What medications are used to treat a nicotine addiction?

There are 2 major classes of medications used to treat nicotine addiction.  Dopamine receptor blockers, and anticraving pills, which seem to decrease the effectiveness of dopamine stimulation and take away cravings.  In addition to those, patches, lozenges, gum that all contain nicotine, are also very helpful.  We often combine the anti-craving pill, bupropion with nicotine patches and support group, or the dopamine receptor antagonist, Chantix, or Varenicline, are often used combined with support groups or a buddy system, plus exercise of 30 minutes of walking a day, plus after a week, weightlifting as well, to help people quit.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications to treat nicotine addiction. These include bupropion (Wellbutrin or Zyban) and varenicline tartrate (Chantix), as well as nicotine replacement products that come in the form of gum, patches, nasal sprays and lozenges.

Other products such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and buspirone (Buspar) are sometimes prescribed to treat nicotine addiction, but they have not been approved for this purpose by the FDA. Studies suggest that with treatment, 25% to 33% of smokers can quit for at least six months. A combination of treatments, and getting counseling or joining a support group can increase your chances of success.