coming off zyban

[nsd_user663_64155]

day, 05:59 PM

Hi All

I took zyban as directed. After 10 days stopped with ease. That was 55 days ago. Since then I have NEVER even slightly wanted to smoke.

I am now worried about coming off zyban.

Does anyone have any experience or advice please ?

[nsd_user663_58050]

I've taken champix and am just coming up to 4 months - tomorrow evening. Instead of taking the full 12 weeks as prescribed I halved daily does the last three weeks to eke it out and haven't had any for about 4 weeks now. I was doing okay until ten days ago and since then it's been a challenge and I've had some difficult, despondent days. Yesterday and the day before however were good days for me. So I might be turning another corner. These meds don't cure everything in relation to smoking, there is some effort and appraising of thinking patterns that we need to do as well. We are all different though and some have stopped these meds and not looked back.

You could ask for the prescription to continue. Have a look at Celestine's posts on here as I think she was doing that.

[nsd_user663_64155]

Thank you for your reply, even if it's not quite what I wanted to hear 😣.

I suppose we have rid ourselves with the majority of the addiction.

I am less keen to renew the presciption as it will probably only delay the inevitable.

I will follow you advice and cut down to one a day.

However it works out I will never smoke again and I'm sure zyban made it far far easier than doing cold turkey.

Good luck to you.

[nsd_user663_58050]

Yes, I thought it might not be what you want to hear, but I am still not smoking. And I know that the champix and zyban do help. It's most likely that I would not have stopped with the champix.

[nsd_user663_64155]

I agree.

I smoked 20 a day for 30 years and since taking zyban have never been tempted as I had no desire to smoke.

I think not only does it break the habit it has made me read so many web sites, I hope I am brainwashed !

[nsd_user663_58050]

I hope you are too! If you haven't read already there's an interesting thread in a post of mine 'challenging week'. Not my actual post, where I'm being moany (!), but in Melli's and Karri's responses.

[nsd_user663_64024]

Walkabout

You are no moanier (is there such a word :0)) than anyone else in our situation are, this is why we have a forum (as great as our is) to be able to vent as much as what we feel is necessary to get through the trying times that we are all having.

I hope you won't think that we are going to get tired of hearing you tell us of your hard times, because over the next few weeks as we progress further into our attempts we will probably be relying on you to listen as you will have got past some of your problems, you can do this walkabout we all know you can

[nsd_user663_58050 in reply to nsd_user663_64024]

Thanks Jillibean. Yes, I'm afraid I might be posting some more challenging times in the near future. I have slipped a bit in my postings I believe because I have felt despondent. I need to get back in the swing.

[Hercu Valued Contributor]

Hi Bernie

I am using Champix and also nearing the end of my course.

As Walkabout replied, mentioning Melli and Karri's post, I was inspired to read more on what is happening in our brains after Quitting.

I smoked 40 per day for 38 years and I was so worried what the future will be without that ciggie....

Must say: knowing the facts made it very easy for me to understand my feelings day by day.

This is how it is explained on a web site I found:

(Quote)

"Visualize the war that's going on inside a smoker's brain: Nicotine versus Dopamine. Natural fight or flight reactions are now becoming nervous disorders. Organic feelings and emotions about life in general become exaggerated problems which seem insurmountable at times. After long term use of high-potency cigarettes (about 15 to 20 years), a person can permanently cripple the dopamine system, and ruin the ability to feel pleasure at all without first smoking a cigarette." (End Quote)

Melli nailed it with the words " there is a spanner in our brains chemichal works"

But still it is nice not to smoke and surely will live to get our brains acting normal again......

[nsd_user663_64126]

Hi Bernie lee......

well done so far, honestly some of your hardest work has been done...the key to staying stopped really perhaps is dependent upon our understanding of our brains tricks of addiction....we are not really addicted to nicotine (nicotine is one of many triggers), we are addicted to the release of our happy chemicals, dopamine, serotonin, and others....we are all addicted to this..All of us including our non and never smoking persons of the world.......it is these chemicals that keep us surviving in the world, these chemicals give us our drive and motivation for everything.....including the drive and motivation to seek activities that help us produce more of the chemicals.....viscious circle of the brain....

Individuals find many ways of feeding this addiction, not just smoking, and some behaviors are more detrimental than others.....

But to answer your initial question, i will explain it in simple neuroscience and you can plan your protection /attack from there...

Zyban is in essence an anti depressent..... that works by preventing free moving happy chemicals from being reabsorbed (dopamine and serotonin), thus a higher concentration of them free flowing in your brain.....

(Champix has a similar effect but by a different action)

in my opinion, these drugs both work utilising the antidepressant effect, ie keeping the dopamine and serotonin flowing around your brain when you have stopped smoking......making the yearning for a cig (actually for dopamine) much reduced.....

therefor when we stop taking the Zyban or champix we need to just watch and wait and record...keep a carefull track of your emotions ....i believe in a few weeks of medication use some people may reset there neurotransmitters back to almost normal and thus may not have pangs of sadness or grief or depression that some people get...

watch and see and if you find that you are really becoming flat and unmotivated after stopping the meds, then you will allow the deeper subconscious ciggy association to rear its ugly head and a battle of mental debates begins......

at this point you could do what i have done and try a herbal remedy for helping to promote the flow of happy chemicals....the one i take here which has amazingly boosted my motivation and helped bring back my mojo (nurobalance by Bioceuticals) i think is only available in australia and NZ....but you can try herbal remedies with saffron..helps dopamine and st john wart helps keep serotonin and many others....just becareful if you are on other meds.......too much of our happy chemicals can also have negative even devastating effects.....

Dont worry, take it slowly, day by day, it will all come good, our brains are more than capable of being put back in the right direction....understanding takes patience and experience and we need to understand to master it....

[nsd_user663_64155]

Hi All

Thank you for your clear and surprisingly understandable replies.

As you say, being prepared with knowledge will help if I have any dark moments.

On the slightly negative side, I must admit I thought this was all going a bit too easy ! 30 years smoking 20 + and then stopping without the slightest problem.

I have enough zyban to last about another 20 days. I will continue to use them for a while (am I just putting off the dreaded day 😉).

Now I have found this website I will keep you all informed of my progress.

I hope the information will be useful to other.

For anyone thinking of trying zyban I would throughly recommend them. I hope I will be saying that in the future.

[nsd_user663_58050]

Well, as you say it has gotten you through those difficult days and weeks so it has done some good for you. Would you extend the prescription? I'm resisting going back to the champix. Posting definitely helps, but if you do start getting shaky, don't withdraw from here. I did and it was I am sure a mistake. I should instead have cranked up my resolve to come on here.All the best to you.

[nsd_user663_64155]

Well here's my latest.

Took zyban for the first 77 days, yep, can't believe it, 11 weeks not smoking.

Then came the dreaded day to stop taking the tablets ! In my head I thought the hard work, cravings etc was about to start.

That was 11 days ago- I'm still waiting for the cravings and the hard work.

Honestly, I don't want to tempt fate but so far so good. I'm really enjoying the freedom of not smoking.

I still think about smoking a lot, and I know this will sound strange but I only think about the benifits of not smoking.

I hope this continues and good luck to all of us !

[Hercu Valued Contributor]

Hi berni lee

You make my day....:):):). I will be off the Champix in 2 weeks time after 12 weeks and deep inside was worried what will happen.

I am smoke free from the day I quit finally and is really enjoying my almost 8 weeks smoke free life so far.....

The cravings is short and almost non existing.....I sometimes forget to take my Champix dose for the day...

Thank you so much for sharing......

[nsd_user663_64126]

Hi, thanks so much for the very brilliant update bernie lee....I am sooooo happy for you and really impressed with the coming off Zyban outcome...Please keep us updated over the next few weeks about any new effects or changes in your mood or motivation as this will be so useful to other peeps coming off their meds, even negative stuff is good to know as to be for-warned it to be prepared..lol:)..although to hear such positive news is FANTASTIC, thanks and continue the gr8 work...x