Bupropion Hydrochloride is used to help smokers to give up smoking. This is suitable for smokers aged 18 years and over. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved this medication.
Smoking tobacco is both a physical addiction and a psychological habit. The nicotine from cigarettes provides a temporary and addictive high. Eliminating that regular fix of nicotine causes your body to experience physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Because of nicotine’s effect on the brain, you may turn to cigarettes as a quick and reliable way to boost your outlook, unwind, and relieve stress. Smoking can also be a way of coping with anxiety, depression, or even boredom. Quitting means finding different, healthier ways to cope with those feelings.
When you smoke, the poisons from the tar in your cigarettes enter your blood. These poisons in your blood then:
• Increase your blood pressure and heart rate that makes your heart work harder than normal
• Narrow your arteries which reduces the amount of oxygen rich blood circulating to your organs.
• Make your blood thicker and increase chances of clot formation
These changes to your body when you smoke increase the chance of your arteries narrowing and clots forming which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Smoking damages your heart and your blood circulation which increases the risk of conditions. In fact, smoking doubles your risk of having a heart attack and if you smoke you have twice the risk of dying from coronary heart disease than lifetime non-smokers. Smokers have an increased chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers. Smoking can weaken the muscle that controls the lower end of your gullet and allow acid from the stomach to travel in the wrong direction back up your gullet, a process known as reflux.
Remember, there is no safe level of tobacco use. Smoking even just one cigarette per day over a lifetime can cause smoking-related cancers and premature death.
Quitting smoking can lessen your risk of health problems. The earlier you quit, the greater the benefit. Some immediate benefits of quitting include
• Better circulation
• Lower heart rate and blood pressure
• Less coughing and wheezing
• Less carbon monoxide in the blood (carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen)
How does Bupropion Hydrochloride work?
It is known that Bupropion Hydrochloride increases the levels of two neurotransmitters called noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain. These neurotransmitters are known to be involved in modulating behavior and mood. The exact effect of increasing their levels appears by helping reduce your desire to smoke and enhance your ability to not give in to cravings.
You should start to feel better within 2 to 3 days. It may take up to 4 weeks for this drug to work properly so you may still have some symptoms during this time.
How to use Bupropion Hydrochloride?
You should start taking this medication while you are still smoking and set a target stop date for within the first two weeks of treatment preferably in the second week. This is because the medicine needs time to start working.
This can be taken with or without food. They should be swallowed whole with a full glass of water. Do not chew, crush or break them. If you chew, crush or break the tablets this causes all the medicine to be released at once which increases the chance of getting side effects. The usual dose is one tablet once a day for the first six days increasing on day seven to one tablet twice a day.
There should be a gap of at least eight hours between your doses. When you are taking the medicine twice a day it is best to take your first dose when you get up in the morning and your second dose at least eight hours later. Try to avoid taking your second dose at bedtime as difficulty sleeping or insomnia is a very common side effect of the medicine. If you forget to take a dose just leave out the missed dose and take your next dose as usual at your usual time. Don’t take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. If you have not managed to stop smoking by the seventh week of treatment, your doctor will ask you to stop taking the medicine. If you have stopped smoking you can continue treatment for a total of nine weeks and after this you should stop taking thus medication. Your doctor may suggest you stop taking it gradually. Follow carefully the instructions given by your doctor.
What are the side effects of Bupropion Hydrochloride?
Common side effects:
• Dry mouth
• Agitation
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Stomach pain
• Ringing in the ears
• Dizziness
• Vision problems or blurred vision
• Loss of interest in sex
• Sore throat
• Muscle pain
• Itching or skin rash
• Increased sweating or urination
• Tremor
• Changes in appetite
• Weight loss or gain
• Joint aches
• Strange taste in the mouth
• Diarrhea
• Seizure
Call your doctor at once if you have:
• Confusion, unusual changes in mood or behavior
• Blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights
• Fast or irregular heartbeats
• A manic episode (racing thoughts, reckless behavior, feeling extremely happy or irritable, or severe problems with sleep)
Warnings and Precautions
• This drug may reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won’t affect your performance.
• You should minimize how much alcohol you drink or avoid drinking it entirely while you’re taking this drug. This is because some people find they become more sensitive to alcohol while they are taking it.
• Your blood pressure should be monitored while you are taking this medicine because it can sometimes cause blood pressure to increase.
• This is used with extra monitoring in people with kidney or liver problems, who regularly drink large amounts of alcohol, or with diabetes.
• People with a history of fits, tumor in the brain or spinal cord, or severe cirrhosis pf the liver, this medicine is not recommended for use.
• Let your doctor know if you are allergic to this drug or if you have any allergies.
