Chantix Forums (Page 7)

This is a wonderful medication!! I also take several other meds, too many to list, 50 yrs smoking, began to worry about bad circulation--have type 2 diabetes. A friend gave me a month of chantix. The first week I broke them in half, then began the 2 a day!! I have noticed a little grouchiness, but that is my body wanting nicotine, my mind never wants another one of those stinking cancer sticks again! However, I now have insurance, so I think I may ask my primary for a script, just to be sure I don't relapse. Another +, my long-time anxiety has lessened, yay!! And at $8.00 a pack I decided to quit, the cost and the smell, and a good friend losing a lung and watching her try to adapt to life with only one, motivated me to finally QUIT for good!! Tried every other product on the market...

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I started taking Chantix when my employer had a promotion to help its employees to quit smoking. I was a long time smoker and had tried to quit smoking several times. I tried everything from Tooth picks to Nicotine gum, to no avail. So I participated, and was prescribed Chantix to quit smoking. When I stopped it got worse, the nightmares haunted me. I was having issues with blurry vision, making it hard to drive to work every day, I had anger issues, severe depression, and became a different person. Taking Chantix started me down a long path of Severe Depression, which I am still battling today. Some of the other side effects I experience are, anger, nightmares, blurring vision, suicidal thoughts, that led to one attempt. I was almost hospitalized for severe depression, because my paren...

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Took Chantix 4 years ago and have remained smoke free. Wish I didn't take it. I was always considered patient, mild mannered and generally a nice person. I noticed in week 11 of taking Chantix that I was becoming different. Noticeable enough that I stopped taking it. Since then I'm worse. I'm mean, angry, paranoid, have fits of rage and regular thoughts of suicide. Fortunately I'm composed enough not to act upon them. I have little attention span and find myself staring off for no reason thinking of nothing. I have a beautiful wife of 5 years this week who is miserable with me and she should be as I'm miserable with myself. I find no joy in anything and am terrified I'm gonna lose my wife. My doctor is less than helpful, probably afraid I'll sue him. I have n...

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Hi,I used to smoke for 25 years. I tried many ways to stop it . I smoked 25-40 cig/day.I did not want to go to work and to friends and family in the past 12 months because I needed to smoke very much and nobody in my friend criss was smoking. 2 months ago I started Champix (the European version of Chantix). I stopped smoking. I have sometimes headache, vomiting feeling,stomach pain,weird dreams, insomnia and last month no menstruationand and etc but I am happy I am not dependent anymore. In the same time I do not need coffee any more .I guess many bad habits disappeared. Sometimes when I get angry I feel I better go to have a cigarette but, this feeling is after a minute over. I can control my self. Thanks Chantix ## Hello, Seles! How awesome!!! Way to go, that is something to be proud ...

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Fact is some meds work for some people and for others it doesn't. I took Chantix for about 6 weeks and I only did one pill in the AM. Side effects were mainly ringing in the ears, some sleep issues here and there but generally I slept fine. You have to take the pill with food or else you will most likely feel nausea. I'm smoke free for about 4 weeks. ## Hello, KT! How are you doing? Congratulations on being smoke free! Way to go! That's very, very tough, even with a medication to help. Learn more Chantix details here. And thank you for the wonderful post to encourage others. Many people only post complaints, so it's not often that a good experience gets posted. Does anyone have any comments or questions?

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Been no smoking for 11 months,smoked 43 years. Im 56 years old. I can breath better. Still can drink 8 to 11 beers a night with no cigs. My tongue still gets numb sometimes,went through lots of after side effects of chantix, strong medicine,worked through them. Libido is better, blood flow better, smell better, taste better. Can watch a whole movie without going outside to smoke. 1 more thing, my dog and my wife quit smoking too. No second hand smoke...Keep at it ,it gets better...Hope this helps someone... ## Hello, Stringer! Thanks for the awesome post and congrats on becoming a non-smoker, that's a very tough thing to do! Learn more Chantix details here. Since most people don't post about their good experiences, it's great to have a post like yours to help encourage other...

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Need to stop smoking badly. chx10 made me slow down a lot but I could not get out of my head. 2 months of Chantix and still smoking 5 to 7 cig. a day. Had to quit taking Chantix get to expensive. ## Hello, Bill! Sorry that it hasn't worked for you. It is very hard to quit smoking. Have you tried Wellbutrin, the medication also known as Zyban? Learn more Wellbutrin details here. Sometimes if one doesn't work, or only has a partial effect, the other can help boost your quit the rest of the way. It's something you can discuss with your doctor. Are you also using the support strategies and counseling services that are offered?

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I have been on chantix for a month with a few side effects like weird dreams but nothing to make me put the cigarettes down I smoke a pack day and still do. I don't insurance at 220.00 month not sure if its worth it. ## Hi, Shay! It is possible that it just isn't effective for you. Not every medication works for everyone that tries it. However, you are supposed to pick a quit date, which is normally your 8th day of taking the Chantix and try to stick with it and let the medication help you by preventing the cravings for them. Learn more Chantix details here. This medication has helped many people quit smoking, but it is not a miracle drug that will do everything by itself, you do have to make some effort to quit, as well. Have you tried not smoking/having a quit day?

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I have stiled chantx yeaterday because of side affect I was on day 8 are there any side affect from stooping on day 8 ## Hi, Jess! Some side effects are normal and will usually wear off after your body adjusts to the medication. What types of side effects where you experiencing? And no, there shouldn't be any major issues with stopping after that short of a period of time, but you should consult your doctor to be certain. Learn more Chantix details here.

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Early this year, in January, I went to my doctor to check on my elbow (I have "tennis elbow"). During our niceties before leaving, he asked me if I needed anything else. I said yes, please write me a prescription for Chantix. I want to quit smoking. (I smoked for almost 30 years). This was the first time I recalled, really wanting to quit. I thought about it in the past but heard way too many stories of bad experiences while taking Chantix; some from folks I work with. My doctor wrote out a presciption for the first round (4 weeks worth) and the second round maintenance month (another 4 weeks). I went straight to CVS to get the prescription filled. I went home, broke the news to my husband (he smokes too) and started the pills the next day. I'm not sure why it worked for me,...

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I stopped talking chantix on day 9 because I couldnt sleep for days. I want to get back to it. Can I continue taking chantix after stoping taking it for 3 or 4 days? Or I have to start from beginning by taking 0.5 mg?? ## Hi Ehab, From what I've read, the amount of time it take for half a dose of chantix to leave your system is 24 hours. It has been said that a drug is usually out of your system within 5 to 6 half lives. Therefore, within 5-6 days most of the Chantix would most likely be out of your system. Since you've only been off of it for 3-4 days then there is probably enough left in your system to keep your from having to start all over with the (0.5 mg) dose. I think taking the next dose up from that would be sufficient, however I am not a doctor so that is just my opini...

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I attempted to quit smoking AGAIN in July of 2007 after at least 15 attempts at a day here a week there. 5 weeks once and 5 months once. I smoked a pack a day and more on the weekends. I was such a stupid habit. One to wake up with and one to go to bed with. I quit on July 27 2007. COLD TURKEY. I was determined that everything else was ok except for smoking. I was a miserable b****y basket case for days. I had cut my finger deeply trying to catch my glass of iced tea on Aug 11th. It cut an artery and I needed stitches to stop the blood from pumping out. I made an appt with my reg Dr. to have the stitches removed a week later. I told him that I had quit smoking but was miserable. That I needed some aid to help me get thru the withdrawals. He wrote me a script for Chantix that my ins. co ...

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I am 31 and have a life insurance policy where I am a "non-smoker" (I know, bad move) I want to get Chantix and quit smoking, but am worried that my life insurance company can find out about the prescription and deny any future benefits should i kick the bucket. Any truth in this? I realize this question is very off topic, but couldnt find an answer anywhere. Thanks in advance. ## I think It's probably going to be rather difficult to give a completely accurate answer to this without actually working for the insurance company and having access to their list of policies. Honesty is always the best policy in my opinion, since things do eventually come full-circle if you believe in karma. Not to say that this is a bad thing, but I'd probably use other more natural methods to...

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I just started taking chantix today but I am already not wanting to continue because all I am reading are horror stories. Does anyone have anything good to say about this drug? ## Hi April, Here's a link to a thread about other Chantix users who have had positive experiences: Discuss/Dont-give-up-on-Chantix-201444.htm Just keep in mind, your body is unique and so your experience with Chantix could be unique as well- even if others have a had a good/bad experience, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will have the same experience. I hope this helps! ## Thank you! That makes me feel better. ## I had outstanding results from the Chantix, quit smoking in January 2012 after having smoked for more the 40 years. I didn't think that it would work as I have tried a lot of things, pa...

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directions for taking chantix ## i was taking Chantix and it was going quite well until I got constipated ,so I stopped taking chantix .I want to start again but do I have to start with the 0.5 pill or can I just start up where I left off with the 1mg? It's been about 8days since I stopped with Chantix. ## For anyone else that has a similar question…. Chantix is a very iffy medication and both starting and stopping it must be done very carefully and the person needs to be monitored regularly… Thus, the best advice I can give is to consult your doctor if you aren't sure what to do when you are new to taking it, you want to restart for another try or if you are stopping it. Learn more Chantix details here. For your own health and safety, it is v...

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I am 58 years old and have been a smoker for 36 years. I had given up on the idea of quitting and knew smoking was going to kill me. I recently had a bad case of bronchitis. I had started Chantix about 5 days before I got sick. After a week on Chantix, I din't feel my desire to smoke had been diminished. I continued taking Chantix for a total of 13 days before I felt the reduction in my disire to smoke. This is my 6th days not smoking and I must say there is a noticable reduction in my urge to smoke. Even one day without smoking gave me the couage and willpower to continue. So, if you don't feel you are ready to stop on day 7 as suggested, don't give up - continue to take Chantix until you have that ah-hah moment. It will come and it is unmistakable. Thank you Pfizer!! ## aa...

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I have been on chantix 6 weeks...totally smoke free for 4 weeks...however my sleeping pattern was awful...three nights ago I quit taking 2 dose and just taken morning...slept like a baby since.... ## If you missed two doses of chantix in a row, it's likely that your body was probably experiencing some early effects of withdrawal symptoms. If or when you decide to stop taking the medication, I'd highly recommend contacting your doctor first in order to get proper instructions for tapering off. A lot of people here have been complaining about how bad the chantix withdrawal symptoms are, so I think it would be wise to play it safe until you get a-hold of your doctor. I hope this helps!

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I have been on Chantix for a week yesterday.. I have been smoke free for 3 days. My side effects are nausea and headache to the point were i just want to lay down. Well i have a 4 yr so that is not much of an option. If this continues i want to get off of them. Can i just stip taking them or do i need to ween from them?? And if so how do i ween from them? ## @Jen, If you've only been on Chantix for a week, I would still consider a slight drop in dosage for a few days before stopping. Some medications can be taken in fractions (actually cut into pieces) and these smaller pieces can be taken in place of the regular dose for a specific period of time until the body is no longer dependent upon them. Some people might suggest that you don't need to taper, but I think it would be wise...

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I've been taking chantix for 4 wks now and have been smoke free for 3 weeks. I am 51 yrs old and have smoked for 35 years and never ever thought of myself as a non smoker. only within the last week do I see myself as that smoke free person and it feels good. The one thing that I keep telling myself to help those physical urges is its easier to quit and deal with these urges( that dont last) then it is to be a smoker worried about if the next cigarette will be the one that gives me lung disease, stroke, heart attack emphysema or kills me I worry alot less now and didnt even realize that I breath better and no more morning hacking and spitting,it was when I realized some of these healthy changes that I was very proud of myself of making this journey to quit this terrible habit for goo...

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I've already noticed that cigarettes seem less disirable, but I'm still craving them. Craving seem to be less intense and less often. I've been getting bad headaches after taking my pills, and have a funky taste in my mouth. I haven't had any weir dreams yet, but it seems like I'm having more dreams the past few nights. Today starts day 4 and I just took 1 of my 2 pills for the day. ## It sounds like what you are experiencing is part of the reported side effects. Headache and change in taste are among the less common side effects. If they continue or get worse you should consider reporting them to your doctor. I really hope this medication works for you. Have you been smoking, or did you already stop? You can learn more about this medication on the page for Chantix d...

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