Side effects of nipping smoking habit in the butt
Q: I am a nurse who has smoked for 17 years. I used to enjoy it. As a single mom, smoking sometimes felt like my only friend.
Now I hate it. I get embarrassed lighting up in public, and I hate to think of the amount of money I have spent not only on cigarettes but also on body sprays, air fresheners, teeth whiteners, etc.
I tried Chantix when it first came out, and it was horrible. I had nightmares and suicidal thoughts, and I didn’t care about anything. I thought smoking was better than these side effects.
This time around I started Wellbutrin, which is equivalent to Zyban. It has been so much better. My mood has been on an even keel. It’s been a week, and I am down to four a day.
A: We congratulate you on trying to quit smoking. It is one of the most important things you can do for your health.
Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban) is prescribed to help people stop smoking. It may take two to three months of treatment to overcome the habit. Bupropion also is prescribed for depression, which might explain your stable mood.
Q: I have used several of your recommendations for leg cramps, and they only worked for about half of the night.
I mentioned it to my doctor, and he checked my bloodwork. My magnesium was low. I started taking a supplement and have not had leg cramps since. I would suggest letting people know to have their magnesium checked. A: Others should follow your good example and ask their doctors to monitor their magnesium levels. As many as half of Americans don’t get the recommended daily allowance of magnesium in their diets. Moreover, many medications can deplete the body of this essential mineral.
People who are low in magnesium may have high blood pressure and a higher risk of heart disease. They also may be more susceptible to migraine headaches and to menstrual cramps, as well as muscle cramps. People with impaired kidney function should not take magnesium supplements.
Q: One of my massage clients had terrible pain and sensitivity in his feet after playing a lot of volleyball. His doctor prescribed Neurontin for neuropathy. After he took hundreds of Neurontin pills without results, I suggested alphalipoic acid and a chiropractor to check the alignment of bones in his feet. His physician said that ALA was a good idea, and he takes 300 mg daily himself.
My client was outraged that the doctor had never recommended ALA for him. He was to take 200 mg per day to start. In addition to the chiropractic treatments,
this led to improvement. When I remember that giant bottle of Neurontin, I just cringe.
A: Neuropathy (nerve pain) is notoriously difficult to treat. Physicians frequently prescribe gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica) for this condition, with mixed results.
Alpha-lipoic acid has been studied and found beneficial for alleviating diabetic neuropathy (European Journal of Endocrinology, October 2012; Current Medical Research and Opinion, Aug. 17, 2018). A review of medical research found that nutraceuticals including vitamin B complex, alphalipoic acid, L-acetylcarnitine, vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10 may alleviate the pain of neuropathy (Current Drug Metabolism, 2018). The supplements should be taken half an hour before meals to ensure good absorption.