About Champix Champix is the best selling smoking cessation drug and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006. This innovative drug is manufactured by Pfizer pharmaceuticals, the renowned creators of Viagra. This innovative treatment is specifically designed to help smokers who are motivated to quit. In conjunction with smoking cessation counselling, Champix can help people meet their goal to quit smoking and to stay off cigarettes for good.
Pfizer markets the drug under the trade name of Chantix in the USA and Champix in European countries and elsewhere. Champix has been proven for safety and efficacy in several clinical trials and the drug has helped millions of patients to realise their smoking cessation goals across the world.
However, like all other drugs, Champix also comes with certain side effects. Although most of the Champix side effects are mild to moderate and are not likely to affect everyone who uses the medication. Some of the commonly reported Champix side effects include nausea, headache, insomnia and abnormal dreams. Champix is only available with a prescription issued by a doctor, so make sure you ask them about the side effects when attending your consultation.
How does Champix work? Champix Varenicline is designed to offer a two-pronged strategy to help people quit for life:
- Fight off nicotine withdrawal symptoms – Champix Varenicline mimics the action of nicotine in the body. It attaches itself to the nicotine receptors in the brain. This action fools the brain into thinking that it has received its usual dose of nicotine. Champix therefore provides relief from the agonising cravings for nicotine and the painful withdrawal symptoms.
- Reducing the pleasure derived from smoking – Champix prevents nicotine from attaching to its receptors in the brain. This means, even if a person bows to temptation and lights up again, he/she will not derive the same pleasure as before, reducing their tendency to take up smoking again.
To achieve the best results from the Champix treatment, it should be used in conjunction with smoking cessation counselling. Constant motivation is often required to encourage people to fight off years of nicotine addiction. The support of friends and family and a strong determination to quit are the key to quit smoking. Champix only works as an aid that supports your decision to quit.
Why use Champix to quit smoking? Champix is currently the most prescribed smoking cessation treatment. The innovative drug scores over other popular smoking cessation treatment techniques, including the only other smoking cessation drug Zyban (Bupropion).
Why Champix is better than going cold turkey Quitting cold turkey means that you are relying on sheer willpower. Though quitting cold turkey works for some people, many smokers make at least 4-10 attempts before they are able to actually quit. The major hurdle that prevents most people from quitting cold turkey successfully is the nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Champix on the other hands, makes quitting easier for patients as it gives them relief from the painful withdrawal symptoms.
Why Champix is better than Nicotine Replacement Therapy Under Nicotine Replacement Therapy, nicotine is provided to the body externally through nicotine gums, patches, lozenges, nasal sprays, inhalators etc. Since the brain gets its required dose of nicotine, it does not trigger the withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine Replacement Therapy therefore allows patients to concentrate on quitting smoking as a habit. However, since nicotine is provided to the body externally, a risk of re-addiction is involved in this method. Champix provides relief from withdrawal symptoms and does not supply harmful nicotine to the body and is not addictive.
Why Champix is better than Zyban – Numerous studies have proved that Champix Varenicline works better than the only other FDA approved smoking cessation drug Zyban (Bupropion). In clinical trials, people receiving a 12-week course of Champix (Varenicline) are shown to have nearly twice the likelihood of quitting than those taking the Zyban treatment.
Studies have also proved that patients taking the Champix treatment are able to remain smoke free for longer once the treatment is over. Trial results of more than 2,000 treated smokers found that only 15.7% patients who took Zyban remained smoke-free over a year from the start of treatment. This was much lower when compared to 22.5% ex-smokers who used Champix and remained smoke free for a year.
