What is Varenicline Tartrate?
If you are a smoker who wants to quit, chance are that you’ve tried everything out there. Like those people who are overweight, the next “big thing” to hit the market is always the “most effective” and “the best in clinical studies.” Well, now there’s something new. If you haven’t seen television commercials advertising this product, you might ask the question, “What is Varenicline”. Here are some basic answers to the simple question. If you find anything unclear or need further clarification, your doctor can most likely answer any questions you may have.
Varenicline is the newest in a long line of smoking cessation tools aimed at getting smokers to quit for good. In early 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved Varenicline for distribution to smokers via their medical professionals. Much to the manufacturer’s delight, as the active ingredient in the product that is marketed under the name Chantix, varenicline tartrate was able to push its way through the red tape of the FDA because of the potential overall good to the public health sectors.
So, what is Varenicline? It is a tablet that, used as prescribed, has shown an overall effectiveness in successful long term smoking cessation. Unlike its fellow counterparts, Varenicline does NOT contain nicotine. This, Pfizer claims, is the reason that smoking cessation attempts fail. The reliance of a smoker on the nicotine is what ultimately prevents someone from being able to go with nicotine for long periods of time.
While working on the same receptors as nicotine, Varenicline has been proven more effective than Zyban, Nicorette or other famous patches and gum that you might have tried in the past. Quitting cold turkey is usually the least successful way to improve your health, but now, since there is a thorough understanding of why smokers can’t quit, help is just a phone call away.
So why does it work? Makers of Varenicline realize that nicotine, acting on certain receptors in the brain triggers the “pleasure” chemical called dopamine. Because smoker’s brain want to continually feel the “pleasure” of smoking, chemically, the body craves nicotine found in cigarette smoke. Working to block these sensations to the brain, Varenicline helps to decrease the body’s want for nicotine.
If during the course of therapy you do not have positive results, it is important to discuss this with your doctor or other health care professional. While many who have tried other cessation methods have had success with Varenicline, there are some side effects to be considered as well as medical interactions that you should be aware of.
If you are still asking “What is Varenicline?”, then talk to your doctor. Let him know if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, if you are taking any over the counter medications or prescription medications. Make your doctor aware of any allergies you may have or if you have kidney or liver disorders. If your doctor has not heard of Varenicline and asks “What is Varenicline?”, advising him that the Chantix tablet is a class of drug designed to help people stop smoking might stir his memory. Working together to make sure the directions are clearly understood and the length of therapy is agreed to, you and your doctor can work to increase the chances that Varenicline will give you another reason to try to stop smoking.
