If you're a smoker trying to build up your resolve to quit, you may have been researching your options for help. And they are many. Nicotine patches, gums, sprays, lozenges, and nasal sprays will all supply you with the nicotine to ease your cravings without the toxins which accompany cigarettes.

Acupuncture, laser therapy, and hypnosis all have their proponents as nicotine-free stop smoking aids. And if you prefer help from a scientifically supported source there are two varieties of FDA-approved stop smoking pill.

Your Stop Smoking Pill Options The FDA-approves stop smoking pill which has been in use longer is Zyban, or buproprion. Buproprion was originally developed by GlaxoKline as the antidepressant Wellbutrin. Buproprion works to maintain the brain's dopamine levels; nicotine is known to increase the brain's dopamine production. Dopamine is the "reward" nerurotransmitter; the brain releases it in response to a pleasurable experience.

Many people taking Wellbutrin for depression began to report an decrease in their desire to smoke, so Glaxo Kline investigated buproprion further and got it FDA-approved as a stop smoking pill.

If you intend to quit smoking with the help of the stop smoking pill Zyban, you will need to begin taking it between one and two weeks before your quit date. There is a very specific protocol for taking the Zyban stop smoking pill, so you need to follow the instructions carefully. And you'll continue to take it for six weeks.

Chantix The second stop smoking pill, varenicline, or Chantix, received FDA approval in May of 2006 after being short-listed and having its FDA testing period significantly reduced. Chantix, which is taken twice daily for twelve weeks, attaches to the brain's nicotine receptors and stimulates them to tell the brain to release dopamine. Thanks to the dopamine, the smoker feels the same pleasurable effect that he or she gets from lighting up, and because the nicotine receptors are blocked, the smoker will not experience an increased output of dopamine when exposed to second-hand smoke.

If you are considering Chantix as a stop smoking pill, you'll need to start taking it a week before your quit date, and continue it for twelve weeks. Some smokers have taken Chantix for two full twelve week course to improve their chances of remaining smoke-free permanently.

Side Effects Each stop smoking pill may produce side effects; Zyban may cause insomnia, headaches, dry mouth, and restlessness. Chantix, on the other hand, can produce nausea and vomiting, constipation, and changes in dreaming; less frequently it has led to chest and back pain, excessive urination, anxiety, and depression.

And most addiction experts caution that not matter how successfully a stop smoking pill, or any other smoking cessation aid, helps you overcome the physical withdrawal of quitting, you need behavioral modification therapy as well. Without it, you'll never confront and eliminate the psychological reasons which drive you to smoke, and sooner or later, will find yourself lighting up once again.