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Other Medicines
When you are taking Zyban, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
- Tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline [e.g., Elavil
], amoxapine [e.g., Asendin], clomipramine [e.g., Anafranil], desipramine [e.g., Pertofrane], doxepin [e.g., Sinequan], imipramine [e.g., Tofranil], nortriptyline [e.g., Aventyl], protriptyline [e.g.,
Vivactil], trimipramine [e.g., Surmontil]) or
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- Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor activity (isocarboxazid [e.g., Marplan], phenelzine [e.g., Nardil], procarbazine [e.g., Matulane], selegi
line [e.g., Eldepryl], tranylcypromine [e.g., Parnate])¡X Do not take Zyban while you are taking or within 14 days of taking an MAO inhibitor
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Description
Zyban is a nicotine-free quit-smoking aid. Instead of nicotine, it contains the same active ingredient as the antidepressant medication Wellbutrin. It works by boosting the levels of several chemical
messengers in the brain. With more of these chemicals at work, you experience a reduction in nicotine withdrawal symptoms and a weakening of the urge to smoke. More than a third of the people who take
Zyban while participating in a support program are able to quit smoking for at least 1 month. Zyban can also prove helpful when people with conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema decide
it's time to quit.
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Before Using This Medicine
Children¡XThis medicine has been tested in a very small number of patients 6 to 16 years of age and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults. M
re testing is needed to decide whether Zyban is safe and effective for use in children.
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Proper Use of This Medicine
Zyban comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken one to three times a day and may be taken with or without food. Do not crush, chew, or divide Wellbutrin SR or Zyban tablets. Follow the d
irections on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take Zyban exactly as directed.
Continue to take Zyban even if you
feel well. Do not stop taking Zyban without talking to your doctor, especially if you have taken large doses for a long time. Your doctor probably will want to decrease your dose gradually. This drug
must be taken regularly for a few weeks before its full effect is felt.
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What special precautions should I follow?
Drinking of alcoholic beverages should be limited or avoided, if possible, while taking Zyban. This will help prevent seizures.
This medicine may cause some people to feel a false sense of we
ll-being, or to become drowsy, dizzy, or less alert than they are normally. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerou
s if you are dizzy or are not alert and clearheaded.
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Symptoms of overdose
Fast heartbeat; hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there); loss of consciousness ; nausea; seizures (convulsions) ; vomiting
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