FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

It is a one-time treatment and plan on being there for 1-1½ hours. You will receive a brief physical exam including an EKG and lung function test. You will learn all about the treatment through the videos presented during the clinic. Your treatment consists of a combination of medications that will make you a non-smoker when you leave the clinic.

A combination of medications (primarily Atropine & Scopolamine) that go directly to the nicotine receptor sites and block them, much like how Novocain works on a tooth.

Nicotine addiction, like any drug addiction, is both physical and psychological. The difficulty in overcoming the addiction is that the physical withdrawal symptoms must first be eliminated before the psychological aspect can be addressed. It is the physical torment of nicotine withdrawal that causes so many people to fail.

Our treatment will remove the physical torment and you will not have a physical need to smoke. Like all medications, your body will break down the initial dose. Therefore, you will be given follow-up medications to maintain effective levels of these drugs for two weeks. After two weeks, you will not experience physical withdrawal symptoms.

You will experience psychological cravings – the treatment will not eliminate emotional urges. This is a habit you have engrained in your lifestyle for many years. The good news is that once the torment of withdrawal is eliminated, you will be much more open to the necessary lifestyle changes you need to make to ensure you become a non-smoker for life. This can be done by reading our step-by-step booklet that shows you how to change your current smoking lifestyle.

The take-home medications you will be given at the clinic are Donnatal and Scopolamine. These are anticholinergic drugs that work to control cravings.

The follow-up meds need only be taken for 2 weeks. After this period all of the nicotine will be out of your system and there is no need for continued treatment.

No, the medications are not addictive and will only be in your system for two weeks.

The meds make most people lightheaded and euphoric for a short time after the initial treatment. For safety reasons the doctor requires that someone drive you home.

Yes, You will be fine the next day but you may feel a little groggy, just the way you do when you take cold medication like Nyquil.

The biggest side effect is that you quit smoking! Yes, there may be side effects. These drugs, although very common, are powerful and is the reason they are only administered by medical professionals. You may experience some light-headedness, dizziness, constipation, dry mouth and altered sense of taste and smell. You will be okay to drive the next day but you may experience some blurriness while focusing near to far. Most people experience either none or very minimal side effects. And keep in mind, a bit of discomfort is well worth the end result – freedom from nicotine addiction.

As the American Lung Association warns, stay away from ANY program that guarantees that you will never smoke again. Like any medical procedure, there is no such thing as 100% guaranteed. However, our program is very effective in removing physical withdrawal symptoms and is administered by licensed medical physicians.

All of those treatment methods do not deal with blocking the nicotine receptor sites. Our treatment blocks the nicotine receptor sites and stops the signal from the brain telling you to smoke another cigarette. Patches and gum keep putting nicotine back into your body and you never kick the nicotine habit, even though you may stop smoking. You probably know people who are now addicted to nicotine gum instead of cigarettes. You will never be free of nicotine with these methods and your body will not revert back to that of a non-smoker. Zyban is an anti-depressant and is not very effective for smoking cessation and does nothing for nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Hypnosis is good later on but also does nothing to help you with withdrawals and cravings.

Our behavioral modification program is a step-by-step booklet that, if followed as described, will guide you through the necessary lifestyle changes to become a non-smoker for life. One example is avoiding places where you normally smoke because your mind will associate that place with the act of smoking. The lifestyle changes become easy when you are not dealing with the irritability associated with nicotine withdrawal.

As with any medical procedure, only people who are deemed to be suitable candidates will be treated. The treatment will not be given to people with the following conditions; cardio arrhythmia, narrow angle glaucoma, recent heart attack, enlarged prostate, bladder dysfunction, pregnancy or uncontrolled high blood pressure. People who are addicted to pain killers or take more than one anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication are not good candidates for this treatment. You will be screened for these items prior to making an appointment. The doctor will only treat patients he deems suitable after reviewing patient history and the EKG test.

This is an elective procedure not covered by insurance. Patients will be responsible for payment at the time of treatment.

Because there is a psychological side of your addiction, your success is a direct result of your commitment over the long term to changing your lifestyle by using the techniques we shall provide. If you should ever start smoking again, we will re-treat you for just the cost of the office visit and medications – $95.

That is separation anxiety. Remember: There will be no more nicotine in the body after 4 days and the physical addiction to nicotine will be gone in a couple of weeks. The anxiety can only be caused by emotional addiction and we urge patients to follow through with the advice on behavioral modification that they received at the clinic.

Do not drink any alcohol while taking the take-home medication. Usually after a few drinks your will power is reduced, so you will have to be careful at first to make sure you can trust yourself. At all costs avoid drinking where other people may be smoking – it’s just too risky until you have completely changed your smoking lifestyle. Many smokers that come back for re-treatment tell us they were drinking alcohol when they relapsed.

NO!! Every time you smoke a cigarette you are reopening the nicotine receptor sites in your body. There is no such thing as 1 cigarette. Just like with alcoholics. This means no tobacco or nicotine products of any kind.

Yes. Nicotine causes the same chemical reaction regardless of how it is introduced into the system. Our treatment works for patients hooked on nicotine patches or gum, chewing tobacco, cigars, etc.

You must be 18 years or older.

Yes, continue to take the Zyban (Wellbutrin) during our treatment. If you are taking Zyban primarily for smoking cessation, plan on weaning yourself off of it once you have completed our treatment. If you stop taking it before the treatment you may experience anxiety, which would unnecessarily make the process more difficult for you.

To be on the safe side we recommend that you wait to receive the treatment until you have weaned your baby.

No. Finish the chemo and after your doctor says you are well enough, you can receive our treatment.