Zyban is a simple to use smoking cessation aid available in a tablet form that has achieved remarkable results in helping people to stop smoking. For those younger than 65, the usually prescribed dose is one tablet per day during the first week of the treatment and two tablets daily for the remaining days. As opposed to this, people older than 65 will be prescribed one tablet for the entire duration of the course. The total duration of the treatment will vary between individuals, but most commonly it can reach up to seven to nine weeks.
Produced by GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company, Zyban relies on a unique mechanism of action to interfere with the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain, thus helping people overcome and eventually beat their nicotine addiction.
What’s on this page?
Stopping smoking: A general overview
The detrimental impact smoking has on health and wellbeing of both an individual and his surroundings is very well-known. For years now, scientific community has been constantly providing evidence for the direct link between smoking and very serious problems including cancer. In addition to this, governments around the world have been showing strong incentive and influencing public health policies in order to curb this very harmful habit among the general population of their respective countries.
The scientists estimate that active smokers have 24% higher chances of developing severe heart disease, while as many as 90% of lung cancer cases have been directly linked to smoking. Some other much less dangerous, but still uncomfortable health conditions can be mentioned including premature aging of the skin, gum disease or erectile dysfunction.
According to recent estimates, roughly 19% of all adults in the United Kingdom are active smokers. And as is the case with every addiction, quitting smoking can be exceptionally difficult. For some people, smoking is the habit that helps them get through stressful day, for others smoking has already become a crucial part of their daily routine and adapting to being a non-smoker might be rather tough. And we must also mention that in certain contexts there might be even a social pressure to smoke.
While the reasons for not quitting smoking vary between individuals, the root cause of the difficulty smoking cessation presents for all smokers are the addictive properties of nicotine and symptoms of physical withdrawal. When a smoker inhales tobacco smoke, the nicotine within in gets absorbed through lungs and transported to certain receptors in the brain through blood. Once the receptors are stimulated by nicotine molecules, they will trigger feelings of pleasure. With prolonged and repeated exposure to nicotine, the receptors will eventually become used to constant stimulation, depending on it and sending out stress signals when nicotine is absent.
These stress signals are subjectively experienced as nicotine withdrawal. These include, among others:
- Irritability
- Difficulty sleeping
- Increased appetite
- Intense nicotine cravings
- Tingling sensation in the hands and feet
- Excessive sweating
- Nausea and abdominal cramping
- Headaches
- Coughing
- Sore throat
Quitting smoking methods
People struggling to quit smoking ‘cold-turkey’ often turn to medicine for smoking cessation aids. They come in various forms and with different mechanism of action. For example, some might use nicotine replacement therapy (like nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or e-cigarettes), while other might find these methods not really efficient.
For those who cannot quit smoking neither cold-turkey nor with nicotine replacement therapies, prescription medicine might be the best option. These treatments are designed to be used in parallel with a support program – when they are at their most efficient, but they can still be used as provided since their mechanisms of action tend to be very powerful in combating nicotine addiction.
How can Zyban help me stop smoking?
Zyban is a prescription-only stop smoking medicine produced by GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company and based on the active ingredient called bupropion hydrochloride. The secret to its success lies in the unique mechanism of action that involves inhibiting the reuptake of two hormones that are naturally synthesized by the human body – noradrenaline and dopamine, both of which function as kind of mood regulators. By inhibiting their reuptake, Zyban will allow these compounds to remain present in the brain without restriction, thus diminishing the subjective experience of withdrawal.
It is important to note that Zyban tablets have prolonged release, meaning that they will continue distributing their active ingredient for a significant period of time after ingestion, thus allowing them to provide relief from cravings throughout the day with a relatively small dose.
Bupropion hydrochloride – the active ingredient of Zyban
As mentioned, the key to Zyban’s success is its active ingredient, bupropion hydrochloride. This substance was developed in the 1960 by GSK, but was approved for medical use only in late 1989. By affecting the balance of various neurotransmitters, Zyban helps people deal with their nicotine addiction and, more specifically, with very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms which affect smokers once they manage to curb their nicotine intake.
Can I buy Zyban online in the UK?
Zyban is prescription-only medicine and as such it cannot be obtained without a prescription issued by a certified medical professional. However, with the advent of online clinics, it is now possible to easily buy prescription medicine online. All you need to do is visit an online clinic of your choice and purchase Zyban there. Before the purchase is approved, you will be required to go through online consultation with a doctor employed at the clinic. This can be achieved both through live chat application on the website or via customized questionnaire that the doctor will then use to determine whether you are suitable for Zyban treatment.
Once you get the ‘green light’ from the doctor, the prescription will be issued and used that very same moment to immediately dispatch the medicine which will be delivered to your address, in the time span defined by the business model and company policy of the online clinic of your choice.
However, it is important to note that this medicine can affect your blood pressure, so even if you get the prescription, you will still be asked by the doctor to check your blood pressure over the course of the first two weeks of treatment before continuing. This means that you won’t be able to obtain continuation packs (used after the first two weeks of the treatment have passed by) if you don’t provide blood pressure readings that will confirm that Zyban is safe for you. In addition to this, you should never use Zyban for more than 9 weeks.
How is Zyban used?
Zyban is very simple and easy to use – while your doctor will provide you with all the specifics, here we will single out some of the most general guidelines and tips that might be useful for you to get familiar with if you are planning to pursue Zyban treatment in your smoking cessation efforts.
One thing that can significantly contribute to the success of the treatment is to choose a target date for stopping smoking for good while paying attention that that day roughly coincides with the second week of Zyban treatment.
If you are younger than 65 then you will take one Zyban tablet each day for the first six days of the course. On the seventh day, and for the rest of the course, the dose will be doubled (one tablet twice per day with at least 8 hours between doses). If you are over 65 then you will be taking one tablet per day over the whole duration of the course.
What are Zyban side effects?
Frequency of occurrence |
Side effects |
Common (1 in 10 users or more)
|
Difficulty sleeping |
Uncommon (1 in 10 users or less)
|
Depression, anxiety, agitation, lack of concentration, tremors, headache, nausea, indigestion, dry mouth, dizziness, sweating |
Rare (1 in 100 users)
|
Vision problems, ringing in the ears, increased blood pressure, flushing, loss of appetite, general weakness, confusion |
Very rare (1 in 1000 users)
|
Seizures, coordination problems, palpitations, strange and vivid dreams, changes in skin sensitivity, allergic reaction |
It is important to note that Zyban has been known to exacerbate symptoms of mental illnesses or trigger depression and suicidal feelings – if you notice any of these symptoms, be sure to notify your doctor immediately and ask for advice.
Is Zyban safe for me?
There are several situations when Zyban use might not be recommended. The most common factors include other medicines that Zyban might adversely interact with, or other medical conditions that might be exacerbated by this medicine. As for interactions, Zyban has been known to interact with following medicines:
- Mental illness medicines
- Antimalarial medicines
- Stimulants
- Weight loss treatments
- Steroids
- Quinolone antibiotics
- Antihistamines
- Diabetes medication
- Parkinson’s disease treatments
- Epilepsy medications
- Anti-cancer medicines
- Beta-blockers
- High blood pressure medicines
In addition to this, Zyban use can be contraindicated in the following scenarios:
- You are epileptic
- You have history of liver or kidney problems
- You have mental illness
- You have high blood pressure
- You are currently pregnant, are trying to conceive or are breastfeeding