WebMD Suggests Medical Methods to Quit Smoking: What About All the Serious Side-Effects
Sun, Nov 18 2012
“WebMD Suggests Medical Methods to Quit Smoking: What About All the Serious Side-Effects Coupled with Much Less Success Than Hypnosis”
In the article on the website WebMD, the first method suggested to stop using tobacco is medication to stop nicotine cravings. The only problem with this approach other than that it doesn’t work in 85% of the cases, are the disturbing side effects that one experiences.
Wellbutrin is an antidepressant that is renamed Zyban for smoking cessation. Zyban has a success rate of 15% after one year. That equates with a 85% failure rate. The side effects of taking this drug are quite disturbing: thoughts of suicide especially if younger than 24 years old, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, impulsivity, irritability, agitation, hostility, aggressiveness, restlessness, hyperactivity, feeling more depressed or having thoughts of suicide. One also has to take under consideration whether one has had a head injury, seizures, a brain or spinal tumor, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease or bipolar disorder because the medication may make these conditions worse.
If you are put on the newest smoking cessation drug, Chantix you will have a slightly better chance of being smoke free at 25% at a year, which is still a 75% failure rate. You will most likely experience similar side effects to those of Zyban: confusion, anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, extreme fear, impulsivity, agitation, aggressiveness, restless, hostile, depressed, terrible nightmares and thoughts of self-injury and/or feelings of suicide. If allergic to the Chantix you may get hives, swelling of the lips and face, tongue, or throat. Other serious side effects include: chest pain, tight feeling in your neck or jar, pain spreading to your arm or shoulder, vomiting, sweating, general ill feeling, light headedness or short of breath, unusual bruising, blistering, etc.
Nicotine gum has a 3% success rate and taste terrible and the nicotine patch has a 4% success rate based on a meta-review of smoking cessation methods by Law in 1995.
If people were truly addicted to nicotine, nicotine replacement would work a lot better than it does. Smoking is really a trigger-response behavior that needs to be replaced with a healthier behavior. This also explains why so many people are concerned about gaining weight if they stop smoking. Putting the cigarette up to the mouth is replaced with bringing food to the mouth. If one is eating high calorie foods one will indeed experience weight gain.
With the use of hypnosis working in the unconscious mind the hypnotist can give suggestions to replace the smoking behavior with healthy behaviors. Taking deep breaths will naturally relax a person. Drinking water will hydrate the person taking away feelings of being hungry while increasing mood.
The highest success rate reported was 94% in a study done by Von Dednroth after 18 months. A study done by Practice Builders in 2000 demonstrated a 57% success rate, For those using both hypnosis and NLP individualized to the client the same study by Practice Builders there was a 95%. Even if one chooses to use the meta-analysis of 48 studies in 1992 study by Chockalingam and Schmidt one is looking at a 36% success rate, double nicotine replacement therapy.
Unfortunately the AMA (American Medical Association) rescinded hypnosis for medical and psychological purposes in 1987 in a position statement as stated in another article
found on the WebMd site, the AMA apparently has no opinion on the use of hypnosis. The article goes on to suggest that it may be necessary to use several different techniques to be successful. What they fail to tell you is that hypnosis is that hyponsis is more successful than any of the ways the AMA suggest without any side effects whatsoever. Would it be worth your time and monetary investment to use the power of your own mind with the use of hypnosis as your method of choice? Or would you prefer to spend you hard earned money on drugs that could very well cause you much more harm with a much lower success rate than you can do with the power of your own mind?
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Suzanne Kellner-Zinck I found it facinating that Wellbutrin is an antidepressant that was renamed Zyban for the smoking cessation market. Thanks for the info.