The feeling of teeth growing together and the inability to think clearly are two of the common complaints of people going through nicotine withdrawal and their families and close friends often associate their bad moods with attempting to stop smoking. Drugs have been found to help a person kick their nicotine habit and today there are at least two stop smoking drugs on the market with a third one going through final testing before being released to the public.

Prior to the development of the new stop smoking drugs, many products were simply nicotine replacement products that enabled smokers to get their regular fix of nicotine without all the smoke and the accompanying odors and dirt from the ashes floating around the house and car. In reality, one of the first stop smoking drugs, Zyban is merely an antidepressant, Wellbutrin, repackaged and marketed as one of the stop smoking drugs.

Patients who were prescribed this drug reported that they had less desire to smoke and when they did attempt to quit the typical affects of nicotine withdrawal were minimal or non-existent. Following additional studies, Wellbutrin was approved and sold as one of the newer stop smoking drugs under the name of Zyban.

Nicotine Addiction Can Be Hard To Break

Another of the newest stop smoking drugs, varenicline is sold under the brand name of Chantrix and subdues the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. With both Zyban and Chantrix, the patient is advised to continue smoking for the first two weeks they are using the stop smoking drugs and then stop smoking on a target date. Both are said to take about 12 weeks before the habit is eliminated. Currently, about 20 percent of the patients using these drugs have reportedly stopped smoking without the symptoms of withdrawal.

There may soon be another of the stop smoking drugs added to the list as rimonabant, under the trade name of Acomplia is currently going through final testing. If successful and federal approval is granted, it could join the other stop smoking drugs as a means of reducing the affects of nicotine withdrawal.

All of the current stop smoking drugs carry the potential for side effects and a prescription is needed. None of them contain nicotine and are not designed to be used as a replacement for nicotine, rather they are designed to help a patient get through the first stages of withdrawal without the associated negative side effects.