Stopping smoking in somebody who smokes regularly causes a reduction of some chemicals in the brain. This leads to withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, anxiety, irritability and other symptoms associated with ‘giving up’. Bupropion alters the levels of some of these chemicals and this is possibly how it relieves the withdrawal symptoms.
Bupropion does not ‘make’ you stop smoking. You still need determination to succeed and to break the smoking habit. A combination of bupropion with counselling from a nurse, doctor, pharmacist, or other health professional increases your chance of successfully stopping smoking. Therefore, most doctors will only prescribe bupropion to people who really want to stop smoking as part of a ‘stopping smoking’ programme.
