Chantix Helps Quit Smoking
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
Smoking and Low Back Pain
The fact that smoking is not good for your health is not exactly news, but most people do not associate smoking with pain.
Lifestyle issues such as smoking, as well as lack of exercise and obesity, hamper the patient’s ability to find sufficient pain relief over the long term. In fact, research has shown that smoking causes back pain.
In my own personal experience with treating back pain patients, I have seen that chronic smokers rarely ever recover from chronic pain conditions even with a variety of treatments.
Stop Smoking to Reduce Back Pain: Why the Anti-Smoking Crowd Hurts Less
That cigarette with your cup of morning coffee is relaxing, isn't it? You can just feel the tension release from your body as you light one up and deeply inhale. Smoking is a powerful habit, the anxiety release fully understood only by people who either currently smoke or have smoked in the past.
Subject: Chantix is a Scary Drug!
I took Chantix and endured horrible mental and physical side effects while taking it, but now it is over a year since I last took Chantix, my severe fibromyalgia-like symptoms are still full blown.
Even though I did sucessfully quit smoking, I wouldn't recommend Chantix to my worst enemy! It ruined my life. I gained 80-pounds because it is too painful to move my body.
I find that on a google search, I am not alone. I found hundreds of other Chantix users suffering the same side effects. But I keep searching, in hopes of finding an end in sight. A year and 3 months now of suffering every day, after being in great health all of my life-----is this permanent? Will I spend the rest of my life inflamed, holding on to walls and furniture to help reduce the pain so I can walk? I am still hoping to find the answer to that question. If anyone knows the length of the term of this, please email me newlightinc@aol.com
Thank you
April 19th, 2008
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