Side effects of quitting smoking vary by method.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

The side effects of Nicotine Replacement that the FDA lists include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Blurred vision
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Insomnia
• Shaky hands
• Rapid, irregular heartbeat or palpitations
• Sore throat
• Dry mouth
• Heartburn
• Mouth, teeth, jaw or throat problems
  
• Skin rash, redness, or swelling around the patch that does not go away

Chantix and Zyban (antidepressant Wellbutrin )

The FDA links Chantix and Zyban with Suicide.

• On July 1, 2009, The FDA required a "Boxed Warning" be put on both Chantix and Zyban due to "the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs."
• "Some people continued to have symptoms after stopping the medication."

Source: FDA Consumer Update July 1, 2009

The FDA also issued this public health advisory:

"People who are taking Chantix or Zyban and experience any serious and unusual changes in mood or behavior or who feel like hurting themselves or someone else should stop taking the medicine and call their health care professional right away.

Friends or family members who notice these changes in behavior in someone who is taking Chantix or Zyban for smoking cessation should tell the person their concerns and recommend that he or she stop taking the drug and call a health care professional right away."

The FDA urges Chantix and Zyban users to be on the lookout for these specific danger signals:

• "Think about dying or killing yourself
• Try to kill yourself
• Feel depressed or your depression gets worse
• Feel anxious or your anxiety gets worse
• Have panic attacks
• Have trouble sleeping (insomnia)
• Feel very agitated or restless
• Feel irritable
• Feel or act aggressive, angry or violent
• Act on dangerous impulses
• Talk or act more than you typically do (mania)
• Have thoughts or sensations that are not typical for you
• See or hear things that are not there (hallucinations)
• Fell like people are against you (paranoia)
• Feel confused
• Notice other changes in your behavior or mood that are not typical for you"

Source: FDA publication Smoking - Medicines to help you

The boxed warning alerts users to be on the lookout for these symptoms:

• Changes in mood (including depression and mania)
• Psychosis
• Confusion
• Hallucinations
• Paranoia
• Delusions
  
• Homicidal ideation
• Hostility
• Agitation
• Aggression
• Anxiety and panic
• Suicidal ideation
• Suicide attempt
• Completed suicide

Both drugs have been linked to traffic accidents. Both have warnings about driving on the medicine.

Source: Drugs@FDA search of Chantix and Zyban labels.

Chantix

• "In November 2007, FDA issued an Early Communication to tell the public and health care providers that the agency was evaluating adverse event reports on Chantix related to changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts, and attempted and completed suicide."
• On February 1 ,2008. the FDA issued new safety warnings and told Pfizer to put the warnigs in a "more prominent position" on the label.
• "As FDA continues its review of the adverse event reports, it appears increasingly likely that there may be an association between Chantix and serious mood and behavior symptoms."

Source: FDA Consumer update February 1, 2008

FDA search on current Chantix warnings

Chantix drug trials

In a quit smoking study using Chantix 36% of the users stopped early because of these side effects:

• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Dyspepsia
• Fatigue

Those continuing in the trial reported these frequent side effects:

• Insomnia
• Sleep disturbance
• Malaise
• Attention dificulties
• Sensory disturbance
• Abdominal pain
  
• Flatulence
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Chest pain
• Back pain
• Muscle cramp
  
• Influenza-like illness
  
• Dry mouth
• Gingivitis
  
• Lethargy
• Somnolence
• Appetite disorders
• Weight gain
  

Chantix users have also reported life-threatening skin reactions such as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Erythema Multiforme.

Source: Drugs@FDA search of Chantix label information

Zyban (Wellbutrin)

Originally marketed as the anti-depressant Wellbutrin

GlaxoSmithKline reported people taking Zyban could experience seizures that could lead to death.

The of seizure rate is 1 in 250 for the immediate-release formulation according to the FDA. In slightly higher doses the "estimated seizure incidence increases almost tenfold."

Insomnia

Of Zyban users 45% reported insomnia in a drug trial.

Additional frequent side effects include:

• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Allergic reaction
• Abnormal dreaming
• Problems Sleeping
• Dizziness
• Blurred Vision
• Dry Mouth
• Neck pain
• Hot flashes
• Hypertension
• Palpitations
  
• Tremor
• Abdominal pain
• Chest pain
  
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Anorexia
• Anxiety

Hypnosis

The side effect commonly found with hypnosis:

• Falling asleep in the session

Hypnosis has a favorable record in handling a number of the adverse side effects listed in other methods.

Hartland's Medical and Dental Hypnosis states: "We contend that there is no property specific to hypnosis that has adverse physical effects." Google Scholar citation

More information on what works, what doesn't, and why

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Important patch research explains the Journal of the American Medical Association article that concluded the patch and NRT was "No longer effective"

The IRS and quitting smoking shows that the IRS does not like weak methods like drugs and NRT at all