Drug for quitting smoking - big no for pilots?
 

Ok, so i want to quit smoking now. It has been enough.

There's this drug called bupropion which has helped lots people to quit smoking. But it's a psychotropic, so i guess it will show on the medical exam, and since it's a treatment, i reckon u would have to take it on a daily basis, leaving you unfit to fly.

There is this other new medication. It's called Champix. Apparently it's completely different than the other one. Has better results, and does not induce the secondary effects that the other one does.

Anyone has any information on whether we can use those prescription medications? Would they interfere with the medical standards we have to comply with?.

If we can, i think all the smokers here should give it a try!

Thanks.

Mate,

get hold of Allan Carr's "The Easy Way To Stop Smoking", read it a couple of times and you will never look back. I was a 25 a day man for 18 years and thought no way I could ever stop.... have been off them for 2 years now.

Can't answer your specific question, I guess the CAA may take each case on it's merits or maybe a complete ban??

Here's a list of possible adverse effects.....

(from the e-BNF)

I would have thought the possibility of the drug exascebating underlying depression would make it a no-no.

In my experience the key issue in smoking cessation, is acting whilst the patient is keen. The agent used to manage cravings, is of less importance.

Wow, those are big words on the adverse effects list. Is't the secondary effects list kind of a legal disclaimer? Even aspirin has its own risks.

Yeah, but i agree with you. Suicidal tendencies are not something i could use right now.

Why take a drug? All you really need is willpower.

Seriously, been there and done it. Not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

The adverse effects list can be unreliable, and sometimes, not that scientific.

Whilst not wanting to deny someone the chance to quit, you guy's are in quite a special position. I'm not sure a prescriber would wish to take the chance with such a new drug. The risk/benefit calculation would be different for a pilot than say, a florist.

Willpower is important. In terms of success rates, about 5% of patients will succeed long term with willpower alone. This can be increased to 15-2o% with an agent.

I have heard some very good reports about Champix but larger longer term studies into eficacy and safety are needed, and should follow.

Sure, lets give the the drug a chance to prove it's safety. I might trust myself on this one, and i'm not even going to ask a doctor for now. There are some doctors who take bigger risks than others... so ill just keep out, and try cold turkey one more time. Oh god, not again!

Why did i wanna be cool in highschool!!!!

aeromar,

Best of luck with your new attempt! :ok:

I'm doing exactly the same at the moment (smoke-free for a week right now :ooh:)

First of all, I was absolutely ready to quit the fags. Instead of doing it for myself, I resolved I would quit for my (non-smoking) boyfriend. I found this is giving me a greater incentive!
For the cravings, a good ol' fashioned patch. When things get really desperate and I have to do something else, I either nibble biltong or sip water.

Whichever way you choose, I agree that what you really have to have is willpower.

Foxy

Its funny, but the patches i tried once used to hurt a lot. I couldn't stand them for the time they were meant to be worn.

I never read the Allan Carr book, but it sounds about right. I kicked my 60-80 a day habit 16 years ago going 'cold turkey'. It was very difficult for the first week, but each week thereafter got progressively easier. My friend and colleague who stopped a few weeks later using 'gum' now uses 2 packs of Nicorette a day. I hope he doesn't contract cancer of the throat or mouth like so many of those Scandinavian nicotine 'teabag' munchers. Why use a product of the tobacco industry to try to stop smoking?
My personal feeling is that using one drug to kick another is a big mistake. I speak as an alcoholic who kicked alcohol 16 years ago too without drugs or special treatment.

rts

Ok, nicotine patches or gums are not drugs. They are used to provide the nicotine to your system while you dissociate the fact of lighting up during your special activities.

Here is an example. When I'm on the airplane, i don't think of smoking. 12 hours pass by with no need to smoke at all. On the other side, when i try to read or study, i need a cigarette and a coffee. The reason for that being the fact that during college i got used to studying that way.

What I'm trying to explain here is the following:
There are 2 simultaneous addictions that we suffer

-Psychological addiction: It kicks in whenever u start to do something u have associated with smoking. Computer, reading, seeing someone light one up, cofee, beer.... That one usually kicks in stronger and sooner than the actual drug addiction, in a way that you might find yourself lighting up a fag, even when your blood nicotine levels are "confortable".

-Chemical addiction: If you manage to overcome the psych addiction, a couple days later, your body will show the symptoms of the detox. Thats the only serious part of quitting smoking. It actually can hurt, deprive you from sleeping or carrying a normal life (for some weeks). Now, knowing that lighting one up is the solution for that, is the mental trap that has been set for us (we have set for ourselves).

-So, what are patches and other nicotine supplements for? They are a way to maintain the comfortable levels of nicotine, while you figure out how to get rid of the habit. The treatment should not last longer than a month or two, and once u are comfortable doing your routinely things smoke-free, then, following the treatment, you lower the dose progressively, in order to make a smooth detox. More than stopping smoking, is a kind of... un-starting to smoke.



The drugs i mentioned above, are a completely different thing. Smokers have "educated" neuro-receptors to trigger realistic pleasure feelings by associating them with nicotine. We are animals after all. So these drugs are actual psychotropic agents which can block those feelings. Even if you smoke while on those drugs, they are supposed to take the pleasure off of the fact of smoking, making you realize that smoking is just breathing the residue of a stinky combustion.

So, secondary effects are almost obvious. As well as some drugs provide euphoria (most of them are illegal), this drug provides numbness to certain triggers. Therefor making it a prescription drug. I have read that the success rate of these drugs is actually very high, but knowing that it would affect my judgment, and capacity of thinking, i reckon they are a big no for pilots. At least for now.

-Chemical addiction: If you manage to overcome the psych addiction, a couple days later, your body will show the symptoms of the detox. Thats the only serious part of quitting smoking. It actually can hurt, deprive you from sleeping or carrying a normal life

Sorry but this is the one big fallacy that stops most smokers from even trying to stop.

The half life of nicotine is about two hours, and significant amounts of nicotine only remain in the blood for six to eight hours. after a week it's gone.

If you go for a twelve hour flight without smoking you have lived through the worst physical symptoms, everything else is psychological.

The physical withdrawal symptoms are rather like being hungry (one of the reasons people put on weight when the stop, they misinterpret the symptoms for hunger) and a bit restless, they don't hurt and after a week they are gone.

I was positive i could never stop smoking, I had tried on countless occasions, with patches, gum etc etc. I think what the one thing that the Allan Carrs book did was make me understand the process my body and mind was going through. made it so easy to stop.

Good luck with stopping.

D-G

P.S the gums and patches ARE drugs, they contain that very addictive drug called nicotine:)

Champix
 

Hi I've been on Champix for the last month you are supposed to quit between 12 - 14day's but I carried on taking them and I've quit now for only 7 day's but I've never been that long without a ciggie before so finger's crossed it will stay that way... good luck..

Stopping Smoking!
 

Why not try Hypnosis??
Completely pain free and without any complications or side effects.
Cravings are cut to a minimum and it has a huge success rate.

Good Luck
HJ

allright, I started Champix in November last year, stopped smoking after 12 days, it worked as prescribed, off the pills in Feb this year, and still smoke free. Been flying a 100 hrs a month and no side effects. Cross my fingers for the future.:ok:

It'll work for some, but not much evidence of effectiveness I'm afraid.

I tried all manner of methods for years and found them all to be flawed, particularly the gum (definitely not a good idea IMHO). I finally managed to quit using the inhalator.

The trick with the inhalator is to use the muscles in your cheek, chipmunk-style, to 'suck' the nicotine particles out, without actually inhaling anything. If you become adept at this technique, I found the inhalator worked very well indeed.

Over a period of months, I went from 10 inhalers a day to 5, to 1, to 1 emergency inhaler in the car and office...and then once you're down to a miniscule amount, it's pretty easy to go the last step as the inhaler is really now a placebo / psychological aid.

Personally, the only way I could do it was to use very gradual withdrawal.

Best of luck!

My brother (pilot) tried that drug to help him give up. He stopped after a week because it was making him "think and feel weird". He gave them to me to try, but I think and feel weird anyway so didn't want to push it!

Octane

Helping peopkle quit is pretty satisfying- still have the odd person who says, "you got me off'em 10 years ago.

In actual fact, I, and the drugs I used, probably did very little, I suspect there is a degree of choice involved for people wanting to quit.

Having said that, nicotine is a very enjoyable, addictive drug.

Someone left a packet of L&B in me car the other day, they felt, smelt and looked gorgeous. Glad me' cigarette lighter didn't work.

Hypnosis for Smoking!
 

Hypnosis doesnt work for everyone however it is good for around 85% of the population.
Gives excelllent results with more than a few addictions but for Smoking it is one of the best.
Reduces cravings and helps to change your mental attitude and unconscious minds contribution to the situation.
Remember that you can not do anything consiously without the unconscious mind's approval.
A combination of Hypnosis,NLP, unconsious minds education and goal directive therapy is the best combination. Produces an extremely high percentage of success.
A session normally last around three hours, so as you can see it's not an instant fix but a very controlled and deliberate session that is designed around the individual's needs and situation.

Cheers
HJ

Chantix banned by the FAA for pilots and ATC
 

FYI - the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using the prescription anti-smoking drug CHANTIX® (varenicline), manufactured by Pfizer, after new information became available about possible side effects that could impact aviation safety. The action was taken after a medical safety group, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, released the results of a study that "found evidence for the occurrence of seizures, loss of consciousness, heart attacks, vision problems, and various psychiatric instabilities in individuals who use the drug."

FAA News Release about the Chantix ban.

The report that prompted the ban:

Strong Safety Signal Seen for New Varenicline Risks

Nicotine replacement (patch, gum, lozenges) are still allowed, of course.

Shame really, NICE did an appraisal of this drug recently, and it does seem to work well.
Having said that, there are other options.

CAA following suit . . . . . . .
 

All AME's have this morning received an e-mail from the Medical Dept of the CAA saying exactly the same. Any pilots or ATCO's taking this medication are temporarily grounded. May operate normally from 72 hours after the last dose taken.

CAA point out that ZYBAN is also not permitted, due to its side effect profile. However, nicotine replacements ( gum, patches, inhalers) ARE permitted in pilots and ATCO's.

As has been said many times. Just read Alan Carr's Easyway.

Tried to quit loads of times to no avail.

Then went from 40 per day to nil. No problems, and I can quite happily stand around while others smoke, without the slightest desire to join in!

It's a cheap book and there's nothing at all to lose.
:D

LJ

Whatever works...

I had a 40+ a day habit in 1996 and given a goal I wanted to achieve that was incompatible with smoking it forced me to take drastic (!) action.

Cold Turkey worked for me, it was not nice, not nice at all. In the end the intended goal plus the mind game of "loss" of time, in other words having a cigarette after 24H meant a waste of 24h, this became 48H.... to days..... to weeks...to months.... fortunately now years.

It came down to will power and that was very useful given I did not have to wonder about medication and the effect on my medical.

P.S. After a while it was brilliant not to be twitching at a social event wondering where the smoking corner/location was. :ok:

Smoking
 

Hello.
I'm new here and have a Class One exam at Gatwick this week.
Regrettably i have been smoking cigarettes for almost ten years and while i obviously feel fit, i am mainly concerned with the lung function testing.
During the past month I have reduced the amount I smoke from 20 to 10. Now I'm on 7-10 cigarettes a day with my exam in a few days.

I would love to go cold turkey until then but while i am keen for my body to dispel as much nicotine as possible, i am concerned about the side effects.
I don't want my anxiexty and pressure to increase further on the day and also i'm worried about coughing up (which is a common side effect of quitting).

Any reassurance or advice is most welcome.
Thank You.

QUIT! Tell him you just quit. Then do it.

Stupid bloody habit.

I don't know your age, but if you started in mid teens, the latest stats show that you are 300% more likely to die of cancer than someone that starts in their twenties. This came from good research by the way.


It's vital to beat the habit. I won't describe on this forum watching my neighbor kill himself. It was horrible, they cremated him the other day.

30 years of my mother's life was totally wrecked by smoking. It didn't kill her, but for years she wished it had. O2 bottles, nebulizers, hanging on to furniture to get across the room...it became just a way of life.

Do what 5LY says, stop, but tell them. They know that the cleaning out mechanisms will be working hard - for the first time in ages, and accept the resultant produce.

The honest answer is, if you're tender in age, and you havn't got any pre-existing disease, then passing a medical shouldn't be an issue. Fags or no fags.

You run a slight risk of dying of an'orribloe cancer in about twenty or thirty years, more of a risk of dying younger or being disabled by a stroke in mid life, or at best, living as long as Uncle Albert.

Thanks all for the response.
I know i should have quit ages ago and i know i will do.

I'm 27 now but started regularly smoking probably at 21 with the amount increasing through uni.
I've never had any experience of medicals and have only recently decided to pursue the actual career.
However, since then I've been reading off-putting stories where you're made to blow into tubes etc.. and some guy almost passing out in order for them to get a sufficient reading. Another guy having to run around a car park to get his breathing up to scratch :eek:

How difficult really is the lung assessment?

I can sort of understand your worries. I myself have asthma, and I was made to run round the car park :). I don`t think that the actual test is that difficult to be honest. I think for your age, they will have a set level which you have to reach. However like Gingernut said, providing you don`t have an existing lung disease, you`ll be fine. Ohh and another point about running around the car park, my lung function got better after the run !!

Keep us posted on how your medical goes, I am sure you will be fine. They are all very helpful down there !!

Kiev23

<<I know i should have quit ages ago and i know i will do.>>

If I have heard that once I must have heard it fifty thousand times from young people I worked with........ but it never happens and they're still coughing their lungs out whenever I see them. And you can smell them a mile off..

For God's sake DO something - NOW, not tomorrow or the next day.

Both my father and mother-in-law died as a result of smoking as a result of which my sons (now 37 and 40) would never even consider the habit. They didn't even allow their smoking-friends inside our house when they were young.

Quit Smoking
 

If you have an Iphone you can purchase this application "Quite Smoking Now with Max Kirsten" for about £5.00.

It worked for me - but you do need to really want to give up - it cant be a token gesture.

Good luck

Thanks once again to all for the advice and reassurance.

Yes "quitting" has been heard many a time but i remain adamant.
I can assure you it is harder to give up than it sounds. Not only is there the physical side to the addiction but such a habit gets firmly lodged in your mentality day to day.

I've gone from 20+ per day to around 5 and believe me that was difficult!
Admittedly not for a non-smoker or someone who has personally known unfortunate experience of ill-health around them.

Its also disheartening as all your weaknesses and self-esteem issues show up when trying to quit :{

I will attend the medical, and whatever the outcome should give me that final edge to kick the habit completely.

Regards and thanks again.

Quitting is a mind set. You have to decide that you're going to and then never consider having another one. If you torture yourself with it and think about it it's only a matter of time. You have to think of yourself as a non-smoker and then live it.

I quit and restarted several times before realizing that I could quit, I just couldn't stay quit. Once I figured that out it was just a mental adjustment to decide never to repeat the cycle. Save yourself some agony, pick a date, psyche yourself up, make yourself sick of them and then do it.

Everyone has their thoughts and beliefs about the best and easiest way to conquer smoking. I used to smoke - in fact I was really good at it. REALLY good at it! However I knew deep down that I didn't want to do it and was introduced to the book 'Alan Carr's EasyWay to give up smoking' it definately worked for me as well as my wife - but you HAVE TO WANT TO GIVE UP! I don't know what it is about this book that makes it work but it does. It even says that you should smoke while reading it! Google the title and you are bound to find used ones for sale. Ironically though, I believe Alan Carr died of lung cancer. I have now been smoke free for a number of years and have done a complete about face and am running marathons! From one addiction to another! Good luck!

Have to agree that it is very much a mental attitude. I have again stopped smoking! Have done several times before; gave it up for 10 years once. Problem is that it is sooo good.... that cigarette after a meal; relaxing in the evening, or even having one while being completely lost on one of those first cross countries (seemed to cool the nerves and settle things down a bit). Severly frowned upon now of course. It is very, very difficult to forget the pleasure. Cutting down doesn't work. I was down to less than 5 sometimes 2 a day. Problem was I kept looking at my watch looking forward to the next one.
What really pushed me over the top was the British Heart Foundation "Fatty Cigarettes" advert; absolutely disgusting and nauseating, highly recommended. Just think of one of the advert scenes when the desire creeps up and it completely (for me) dispels any craving. Oh the pleasure thoughts come back now and then (they will never ever completely disappear, but that's life, and not just cigarettes); however, they do fade slowly away.
Best of luck!

Second that about Alan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

Just get the book and read it.

You'll be amazed.

I've read half and when I'm ready I'll read the rest and KNOW I'll never need/want to smoke again. Of course, the 'need' part is a complete myth but if you buy the book you'll very soon find that out for yourself...

It's an emotional and pleasurable experience to read it, literally almost spiritual I found, if you read it correctly and with an open mind.

Cannot recommend it strongly enough.

Hi all.
So had the class one medical today it it all went fine.
Unbelievably despite my lack of excercise and the dirrty habit, i passed the lung function with relative ease.

In fact I was told that my heamoglobin level was borderline and my cholesterol slightly high. There is a big chance that this is what the smoking could've contributed to.

so i guess the next step is to grab that Alan Carr book then pick a flying school.

Yeah i think i am ready to give up the tabs for good. i'm sure i want to.

ps- i totally fell for the young lady doctor with the nightingale effect. she was great.

Thanks to all you guys.
TO THE NEXT STEP....