Health Tips

Popularly known as the mini pill and the pill, medications belonging to this class are hormonal contraceptive pills. Irrespective of their compositional differences, both of these medications have made it simpler and more flexible for modern women to avail the benefits of easy contraception, compared to the earlier times. However, before you select the correct type of contraceptive medication you need to know the differences between these two so that selecting the right medication, considering your requirement and physical capacity, becomes easy.

Medications belonging to the pill category are combined oral contraceptive pills, containing two artificial female sex hormones – oestrogen and progestogen – at the right proportion. On the other hand, medications referred to as the mini pill contain only synthetic progestogen and most effective prescribed to those women, for birth controlling, who are sensitive to oestrogen. However, the pill and the mini pill both function almost in the same manner to provide a user effective protection against the risk of unwanted pregnancy.

Among all the well-known mini-pills in the UK and Ireland the most popular is Cerazette. Women over 35 years of age, with chronic smoking habit and sensitivity to oestrogen hormone find this pill most suitable for their requirement. Unlike the combined contraceptive pills, Cerazette doesn’t stop ovulation from occurring but it makes vaginal fluid thicker so that sperm find difficult to travel and fertilize the egg. It also changes womb lining and makes it difficult for an egg to attach itself with the womb wall and grow. However, you are required to take Cerazette throughout the month without any gap or pill free period.

Research has shown that these five steps will help you to quit for good:

• Pick a date to stop smoking. Before that day, get rid of all cigarettes, ashtrays, and lighters everywhere you smoke. Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home. Write down why you want to quit and keep this list as a reminder.
• Get support from your family, friends, and coworkers. Studies have shown you will be more likely to quit if you have help. Let the people important to you know the date you will be quitting and ask them for their support. Ask them not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out.
• Find substitutes for smoking and vary your routine. When you get the urge to smoke, do something to take your mind off smoking. Talk to a friend, go for a walk, or go to the movies. Reduce stress with exercise, meditation, hot baths, or reading. Try sugar-free gum or candy to help handle your cravings. Drink lots of water and juices. You might want to try changing your daily routine as well. Try drinking tea instead of coffee, eating your breakfast in a different place, or taking a different route to work.
• Talk to your doctor or nurse about medicines to help you quit. Some people have withdrawal symptoms when they quit smoking. These symptoms can include depression, trouble sleeping, feeling irritable or restless, and trouble thinking clearly. There are medicines to help relieve these symptoms. Most medicines help you quit smoking by giving you small, steady doses of nicotine, the drug in cigarettes that causes addiction. Talk to your doctor or nurse to see if one of these medicines may be right for you:
  • nicotine patch: worn on the skin and supplies a steady amount of nicotine to the body through the skin
  • nicotine gum or lozenge: releases nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining in your mouth
  • nicotine nasal spray: inhaled through your nose and passes into your bloodstream
  • nicotine inhaler: inhaled through the mouth and absorbed in the mouth and throat
  • bupropion: an antidepressant medicine that reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke
  • varenicline (Chantix™): a medicine that reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the pleasurable effects of smoking
• Be prepared for relapse. Most people relapse, or start smoking again, within the first three months after quitting. Don’t get discouraged if you relapse. Remember, many people try to quit several times before quitting for good. Think of what helped and didn’t help the last time you tried to quit. Figuring these out before you try to quit again will increase your chances for success. Certain situations can increase your chances of smoking. These include drinking alcohol, being around other smokers, gaining weight, stress, or becoming depressed. Talk to your doctor or nurse for ways to cope with these situations.

• In 20 Minutes:
  • Blood Pressure and Pulse return to normal
  • Temperature of hands and feet returns to normal
• In 8 Hours
  • Carbon Monoxide levels are already back to normal
• In 24 Hours:
  • Your chance of Heart Attack has already decreased significantly
• In 48 Hours
  • Smell and taste return toward normal
  • Walking becomes easier
• In 2 Weeks - 3 Months
  • Circulation improves
  • Lung function can increase up to 30%
• In 1 - 9 Months
  • Coughing, sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease
  • Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing the ability of the lungs to resist infection
• In 1 Year
  • Your risk of heart disease is one-half of what it was one year ago.