Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Both my husband and I were prescribed Zyban yesterday to help us stop smoking.
I had never really heard of it before, although i had some vague recollection of there being some issues a few years ago about a stop smoking drug being dangerous.

Maybe its all in the mind, but since i started taking it yesterday, i felt a little odd last night and this morning. I can't really put it into words, and i have to admit i didnt feel like smoking as much. I am a bit worried about side effects. As my husband is a nurse he has managed to get plenty of info about it, but, he says nearly ALL drugs you take for any reason will have some side effects in some people.
Couple this with the long term benefits of stopping smoking i guess its probably worth the risk, but i cant help wondering if its really safe.

Has anyone else tried it? Did it work?


Do they prescribe this drug in the UK?

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

PP
There are some problems with it especially with diabetes.

look here and decide for yourself:http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/articles/zyban.html

Take care

G

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

i took them a few years ago and was off the fags for a year.
they take about 2-3 weeks to work. i found it the best way to stop.
but watch out for the side effects they can be a bit harsh. dry mouth seems to be the most common. i couldnt drink beer the whole time i was on them. beer tasted like dug pish :D
how did u manage to get them in oz? oh and how much?

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Thanks for that G... just had a look. It says much the same info that Bill found at work. I had never seen this doctor before and only used him as our regular one is on holiday. He is fully aware i am diabetic as he also prescribed my diabetic meds!! He did say he was only giving me a weeks supply to start with to make sure i go back next week to see how i am coping with it.
Still not sure if i am comfortable about using it, but i desperately want to stop smoking. The weightloss os goin well so its time to tackle this now. After that i'm vice free!! :D (ok... nearly)

I'm just really interested to hear comments from anyone else who may have used it

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

u dont stop right away. after a few weeks u forget u smoke, honest.
a lot of people stop biting nails and things like that.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Hi Soapy. I just went to the GP mainly to get my diabetic drug prescription. He note how much weight i had lost and i then said i now wanted to quit smoking and that was that. he told me about Zyban and cautiously offered to let me try it.
Sounds good if you managed to stop after taking it!!
Funny thing is that i get many of the side effects for Zyban just by being a diabetic so nothing much will change on that score...lol
prescription cost about $26 or there abouts.

Are you thinking of stopping again?

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

PP

Will send you a pm

G

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

oh yeh, im sick of the ciggies and found it the easiest way to stop

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

I hated them, I ended up chucking them down the lavvy.

I couldn't sleep, I'd maybe have two hours kip then PING, wide awake then I'd be knackered at work. After a week or so I was like a zombie.

I bought the Alan Carr book about giving up smoking & so far so good after almost 3 months.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

well done mate. keep it going ;)
so how does the book work. do u light up a page at a time :D

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Oh god!!... i hope i dont get like that. :scared:

I bought the Alan Carr book just before leaving NZ to come here, but i have no idea where it is asits in on eof the boxes i still havent unpacked since getting here. Looks like i might have to go dig it out.
I might try using the patches as well once i take my last fag next week.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

:D

Nah, it tells you not to stop until you finish the book. Took me 3 years to read it. :D
Seriously though it kinda plays with your mind but is very effective.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

I used to treat people (who wanted to stop smoking) on the NHS.

There is no absolutely correct way to stop.

Many factors are involved and treatment needs to be tailored to the individual.

Good luck to all of you who are trying to stop :)

G

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

LOL :D

Are you gonna give Zyban another go Soapy?

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Cant help with the Zyban Podgy, I used patches & will-power when I gave up almost 4 years ago. I found the patches useless at first, used to use the patches & still smoke as well :rolleyes: , thing that tipped it was 2 week honeymoon on an island in Fiji. Put a patch on when we left Aust & left it on - pulled it off after about 4 days & never looked back. It got easier as it went on, probably the first 3 or 4 days was the hardest, then that nagging feeling that lasted another couple of months, but I honestly found it so much easier after those first couple of weeks than I ever thought I would. Happy to say I would never take it up again :) .

All the best of luck, it really is worth it when you conquer it - both financially & emotionally :) .

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Just had a thought - is Zyban the anti-depressant one?

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Yes

G

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

OK, that might be the one that another poster in the UK is taking as well. Maybe Podgy could PM him (its alkristensen). I think he was sayig that he was feeling a bit "out of it" from them as well.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Hi Robyn

I dont mind feeling "out of it" for a few weeks as long as i get the result i want..hey!!..i might enjoy the buzz..LOL

seriously though,... you have to weigh up the pros and cons i guess... as long as Zyban isn't addictive (which i dont think it is) is it worth doing it for the long term benefits? are the risks worth taking if yu are going to drastically reduce your chances of cancer, heart disease and the eons of other killers associated with it?... whats the bigger risk?

The money i save could go towards some big plans... eh Robyn? ;)

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Well done, Bordy! Not easy, as I know from personal experience....

Also I guess you now have a lovely non-smoking lavvy :)

Anya.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

PP,

Well done on the weight loss - bet you look lovely & svelte now!! :)

Good luck with giving up the smokes too - it IS worth it, honestly. I found the best bit was all the extra $$$ I saved, then not having to worry about 'have I got enough left in the pack until the tobacconist opens again' - very liberating!

Cheers,
Anya.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

I have a long way to go to get to "svelte" Anya but thanx.. and i'm doing it the right way, slowly and changing my lifestyle instead of faddy diets.
I tink this Zyban is affecting my appetite too.. havent felt like eating all day!!

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

I took it a few years back, I remember being really scared when I read the leaflet about side effects, it had everything from swollen tongue to hallucinations.

But in the end the only side effect I got was really freaky dreams at night, sleep walking, waking up standing in the back garden and stuff :eek: And it does work after a week or two.

Unfortunately circumstances conspired to get me back on the ciggies soon after that.

JTL

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

My F-I-L had smoked for many, many years before he took Zyban and was very successful with it. In fact he was still taking it when he had to attend a family funeral which (with his family) is about the most stress you can have. I can't remember how long he was on the tablets, but I am sure he stopped within two weeks.

However, I did think that a couple of years ago Zyban got very bad press because one of the side-effect was depression and a small minority suffered from this side-effect. Hopefully if you don't have any severe side-effects in the first couple of weeks, then you should be alright?

Hazel

Re: Zyban.. is it necessary?
 

I gave up using a book!! "A book?" I here you mock. Yes its a book called "The Easy Way to Give Up Smoking" by Allan Carr.

It does not try and scare you into giving up. It basically helps remove the brainwashing and fear that smoking has placed on you. It is not "happy clappy" but written in a very simple way by an ex smoker who used to smoke 60 a day.

Recently I recommended the book to two friends at work and within a week of getting the book they gave up. At the start of the book he even recommends that you carry on smoking while you read it

BUY THIS BOOK!! It could be the best $20 - 30 you ever spend.

Re: Zyban.. is it necessary?
 

I have the book!!.. its just that its stuck at the bottom of a packing case and been there since we left NZ.. i'm gonna dig it out.

Now.. i have the book, i have the pills, and when i have to stop (which is Friday) i shall bung on a patch as well. I am hoping that if all this fails then at least the pills have anti dpressant qualities which SHOULD prevent me from hanging myself from the nearest tree..... there, i think i have all avenues covered :D

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

BTW..

Why do i have to keep smoking for one week after starting the pills?

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Medication like the one you've been px'd, take a while to build up adequate levels. Persever with it ,I know people who it worked well with

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Takes a little while to kick in....


Also... is it risky?
Well, it couldnt be more risky than smoking, with the links between smoking and lung cancer. Sorry to be blunt. Have seen too many lung cancer patients in the last week. :(

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Biiiiiig plans! With your svelte new figure ;) :D

Well done you! :)

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

yes........but it can work the other way,i tried them a few years back when they had just come onto the market and they went in the bin after about 4 days. i could'nt sleep,made me feel depressed and very nervous,on edge and bad tempered.....in normal day to day life i never take things serious and try to have a laugh from getting up to going to bed,,never had problems with my nerve's,very strong person both in mind and body and zyban just made me want to sit and cry for no reason. this is just my experience with zyban and i know of people who have done really well on then but personally i would never try them again.....just be careful and do as much research as possible :beer:

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Thanx Ozzidoc

Thats what i meant in one of my posts above. Surely the risk of smoke related diseases far outweighs the risk of taking Zyban for a few weeks.

Day 3 now, have none of the nasty side effects that others have mention as yet.
Bit of a dry mouth now and again thats all.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Good luck, giving up smoking was the best thing I ever did - I hope you are successful
Gillian

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

You are approaching this the wrong way. READ THE BOOK. Forget about the money you will save, it is irrelevant. Any self respecting smoker would rather smoke for 52 weeks of the year than save for a single weeks holiday.

If you start to analsye how much you are saving you may well look at it as a reward for not smoking. The danger here is that you will think you are giving something up and you are not.

READ THE BOOK IT HOLDS THE KEY TO YOUR FREEDOM.

ps I own no shares in this book but have seen at least 8 people give up on it and successfully. Drugs and patches are not the answer as they do not undo the years of psycological brainwashing smoking has put you under.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

I still ain't found the damn book!!! :rolleyes:

Day 5

If i keep feeling like this i wont need to read it anyway.

Finding it hard to describe how i feel today. Got this weird feeling like morning sickness. Have hardly smoked all day!!! Havent felt like eating either... double bonus! :D

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

OMG - does this mean you're........... :eek:

Anya.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

ROFLMAO :D ... if that was the case i'm damn glad Zyban has anti depressant qualities!

Its safe to say that it is highly unlikely.. ;)

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

;)

I was just reading in the paper tonight that the birth rate in Florida (US) has gone up significantly after 3 hurricanes hit the state last year. Apparently 'the weather was so severe that women couldn't get out to the chemists to stock up on contraceptives.'

I guess not many of us have the presence of mind to think 'better keep a decent stock of contraceptives in the house, you never know, there might be a hurricane.'

Hmmmm..... :scared:

Anya.

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Not sure about hurricanes but for some of us the earth moves quite often ... :D ;)

Re: Zyban.. is it risky?
 

Are you girls comparing cockatoos again? :D