Got my RX for Chantix today.... - Smoking Cessation Message Board

nuttygirl · 04-19-2007, 03:18 PM

I'm very excited yet very nervous at the same time. I've read ALL of the posts on here about it and I've also spent hours reading on other forums. I'm afraid of failure to be honest. I really DO want to quit but I've been smoking so long it seems highly unlikely....Not just the addiction but the mental part and the habit itself. I've also managed to lose 35 lbs in the last 6 months and am scared to gain any weight back although I do realize being smoke free is healthier than being slightly overweight. My insurance doesn't pay for this med(idiots would rather pay for my chemo or other smoking related diseases than the drug to help me quit! sorry, had to rant). It's $130 a month which I can swing but will feel bad if it's a waste of money for my family. And I was also concerned about the side effects I've heard from people taking it that are not listed on the Chantix site - water retention, depression, etc. I take other meds also, one for tachycardia and another for anxiety and have been given different stories about whether these drugs will interact with the Chantix.....grrrr......very confusing!

Anyone have any encouraging words? I'm ready but oh so afraid to fail yet again.....

Thanks

theycallmemom · 04-19-2007, 03:30 PM

HI Nuttygirl - I hear you loud and clear! Today is my 2nd day taking Chantix - I am both excited and nervous...I want to quit so bad, and am so afraid i wont. I have tried so many time and just lost it when I would get a big craving. Once my hubby even went out and bought me a pack because I was so mean! My sister told me about the drug, she is going on her fourth week without a cig, few side effects, and loving not smoking. She insists she just stopped wanting to smoke - right now something I cant imagine! She also said when she get a craving it comes and goes so fast she is ok with it....yet another thing I cant imagine....but I intend on finding out! Keep posting and reading - I think I am becoming addicted to this board!!!!!

nuttygirl · 04-19-2007, 05:17 PM

Thanks to both of you. LOL mom, when my aunt tried to quit about 10 yrs ago she became so moody and complained so much about the 10 lbs she had gained that my uncle went and bought her a pack and threw them at her and said 'please, smoke!!'. And he detested it but couldn't handle her anymore lol. My hubby is also a smoker and will be quitting with me but he has quit many times easily cold turkey but tends to pick it up if he is around smokers so he'll have to be careful about that. I'll keep posting and reading!! I'm going to need all the support I can get

Memaw649 · 04-20-2007, 12:06 AM

Hi nuttygirl,
From everything I've read about the Chantix, it does not interfer with any meds. No one had posted anything here about it messing with their other meds either.

Quick story: I smoked for 40 years. Tried lots of different things in the past. Nothing worked for me. I was a true addict!! On a visit to my doctor he asked me if I wanted to quit smoking. I really didn't, but told him Sure! He then told me about the Chantix and asked if I wanted to try it. Didn't really want to but told him Sure. He then gave me the first month. Told me to call him after I took the first month and he would give me a prescription for the other two months. The only reason I agreed to take it was so I could tell him and my hubby...See, that didn't work either!! I decided during the first week on the Chantix to give this an honest try.
And guess what? It did work!! It showed me!!!!

So if it can work for someone who didn't really want to quit and was scared to death to quit because of the pain of withdrawals, I believe it can work for you also.

You can always find an excuse to not quit. But if you give this a try, I think you will be successful!

Good Luck to you!!

Memaw

janpo1 · 04-20-2007, 03:37 AM

Hi nuttygirl!

I'm new on the boards here and on Chantix. I will be taking my 4th pill today.
This will be my first day of taking 2 pills so i will post about how that goes.

I honestly do not feel any anxiety at all on these meds. In fact i feel the opposite. Somewhat mellow. I'm taking the pill with food and i've had no naseau. I hate eating in the mornings but i'm making myself eat a little something and then drinking a breakfast drink with it. So far no nightmares although i do dream but then again i've always dreamed.

I have so far cut back on cigs but not as much as i'd like to be right now. I was a 2 pack a day smoker until Ohio put in the non smoking law and since Jan. i have cut myself back to around a pack a day. I've smoked for 30 yrs so i believe chantix has already started to hep with the cravings but we ourselves have to help with the habit of reaching for a ciggy.

I also like that i've read so much about people and their stop dates and that it doesn't have to absolutely be on the 7 th day. Some people have gone less than that and some a little more. Gives me a little more wiggle room for the meds to kick in more. I'm hoping i'm one of them that cig's start tasting bad because that will make it so much easier to not light one.

Good luck! Keep posting!