More Ammunition
I’ve run out of nicotine lozenges. So far, peppermint candies seem to be an effective substitute. Although I only indulge in about two candies a day, I should probably look for a sugar-free option.
I always suspected the nicotine lozenges, which take about 20 minutes to dissolve in your mouth, worked for me, in part, because they kept my mouth busy.
There are several new options in tobacco-cessation aids–both in the pipeline or recently introduced.
Chantix
Chantix hit the market with a splash this summer. It’s a new kind of cessation aid– easing withdrawal symptoms and reducing the pleasure of nicotine for people who relapse. (I’d like to find a pill that would reduce the pleasure I find in chocolate.)
Chantix is a medication–but not an antidepressant like Zyban. Clinical trials with this new option have been very promising.
Nicotine Vaccines
Several nicotine vaccines are being tested after being placed on fast-track status by the FDA for their potential to benefit the 38-million U.S. smokers who wrestle with quitting.
These vaccines prod your immune system to make antibodies that prevent nicotine from entering your brain. (A wee bit of nicotine escapes the antibodies–just enough to ease withdrawal symptoms.)
There’s no word yet on when the new vaccines will receive FDA approval and hit the market.
Acomplia -Zimulti
A pill that helps you quit the nicotine habit–and lose weight?!
This is no hoax. Developed by pharmaceutical giant, Sanofi-Aventis, Acomplia works on the brain’s endocannaboid system which regulates our appetite for food and nicotine. (Yes! It would work for my nicotine and chocolate addictions!)
I’ve been following the progress of Acomplia eagerly since I first read about it a couple of years ago. Although it has been approved in European Union states, FDA approval is pending.
It’s likely that Acomplia will be called Zimulti if and when it is marketed in the U.S. For reasons understood only by the FDA, Accomplia will not be approved as a nicotine-cessation aid in the U.S.
Slim and smoke-free, all I’ll need is a pill for aging.
