Print This PageChantix Helps Quit Smoking
April 17, 2008
by: Sylvia Marten
Everyone is aware that smoking is not good for your health, but many do not realize that smoking is also closely linked to chronic pain.
In my experience as a spine physician, if a patient has had pain for a long time and continues to smoke, he or she is highly unlikely to find pain relief from any type of treatment. The reason for this is not entirely understood, but it is probably due to multiple factors, such as blood vessel spasms and not allowing oxygen to get to tissues.
For people who are in a lot of pain, this information alone should be good motivation to help them kick the smoking habit, but many patients will need some assistance to stop smoking due to the strong physical and emotional addictive qualities of smoking.
Previously, a drug in the antidepressant line of pharmaceuticals was approved for use in quitting smoking, called Zyban. This drug worked by keeping a neurotransmitter (serotonin) around longer in the brain, which seemed to helped decrease the craving for nicotine.
Lately, a newer drug, Chantix, has been released that has a different mechanism of action. Chantix is designed to bind right to the nicotine receptors in the brain. Many patients even report that after starting Chantix, smoking is repulsive to them and they can’t stand the smell.
Like all drugs it does have some side effects (such as difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, nausea, etc…), but the one that has gotten the most media attention is a possible link to suicidal ideation. While this is a concern, it should be noted that many people who are trying to quit smoking are already depressed, so it is difficult to know if this is a causal link or not.
In my clinical experience, Chantix has worked remarkably well, especially for people who are motivated to quit smoking.
By: Peter Ullrich, Jr., MD
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Subject: so tired of pain
I got hurt on the job in Nov of 2006 went to company doctor he said it was a pulled muscle was released back to work after a week got fired cause I couldnt work cause of the pain in Feb of 2007 went to a new dr and he did cortazone shots they lasted 2 mins and then he did a diskotomey in May 2007 then 2 weeks later I had a sever staff infec that almost killed me when he went in and cleaned out the infect he messed something up cause ever since I've been in sever pain its all my low back left leg all the way 2 my toes and part of my right leg i have been to serval dr's because i kept asking the one who did the sug what happen and what went wrong from one to the other and no one knows anything I'm 26 with a 5 and 8 year old I cant do anything I use to this is getting really old and I recieved a whole 10% on my MMI
July 8th, 2008
Subject: What about Electronic cigarettes?
One thing you forgot to add to this list is the
e-cigarette. Although they are not yet FDA approved, they helped me to ween off tobacco cigarettes and eventually quit. It was the only thing I found that simulated the entire smoking experience, right down to the exhale of smoke. I would definitely recommend them to others, and definitely think they should have made your list.
Johnny Blaze
September 18th, 2009
Subject: so hard
i am unable to take meds to help with quitting because i am allready taking enough due to bipolar i wish i had the strength to just do it
July 20th, 2008
Subject: cowgirl
im sorry about what you are going through im not doing as bad but gettting close you have my prayers
July 20th, 2008
Subject: i had surgery 2 days ago
i had surgery 2 days ago because of begning stages of cercical cancer so i got a histroctomy when i heal i will have to have back surgery due to 5 bulging disks and 2 leaking spinal fluid I am also trying to quit smoking but wow stress is killing me alone alot of the time i feel very alone and scared my spelling is bad so sorry to all but i needed to vent was hoping to find a chat room just to talk but this is all i found thank you for reading this
July 20th, 2008
Subject: i had surgery 2 days ago
i had surgery 2 days ago because of begning stages of cercical cancer so i got a histroctomy when i heal i will have to have back surgery due to 5 bulging disks and 2 leaking spinal fluid I am also trying to quit smoking but wow stress is killing me alone alot of the time i feel very alone and scared my spelling is bad so sorry to all but i needed to vent was hoping to find a chat room just to talk but this is all i found thank you for reading this
July 20th, 2008
Subject: If you see Schiffer RUN AWAY!!!!!
Somewhere on here I read about rather to get an Anterior fusion from the front or to go from the back. Well,I had an anterior from the front and everything being equal never get(anterior fusion)one from the front. The pain is far more extensive and how about 9 hours having your intestines etc..being held by a vascular surgeon while the neuro surgeon fumbles around with titanium cages falling out of the stripped holes he had not gauged correctly. At least 3 pints of blood used,grafts from both hips is not enough so they have to go fine cadaver bone to help frost the big empty hole where the titanium cage was suppose to go but it wouldn't stop slipping around. Big roofing staples stamped across 9 inches of your lower stomach holding your guts inside and another pair of 4 inches where both the hip graphs were taken. So both levels of these jeryrigged fusions didn't fuse so the level above now needs to be fused too from being forced to take much more of the load. What does the doc do after surgery? "Oh I done all I could,wish you luck and bye." On the last visit I saw him he had a brand new convertible mercedes in his parking place. He had promised that the fusion would take place without a doubt and I'd never need another fusion surgery. The 2nd opinion doctor that said I would most likely need others due to the more stress being added on them was called an insurance prositute doctor being paid by the insurance just to say that. Well now I realized how much my surgeon intentionally lied to me. He straight out lied to me for his own profit without regards to my health and future. My new surgeon said anterior fusions never really inproved surgery and are going out of popularity. And I see why. Hope this wasn't too harsh but that's the way I feel. As the pain is worse than before the surgery. If you ever see a surgeon or especially his office staff pushing a little to much for appointments,beware. If you notice this is happening,run and get a different doctor.
August 21st, 2008