# Zyban for Quitting Smoking/Anxiety



## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

Just wondering if anyone here has been on this at all and what were the side effects of the medication. I am very scared and nervous of trying this...I need to desperately...but terrified. Any thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated...Kat


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## sickofsick (Nov 4, 1999)

I know two people who tried it for quitting smoking. One of them it caused panic attacks and the other extreme anxiety. Both stopped using it. I'm sure there are some that have had success with it but you should know anxiety can be one of the side effects.


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

Wow...that's not good to hear...but I am glad you told me that...i just don't know what to do. I am just so tired of feeling bad all the time and always worried about everything and how it is going to effect me...i wish i weren't such a big baby...cause that's really all I am...well, thanks for your advice...hopefully some more replys will come up soon. Take care...Kat


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## sickofsick (Nov 4, 1999)

some anti-depressants are good for anxiety. I take paxil cr, a very low dose and so far the anxiety is totally gone. It doesn't do anything for smoking though. I know that because I still smoke unfortunately.


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

I just know I need to quit smoking...i've been smoking for around 23 yrs...and it's just time to quit. It does nothing for me anymore...just makes me feel terrible...but the habit is sooooo hard to break...well...i guess i will give the Zyban a try and just see what happens...my luck i will have the worst effects ever...but what's new...and what could be much worse than the ibs i already have...i am just depressed...Kat


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## Arch-Angel (Aug 13, 2004)

Try that Smoke-Away they say it's guerenteed to work. in atleast 7 days. http://www.smokeaway.org/


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## ashleighjordan (Apr 28, 2004)

I went on Zyban in an attempt to quit smoking, and it did the reverse of what it was suppose to do! I had panic attacks all the time, I cried at the drop of a dime... I couldnt sleep, I felt awful all the time...it did nothing but make my life miserable!My doctor told me he could count on one hand the amount of people it DIDN'T work for, and that was quite promising. Unfortunately, it was one of the worst experiences in my life!







Ashleigh


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## ashleighjordan (Apr 28, 2004)

And by the way, I never quit smoking!


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

I use Nicorette gum. It's worked pretty well although I was a light smoker. If you givethe Zyban (wellbutrin) a try and don't like it,then just quit! You might be surprised that you tolerate it. I did OK on it but i didn't use it to stop smoking (wasn't smoking at the time). I think I went off of it because is had some sexual side effects.


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

Well, thanks for all your replys...i still don't know what I am going to do...as for sexual side effects...that really makes me laugh...b/c I already could care less about sex right now














my husband are going through some very hard times right now deciding whether to stay together or not...so that actually made me chuckle...thanks...anyway...I am truly scared to take this stuff now...Tiss...did the gum not do worse on the IBS??? Ashleigh...how long did you manage to take Zyban before having to give it up? Those are some sad stories I read...makes me nervous...I guess i will maybe give it a try...when, I don't know. My best friend used it years ago to quit smoking and the only side effect for her was extreme shakiness...but still makes me nervous...Thanks...Kat


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## KmarieR (Jul 15, 2004)

KittyKat,I took Wellbutrin XL for about a month. It did help me cut back on my smoking and I didnt have any weird side effects. Everyone's bodies are different, so you never know how it will effect you..just something to think about.Karen


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

Maybe you could try the nicotine patch. I think that works pretty well. I am IBS-C so the Nicorette helps with that. don't know what it would do for a person with IBS-D. I am trying to cut down on the nicorette now! As far as the sexual side effect of wellbutrin, I took it while I was single and in my 30s. I am 48 now and post menopause and remarried for 6 1/2 years. I know whatcha mean about not giving a hoot about sex!


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

I actually have the patches at home also...never put one on yet...maybe at some point I will just break bad and try the Zyban...who knows...no sex is no problem for me right now





















Tiss: I feel your vibe...I am just needing to quit because I feel like I am going to be getting asthma..my mom, sister, nephew all have asthma real bad. It's a bad feeling. KRmarie...why did you quit taking the Zyban??? Just curious. Also...Tiss...I doubt the gum would work for me being I have IBS D...I think that would make matters worse. I wish I had all the answers...thanks for all the suggestions though. Hope that you all continue to do well with your IBS. Kat


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## Sara Mudie (Apr 16, 2004)

Go to your book store or library and buy or borrow Allen Carr's Easyway to stop smoking.I am not kidding. I bought this and left it on the shelf for two years because it came so highly recommended that it would make me stop I was scared to pick it up and open the first page. I didn't want to lose my 'friend' and support in times of trouble and was a 'comfort' smoker. I would reward my self with a cigarette so this was very hard to break away from.When I did eventually read it, it worked wonders. There is no pressure and one of the first things it says is to keep smoking while you read the book (I read veeeery slowly). By the end, I stopped. Just like that. No patches, no gum. Will power did come into it but I was desperate to try anything to help stop the IBS-D and I know nicotine is a stimulant to bowel movements (don't need anything to help on that front).Now, 16 months later, I'm still off the cigs. I'm sure it's helped a little with the IBS but it's not a cure. It has stopped the chest pains tho and you will feel a huge boost to your self confidence to stop being a slave to the weed.I know it may sound unbelievable but I have word of mouth confirmation from friends and colleagues who have all stopped after reading this book. Some have lapsed but hey, nothing's guaranteed and, if it helps a little.... You have to be ready to stop. Good luck.


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## ashleighjordan (Apr 28, 2004)

I was on Zyban for almost 4 weeks and I couldn't take it anymore. I stayed on for 2 weeks in hopes that the side effects wouldn't stay SO bad...and then an extra week to see if I would in fact stop smoking. It just didn't work for me at all. I tried the patch last year - my whole family was told by my mother that we had to quit (nice, eh?) I wasn't ready so the will power wasn't there. It DID work, though. I didn't want to smoke - having the patch on everyday makes you feel like you've just had a cigarette which is GREAT. The hardest part is being social, drinking and what not. If you can get through those situations then you'll be fine. Good luck with everything!







Ashleigh


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

Thanks girls...for all that good info on books and such to get...i still am stuck on smoking...and to be honest i don't know if i'll ever want to quit bad enough to do anything about it. I know i need to...really bad...but there is something inside me that won't let me...i have a very strong mind...but not strong enough to know what's best for me. Hopefully in the future sometime things will be different for me and I will just do it. Kat


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## pb4 (Jan 15, 2004)

Hi there







I'm from the inflammatory/bowel disease forum but have had problems with anxiety due to my crohns disease and I've also been on "zyban"My husband and I went on zyban 2 yrs ago to quit smoking, we picked the same quit date, (key might be to pick a day within the first 7 days of going on it rather then the last 7 of being on it, since it gives you 2 weeks to pick a date) Anyhow, we had great success on it, I had increased sexual appetite (big whoopie, when you have crohns) and he had a slight ringing in his ears (what eles is new, it's probably why he doesn't hear half the stuff I'm telling him, LOL) The ringing in his ears stopped once he was done taking the zyban. Our doc told us to stay on it for 3 months (heavy smokers) but after 1 1/2 months hubby felt good enough to stop taking the zyban, I gave it the full 3 months just because I paid for them so mine as well use them all.Thankfully my "appetite" stopped after I stopped taking them. I have to say we were very sucessful, never had a craving or desire to smoke, I even felt like I had never been a smoker. I did not experiance any anxiety while taking them, hubby neither. Although, like I mentioned I have crohns, and my disease was starting to play head games with me, bringing on anxiety well after being finished taking zyban, I don't think the connection between my anxiety had to do with the zyban, it was definitely my crohns. This of course led into depression, even though I started working out to make up for not smoking anymore, instead of toning (since I was already lean) I bulked up, my appetite increased likely from quitting smoking. So basically I became overweight, going from 115lbs to 157lbs in a little over 1 and a half yrs. I never wanted to quit smoking in the first place, being basically housebound because of crohns, smoking was my only release. Working out just got me fat and added to the depression that I slid into from the anxiety of leaving the house for the fear of not making it to a toilet in time.Anyways, I just started smoking again, the first smoke almost killed me, but after a couple of days I tried it again and it was better. Now I only smoke 3 smokes/day, and only in the evening after supper (that's usually when I have an increase in appetite, doesn't help the crohns any to have that) I have a smoke basically instead of eating all through the evening. I'm down to 139lbs thank goodness and my goal weight is around 129lbs I'm 5'5". I still work out but I do more cardio then weights. I think quitting smoking screwed up my metabolism, it sure didn't do my hubby any good (he still doesn't smoke) but ever since he quit, now he has high blood preasure, fatty liver, high cholesterol, he also gained about 20 or so lbs, the list goes on. Bottom line for us, we did great on zyban, it helped us quit, I chose to force myself to smoke again because I couldn't handle being that heavy. My weight is steadily comming back down. I still have anxiety, but that may stay with me for as long as my disease keeps acting up.Just wanted to share my experiance with the whole, anxiety, quitting smoking, and zyban.Take good care


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## kate072666 (Oct 1, 2002)

Well, my goodness...what a story...i am happy the zyban worked for both of you...however...the weight gain is not encouraging...i know that will happen no matter how you quit smoking...that is one of my selfish reasons for not wanting to quit. I have lost 10 lbs recently due to stress...so I am 5'2" and 135. So, that's good for me...and i really don't want to gain any back...so quitting smoking concerns me for that reason. anyway good luck to you and your husband...hopefully everything will work out and keep up the good work with the cigs...Kat


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## pb4 (Jan 15, 2004)

LOL, sorry it was such a long post, I had alot to share







I have to agree that most peeps probably do gain weight from quitting smoking. I was stupid though, I was increasing things like chocolate bars, cakes and all kinds of baked goods. It didn't help that I love to bake







I think as long as a person is being very careful what they eat and how much they eat after quitting can make a huge difference. 13 yrs ago my MIL quit smoking at first she put on about 20lbs, but she lost it all after the first yr and has kept it off the whole time. Your height and weight sounds good, maybe if you just cut back on smokes instead of quitting all together. I know it sounds bad to give that kind of advice, but the things I've been through...realisticly one thing or another is gonna kill us eventually, and a smoker doesn't always die as a result of smoking.Noticing you're a long time sufferer of IBS-D, I would hate to see you quit smoking and develop UC or crohns which can very easily happen, heck, it happens to completely healthy peeps, let alone someone who's already suffering with bwoel irregularities. Just a thought. That's why my suggestion is cut way back, I myself enjoy those 3 smokes and evening that I have, it's been close to 2 months and I have no intentions of increasing the amount. Besides I live in canada and we barely had fall and now our weather is mimicking winter already. I smoke outside now so that explains that







It's Brrrrrrr...cold! Take care and good luck with whatever decision you make


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