💊 Quitting with prescription pills
It's not just patches and gum. How varenicline — a nicotine-free pill — works, and how it's used.
Quit-smoking treatment isn't limited to patches and gum — there's also the option of a **pill**.
The leading pill, "varenicline"
The leading pill used at stop-smoking clinics in Japan is **varenicline**, known by the brand name Champix. In the PMDA's prescription-drug information as well, the generic name of Champix tablets is listed as varenicline tartrate.
Varenicline is a **nicotine-free** type of stop-smoking aid. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) e-healthnet explains that varenicline acts on the nicotine receptors in the brain, and not only eases withdrawal symptoms but also dampens the satisfaction of smoking.