New Drug Helps Smokers Kick Habit
Apr. 23, 2007
Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to kick, but a new drug could help smokers snuff out the habit for good.
Jeanne Kline has been smoking for a long time, and said she's paying for it now with a laundry list of health issues.
"I am an asthmatic. I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (Doctors) think I might even have a little bit of emphysema," Kline said.
Mercy Medical Center's Dr. Albert Polito prescribed a new drug to Kline called Chantix. The drug acts like nicotine to the brain by reducing cravings.
In some patients, Chantix can help kick the habit altogether. But the drug isn't a magic pill, Polito said.
"It's not a wonder drug -- that you take it and suddenly stop smoking. You have to have some motivation and some desire," he said.
Kline said she tried many other ways to quit, but nothing stuck.
"The first three months I was on it, it cut me down to maybe half a pack to under half a pack a day. And then it got lower and lower and lower," she said about Chantix.
Kline said she hasn't had a cigarette in 63 days. She said she's stopped coughing and wheezing and feels like she has completely new lungs.
Chantix does have some minor side effects. Contact your physician to find out more.
Source: Wbaltv |
