a possibility though there is no concrete evidence to support such a theory.

Of course, any help is better than going cold turkey. Instead of trying to stop smoking with Prozac, why not explore other anti-smoking aids, such as nicotine patches and chewing gums? Though they are not 100% successful, they have helped quite a lot of smokers kick the habit, more than trying to stop smoking with Prozac has ever done.

There are also other smoking cessation drugs that are being developed and tested today. Most of them may be available in the market soon enough. Phizer has developed a new drug called Varenicline, which is being marketed as Chantrix. This drug binds to the brain’s nicotine receptors and curbs craving. A similar drug called Champix is also being tested in the Clinical Research Unit of the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI). It has been favorably received by the subjects and the results have been quite phenomenal. These are drugs you might like to consider instead of trying to stop smoking with Prozac, as they might have a better success rate.

There are also other smoking cessation drugs that are worthy of mention as they seem to be a better alternative than trying to stop smoking with Prozac. The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Synthelabo is currently developing a drug called Rimonabant, to be marketed as Acomplia. They intend to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year. It is a drug that works on the brain’s reward system, and is also geared to help with weight loss as well as smoking. An anti-smoking vaccine called NicVax is being developed by Nabi Pharmaceuticals. It is said to bind and disable nicotine molecules in the body. A similar vaccine from England’s Xenova Group is also being developed under the name Ta-Nic.

With these new developments in an effort to curb smoking, it’s only a matter of time before the ultimate smoking cessation drug is found. This way no one will have to try to stop smoking with Prozac ever again.