I did find out from a friend of mine that she was on Chantix about a year ago. She said it's great while you are on it, but once you go off it's like you quit all over again. She started smoking again and so did the people she knows that quit on it.. they started back up after the meds were gone. Great. I knew this was too easy.
Anyway.... this is what the Chantix website told me today. I did not know this.
Why do cigarettes contain menthol?
Because many people like the taste — but that's not the only reason.
Menthol has an anesthetic, or numbing, effect. It quiets the nerves in your throat that react to irritation. (Which is why it is used in cough drops.)
Eugenol, a liquid found in clove oil, is also added to cigarettes. It has a numbing effect too. It deadens the mucous membranes to lessen irritation.
Tobacco companies add menthol and eugenol to cigarettes to prevent coughing. This might sound like a good thing, but it’s not. Coughing is your body’s natural reaction to smoke. It also helps clear out your airways.
So if you've started coughing more since you stopped smoking, that's okay. It means that your throat isn’t numb anymore.
Now that your throat and tongue aren't being “numbed” by cigarette additives, have you noticed the changes to your sense of taste and smell? Someone once said that, for a smoker, eating is like watching a color movie in black and white. Isn’t it nice not to dull your senses through a “smoke screen"? Tune in tomorrow, when we’ll revisit our old friends, cravings and withdrawal.
tricky little bastards, aren't they?
