Ways to Quit Nicotine Gum | Nicotine Patches | Nicotine Spray & Inhaler Zyban | Hypnosis & Acupuncture | Cold Turkey Zyban   Success Rate Up to 25%     What it is: Developed as a depressant, Zyban is a prescription pill with which smokers have had an easier time quitting. How it works: One theory is that nicotine enhances the part of the brain that anticipates pleasure, rather than enhancing the pleasure itself. "Once you reset (the brain) at a different level by becoming a smoker, you turn it off to other stimuli," one doctor explains. Zyban is thought to encourage other stimuli, making it psychologically easier to kick nicotine. Smokers begin a Zyban regimen about two weeks before their quit date and continue for a total of seven to 12 weeks. The average dosage is one pill twice a day. Common side effects are dry mouth and difficulty sleeping, and there is a risk of seizure in certain patients.