Addiction Recovery
Tablets for stopping drinking and stopping smoking: acamprosate, disulfiram and naltrexone for alcohol dependence, varenicline and bupropion for nicotine, and a bupropion and naltrexone tablet for weight management.
Disulfiram
Disulfiram
250/500mg
Disulfiram tablets in 250mg and 500mg, taken once a day to help someone who has stopped drinking stay away from alcohol.
Varenicline
Varenicline
0.5/1mg
Varenicline tablets help smokers quit by easing nicotine cravings and withdrawal; order varenicline tartrate 0.5mg and 1mg tablets, the ingredient in Champix and Chantix, in packs of 30 up to 120.
Wellbutrin
Bupropion
150/300mg
Wellbutrin is bupropion 150mg and 300mg tablets used for depression and to help people stop smoking, sold in packs of 20 to 270.
Wellbutrin SR
Bupropion
150mg
Wellbutrin SR is bupropion 150mg in sustained-release tablets for depression and smoking cessation, supplied in packs of 30 to 360 tablets.
Three ways to stay off alcohol
The alcohol medicines here do quite different jobs, so it helps to know which one you are looking at. Acamprosate 333mg, sold as Campral (also listed as plain acamprosate), is started once drinking has stopped and takes the edge off the cravings that follow. It is swallowed whole with meals. Disulfiram in 250mg and 500mg, as Antabuse or Disulfiram, is a deterrent rather than a craving remedy: with it in your system, even a small amount of alcohol brings on flushing, a pounding headache, nausea and a racing heart. That includes the alcohol in some sauces, mouthwashes and cough mixtures.
Naltrexone 50mg (Revia, also sold as plain naltrexone) blocks the opioid receptors that carry the rewarding feeling of a drink, so drinking becomes less appealing. The same tablet is used to prevent relapse after opioid dependence. It only works for that once opioids have left the body; taken too soon it can bring on sudden withdrawal, and while it is active opioid painkillers and codeine cough medicines stop working as usual.
If cigarettes are the problem
Smokers get two quite different choices. Varenicline comes as 0.5mg and 1mg tablets, listed as Champix and as Varenicline. It latches onto the same brain receptors as nicotine, enough to ease withdrawal but without the lift a cigarette gives. Nausea is the usual complaint, and taking the tablet after food with a full glass of water helps; strange dreams and poor sleep are common too.
Bupropion is an antidepressant that also cuts the urge to smoke, and the shop sells it under several names. Zyban is the 150mg version sold for quitting. Bupron SR, Wellbutrin SR and the plain Bupropion listing (the hydrochloride salt) are also 150mg, while Wellbutrin adds a 300mg strength; these are listed for depression as well as smoking. Slow-release tablets are swallowed whole. Trouble sleeping and a dry mouth are the everyday side effects. More seriously, bupropion can trigger seizures, so it is not used by anyone with epilepsy or an eating disorder.
Naltrexone and bupropion together
Put those two ingredients in a single tablet and you get the weight-management tablet: Contrave (also sold as Bupropion + Naltrexone), 8/90mg, meaning 8mg of naltrexone with 90mg of bupropion. They are taken alongside a lower-calorie diet and more activity, and the dose is stepped up over the first few weeks to limit nausea. Constipation, headache and dizziness come up often. Because the tablet contains naltrexone, the opioid warning above applies to it as well.
Sources
- What is addiction? - Healthdirect — Healthdirect
- Addiction: what is it? - NHS — NHS
Which addiction recovery tablets can I buy online in Hong Kong?
You can buy acamprosate (generic Campral) for alcohol dependence, disulfiram and generic Antabuse as tablets, and varenicline or generic Champix for nicotine addiction. Where a medicine is listed for weight management, that effect is not guaranteed and official references do not recommend that use.
Which strengths of acamprosate and disulfiram are listed?
Acamprosate, listed as generic Campral, comes as 333mg tablets for alcohol dependence. Disulfiram and generic Antabuse come as 250mg and 500mg tablets for the same use. Naltrexone, listed as generic Revia, comes as 50mg tablets for alcohol and opioid dependence.
How are addiction recovery tablets delivered to Hong Kong?
Orders arrive in plain, unbranded packaging. Tracked courier takes 5–9 business days; standard airmail takes 14–21 business days and is untracked. See delivery and ordering details.
What is the difference between Champix and Zyban?
They are different medicines. Champix is varenicline, which acts on nicotine receptors in the brain, while Zyban is bupropion 150mg, an antidepressant-type tablet. Neither contains nicotine, and you would take one or the other for a quit attempt, not both.
How long do you take Champix for?
A standard course is 12 weeks. You start about a week before the day you plan to stop smoking, beginning at 0.5mg once a day and building to 1mg twice a day, so there is time for the medicine to settle in first.
Can I drink alcohol on acamprosate?
It will not make you ill the way disulfiram does, but that is not its purpose. Acamprosate is meant to help you stay off alcohol once you have stopped, so it is started after drinking has ended and taken for the months you are working to stay dry.
How long does disulfiram stay active?
Longer than most people expect. The reaction to alcohol can still occur for up to a couple of weeks after the last tablet, so a drink during that window can bring on flushing, headache and vomiting.