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There is a new stop smoking drug on the market that features
a fun commercial about the classic Aesop fable The Tortoise
and the Hare. The creators of Chantix use this fable to
demonstrate their approach to helping you to quit smoking.
CHANTIX is a prescription medicine developed by Pfizer to
help adults quit smoking. It contains no nicotine and helps
reduce the urge to smoke. The message of the commercial is
that quitting smoking is a challenge that is not for
sprinters like the Hare. The Chantix strategy (GETQUIT) uses
a step-by-step approach that may help you quit smoking. And
as the classic fable has taught us, a steady approach may be
the wisest approach. Studies show that 44% reached their
quitting goal at the end of 12 weeks on CHANTIX (vs. 18% on
placebo).
There are receptors for nicotine in your brain. When you
smoke, the nicotine you inhale attaches to these receptors.
This sends a message to a different part of your brain to
release a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine gives you a
feeling of pleasure. But it does not last long. That's why
your body craves more nicotine. This can become a vicious
cycle.
CHANTIX has been proven effective, but it's not a magic
pill. For most people, quitting smoking is both a physical
and behavioral challenge—even with treatment. That's why in
addition to prescription CHANTIX, which addresses the
physical challenges, they created the GETQUIT™ Support Plan.
GETQUIT was designed to help you learn to deal with
behavioral challenges you might face when quitting smoking.
Here's what you get with the GETQUIT Support Plan:
*A step-by-step guide for preparing to quit
*A personalized Web site with easy-to-use tools that track
your progress
*Support and advice designed to help you learn how to stay
quit
*Support for up to a full year
*A toll-free support hotline to speak with a GETQUIT coach
What are the possible side effects of CHANTIX?
The most common side effects of CHANTIX include:
*nausea
*sleep disturbance (trouble sleeping, changes in dreaming)
*constipation
*gas
*vomiting
Tell your doctor about side effects that bother you or that
do not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of CHANTIX. Ask
your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Use caution
driving or operating machinery until you know how quitting
smoking and/or using CHANTIX may affect you.
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