what does prozac and zyban do, and what does it cure?

Answer 1

Im pretty sure that Prozac and Zyban are drugs known as SSRI's, or "Selective Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitors".

Chemicals in your brain (seratonin) are what set off the feeling of happiness and contentment. When a neuron fires, it releases chemicals across the gap to the next neuron to continue the pulse down the nerve. The chemicals that are not used, are taken back up.

Prozac and Zyban prevent the "re-uptake" of those chemicals so that more seratonin is present in the brain, thus increasing the feeling of happiness and contentment.

Answer 2

Zyban and Prozac are antidepressants.
Zyban is used to treat Smoking Addiction and Depression.
Prozac is use to treat panic attacks, depression, OCD & Bulimia.
Both drugs work on neurotransmitters in your brain, by reducing the amount taken in by the nerves.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotransmitter
“Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between a neuron and another cell. According to the prevailing beliefs of the 1960s, a chemical can be classified as a neurotransmitter if it meets the following conditions:
It is synthesized endogenously, that is, within the presynaptic neuron;
It is available in sufficient quantity in the presynaptic neuron to exert an effect on the postsynaptic neuron;
Externally administered, it must mimic the endogenously-released substance; and
A biochemical mechanism for inactivation must be present.
However, there are other materials, such as the zinc ion, that are neither synthesized nor catabolized (i.e., degraded; see Anabolism) and are considered neurotransmitters by some. Thus, the old definitions are being revised.”

In another words your brain chemistry is controled by various chemical compounds. The neurotransmitters control how the nerve impulses are passed along to each nerve. They also recharge the nerve cells. A nerve cell carries an electric charge and when stimulated it fires that charge. The charge is carried to another nerve across a small gap which is filled with neurotransmitters. How it crosses this gap is how we think. Heroin and Morphie are drugs called opiates. They mimic the neurotransmitters in the brain, the ones created with a “runner’s high.” With an opiate drug the high is much greater and addictive. The problem is that the user needs a higher dose of the drug to get the same high, eventuall this will kill the person.

Prozac is a Serotonin uptake inhibitor. It increase the amount of Serotonin levels in your brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in your brain; it helps the brain transmit messages across the nerves. The brain is still largely not understood. It is the most complex organ in most animals’ body. Scientists don't know how the neurotransmitters actually work or why some people need to have their levels of neurotransmitters adjusted. They do know the observable effects though, and they know that these drugs can help people, mostly with depression.

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/zyban/zyban.htm
“Zyban is bupropion, a relatively weak inhibitor of the neuronal uptake of dopamine.”

Dopamine is another neurotransmitter in your brain. Bupropion is also an uptake inhibitor. It slows down how much dopamine is taken in by the brain so it leaves more in suspension. It either provides more dopamine for other nerves to take in, or it reduces the amount taken in, or has an unknown effect.

There are other antidepressants that control other neurotransmitters or work in a different way. Some drugs reduce them, others increase them, and others cause the nerves to hold more of them, or release more of them. The issue is quite complex and is treated by a wide range of medications.

I have suffered a disease with chronic pain, insomnia, and depression since 1989. I have been taking medication for it for a long time and a lot of those meds have been antidepressants. So I looked at the ones I took to see just what they were doing to me. Last year I was taking Prosaic, and I have switched to Wellbutrin SR (another form of the drug found in Zyban) since then. If have found that some medication helps, others don’t, and others only have a limited time before my body gets used to it and they no longer work.

If you have to take these drugs then research them, understand them and find out their side effects. Antidepressants have many; including chronic dry mouth and constipation. Drink a lot of water if you have to take these drugs for a long time, they can dehydrate you and cause problems. Also watch your food intake, antidepressants can increase your appetite. Depression can also increase your appetite since some people like to rely on “comfort foods.”

For me Prozac and Wellburitn provide a “lift” they improve my mood and increase my energy. I started off on Wellburitn (Bupropion HCL) several years ago and after it’s effects diminished I changed to Prozac. Now the Prozac doesn’t work well with me so I am back on Wellburitn. These decisions were MINE, and based on what I knew about myself and my condition. I take advice from my doctor and I let him okay the decisions, but in the final analysis only I know how the drugs are working for me, so I HAVE to direct my medical treatment.

Prozac: http://www.prozac.com/how_prozac/how_it_works.jsp?reqNavId=2.2
http://www.brainphysics.com/howprozacworks.php
Prozac is Fluoxetine Hcl
Prozac: http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/fluoxetine_ad.htm
Prozac is used to treat: http://www.crazymeds.org/prozac.html
Prozac side effects: http://www.panic-anxiety.com/prozac_side_effect/prozac_side_effect.htm
“Depression - 20mg in the morning, increasing by 20mg a day after at least a week, taken either in the morning or at noon until a maximum of 80mg a day is reached.
OCD & Bulima - 20mg in the morning, increasing by 20mg a day after at least a week, taken either in the morning or at noon until a maximum of 60mg a day is reached.
Panic - 10mg in the morning. Increase to 20mg, either all in the morning or split into morning and noon. Hold there for a while before increasing. Although you can go up to 60mg a day, few people responded to anything above 20mg a day.”

Zyban: http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/zyban/f/howzybanworks.htm
Zyban is bupropion chloride
Zyban side effects: http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/zyban/f/sideeffects.htm

I recommend a visit to Web MD: http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=depression

Answer 3

Most of the above is right - zyban is an anti-depressant that also is a quit smoking drug.

It is prescribed for both.

Answer 4

Prozac is an anti-depressent and Zyban is one also however it is
also used for quitting smoking. That is what it was originally
advertised as. However many drugs are used for many things
and just because your doctor may prescribe one of these drugs for
you it doesn't mean it is for depression. People ask me why the MD
is prescribing "such and such " for them all the time and I tell them
that is a question for their doctor.

Answer 5

prozac is a anti-depressent, zyban was intrduced as the quite smoking pill, but is also an anti depressent, zyban and wellbutrin are the same pills

Answer 6

Zyban is a brand name for bupiron, also known as wellbutrin, another anti-depressant.

Answer 7

Prozac is an anti-depressant so it treats (but does not cure) depression.

Zyban helps people quit smoking.

Answer 8

They are both part of a family of drugs known as SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) That prevent neurotransmitters from reabsorbing serotonin. This is believed to be a beneficial treatment for depression.

Answer 9

Prozac is an anti depressant, so it doesn't quite cure depresion but it helps with it.

Answer 10

prozac is an anti-depressent that helps depression - although does take about a month to get in your system