Hi everyone. I'm new to this board, just found it about 20 minutes ago with a ****** search and started reading some of the posts. What got me interested was some of the topics regarding Chantix. I have been considering this method for about 6 months now. My hygenist at the dentist office first brought it up to me. Since then I've been doing some research and haven't actually been to speak with my doc personally. I have been smoking for ...I'm ashamed to say....22 years : ( I have quit 3 times, but something always pulled me back. I have tried cold turkey, the patch, and Wellbutrin...none of which have worked. I have two young children, the oldest of whom would love to see me quit. Just wanted to introduce myself as I think I have found a place to come for education and support.
I am fairly new to this website myself. Well, sounds like you have tried everything else in the book to try and quit smoking, so why not try the Chantix. It is worth a shot! I have been on it for 5 days now and it is working. You can still smoke during the first week you are on it, which is good because I still need a smoke now and again. I find that I am smoking less and less though. I even went for a whole day without smoking. It is a pretty cool drug. I am trying to quit for my kids too. You would think just by them saying "mommy please quit" would be enough motivation, but it is hard. Of course my girls are young and don't understand the concept of addiction. Anyways, so far I have had mild side effects to it. Had some nausea, trouble sleeping, and some weird dreams.
So, I say go for it...what have you got to lose? Good Luck!
Thanks for the supportive words. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to respond to my post : ) I am seriously considering the Chantix, but some of the side effects I've read about scare me a little. You say you've been on it for 5 days........would you mind keeping me posted over the next couple of weeks as to how things go for you??? I did call my doc and set up an appt.....it's not until Dec. 6th though. I can't believe how long I have to wait before I can see her!!!
Hi kimie
I am really new here to, and I like you came here on a search and found some really interesting answers to alot of the question's i had. I am on Day 5 of Chantix. I had previously quit for 6 months once doing accupunture which really helped, but it wares off and you have to keep going and it gets expensive which lead me back to smoking. My husband and I are looking to start a family soon and I want to be as healthy as i can before i bring a child into the world.
So far here is what I have been expierencing.
Days 1-3: Fantastic-mild nassau (went away after a few mint) (i would assume this is like a moring sickness feeling to most moms), a bit wired (all bout energy), went to bed normal (had very HDTV (clear) dreams) nothing to dramatic.
Day 4- Thats when you are supposed to take 2 pills. Not a good day at all. I had flu like symptoms (was in bed all day) anxiety, rubbery legs, tunnel vision and just wanted to lay in bed.
Today Day 5- Felt jittery like I just taken a shot of expresso this morning, wired. Its now almost 2:00, and I feel like I am coming off a caffeine high. I have a headache and im tired.
Is this enough to make me stop taking it? Im not ready to give up yet, cause with that being said I havent had a single cig in 72 hours. U can smoke up to 8 days prior to your quit date, and I haven't had the urge (which is also what scares me about this product). I have lost the urge, and more or less now its the habit that needs to be changed.
well thats enough of my rambling. I say go for it. If you have it in you to stick it out especially for your childrens sake than do it
Hi All, Another newbie on board! I also started taking Chantix 7 days ago. After smoking for 40+ years my husband and I decided to try quitting again. We tried the patch a few years ago to no avail. However, we did cut our smoking in half. Tomorrow is supposed to be our quit day but I've only had one cig so far - not really any desire to smoke. They don't even taste good any more. I've had very mild side effects, slight nausea and headache, which only last a few minutes. Oh yeah, and cool dreams! They aren't vivid like they were with the patch, just neat - I can't wait to go to sleep at night!
Hope we all hang in there and quit this discusting, nasty habit. And let's give each other a pat on the back for getting this far. GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I must admit that is still what freaks me out about this drug. How amazing it is. I haven't had a smoke in 4 days. Im not even at my quit day yet, which is tomorrow, and I haven't had any urges. Still have side effects, hoping they will subside once I get more into the program. But so far they aren't anything I can't handle. They do go away.
Heather, thanks for the details of your first 5 days. I've read a lot about the nausea and feeling really sick. More people than not seem to go through this when they have to increase the pills to two a day. Some have said they have reduced back down to one and are still doing well.......maybe if you keep feeling really bad you can reduce back down to one a day and still be successful! I really am amazed by what I've read about this drug so far......seems almost too good to be true, which scares me.
Mary Annie, I wish you and your hubby lots of luck!! Keep me posted as to your progress.
I called my doc this morning to see if I could get an appt any sooner than December (ugh!) just to talk about the Chantix. So I now have an appt for Oct. 31!!! I'm hoping to pick a quit date the first week of November. I need to learn more about the Chantix though. I've read that you can keep smoking or should for the first couple of days?...is this correct? Anyway, I hope all goes well oct. 31st!
Hi Kimmie and Heather, well it's day 8 and I started the blue pill today and so far haven't had a cig. But, I'm starting to crave one so I thought I'd check and see how you guys were doing and then I'm going to hit the treadmill!! I was kind of leary about starting the blue chantix, after what I'd read, but I've decided not to read about anymore peoples complaints and go with my experience. My husband works with alot of people who've taken it and swear by it. So, I'm looking forward to comparing notes with you guys and will go forward from here.
Kimmie, I'm so glad you moved up your appt. You'll be surprised by how well this works. Determination is the first step!! You can follow Heather and my lead!!!!
So glad to hear they were able to move your appt up. Thats fantastic news! Well today is supposed to be Quit Day! In my mind I really quit a week ago. I haven't had a cig in a week. I do know exactly what you mean though Mary Annie. Yesterday and today I suddenly feel urges to smoke! I don't know maybe it's the withdrawl going through my body, I just keep remebering your brain holds a thought for 30 seconds. So I pop a piece of gum in and it goes away. Tomorrow I start the blue pills! I am nervous about taking them. See I have the anxiousness side effect so I have only been taking one pill a day instead of two because I get very wired and if I took two I wouldnt sleep. I was also thinking though if I am only taking one and don't smoke then I should be fine. I will let you know how tomorrow goes, funny story though yesterday after lunch one of new co-workers lit up a cig, and as she got into the elevator I smelled the smoke on her clothes and realized how horrible i must have smelled all those times. Which makes me more determined to beat the odds and not smoke again. Keep up the good work I will check in tomorrow!
Hi girls, How's it going? I'm still hanging in there. Last night I thought I'd go crazy with craving. So I did deep breathing and that helped for a while. Then my husband told me to drink water and that made a huge difference. I don't know why, must flush out your system or something. Anyway it sure helped me. I did cheat-yesterday I smoked 2 cigs but it didn't even satisfy the craving so why bother, right? That's just the physical habit of smoking I guess. So, we'll see what the rest of today brings! Keep in touch, okay?
Hello! I started Chantix in August, quit smoking on 9/4, cut back to 1 pill daily on 9/27, quit taking Chantix all together on 10/10.
After 34 years, I am so very proud to say I am a non smoker. Side effects (headachey days, slight belly issues, late can't fall asleep nights, remembering vivid dreams) were not bad enough to stop taking Chantix.
Although not a fan of pharmaceutical companies who try to hold back on side effect information, I do recommend that those who really want to quit try to stick it out with Chantix. I am shocked at how easy it was for me to quit.
All the side effects combined don't come close to the damage of one cigarette!! Good luck, everyone. You can quit!
Hey Kimmie,
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. OK well I am on Day 8 now. My stomach hurt the first couple days. Nothing severe, pretty mild, but enough to where you dont really feel like eating. I was extremely tired too. Not sure if that was because I couldnt fall asleep (which is a side effect) or if it was the Chantix. Anyways, after that, I started getting energized and the nausea went away. I do get mild headaches and sometimes have a hard time concentrating at work. It really has helped on the cravings though. I mean, I still occasionally crave a cig but as long as I dont do something that triggers me to think about smoking, I dont think about it. When I do think about it, I try to tell myself that I really don't need the cig and eventually it goes away.
OK, well, my Mom has been bugging me about stopping Chantix because of all the Chantix causes violence, depression, aggression media talk. I dont know if there is a correlation or not. We all know how we can get when we are going thru nicotine withdrawals so maybe that is what is causing it.
Anyways, I am going to continue to take it. The side effects sort of make the days a bit longer and make the days a bit more uncomfortable, but to me it is worth it.
I am at the point where I am taking 1MG in the AM and 1MG in the PM. This is WAY too much for me to handle. I cut them in half and space them out every 4 hours. This keeps the side effects to a minimum and not so intense.
OK well, I have to go now. Hope my info helps you. Good Luck! Let me know how you do.
Kimmie, any doctor can prescribe Chantix, so if you have a gynecologist I would ask him/her. Smoking causes cervical cancer (which is why I'm trying to quit, because they discovered stage 1 cervical cancer and smokingis my only risk factor). If you have a dermatologist, they might even prescribe it (quitting help your skin) or even a sports doctor. It's worth a try. Chantix doesn't work overnight anyway, so don't drag out the process. And don't be ashamed of how long you've been smoking. I've been smoking since I was 12. Is that not the most white-trash thing you've ever heard of?
I'm on day 8 today, and so far I have been nicotine free for 1 week! I decided to go shopping last night, for the amount I would have spent on a carton I bought two pairs of shoes. Ok so I traded one addiction for another.lol. Im a girl Shopping is in the blood. Cravings were there all day yesterday, but I fought them off. I can say the hardest thing is sitting at my desk all day, and not going downstairs to smoke. If I go downstairs to take a break I immediatly want to light up out of habit. But sitting upstairs at my desk all day is making me nuts. So I was chatiing with another woman who recently just came back from maturnity leave and is looking for a walking partner around the parking lot at work. Perfect timing. So I can change the reason of WHY i go downstairs from smoking to just getting fresh air and a walk. See how that goes. Enjoy the day. Remeber even if you slip up tomorrow you can start all over again. Quitting is a process.
Sounds like everyone is doing pretty good so far. I've started to try and cut back on the cigs a little in anticipation of my doc appt this Wed. Not cutting back as much as I would like but hey, every little bit helps! Getting ready to run to Costco and buy gum in bulk..ha ha ha. Jenn, Heather, Mary Annie....keep me posted as to how things are going. I'm rootin for ya!!!! My daughter's 10th birthday is tomorrow and I need to start preparing for her party. You ladies have a great Friday!
Go for it! Everybody seems to have different side effects!
I started Chantix on Sep 23rd and have been smoke free for 18 days now.
The only side effect that I had was being very tired during the day while taking Chantix twice a day. On Oct 9th I started only taking 1 Chantix in the evening. I seem to be doing just fine now and I'm not tired during the day.
I still have the urge sometimes to smoke, but I keep telling myself that I've gone 18 days and that I don't want to go back to day 1 and start over.
Welcome Casino and Ladies, Thanks for the encouragement. What am I on now, day 10 I think!! Guess I'm doing well, still get cravings quite a bit but they don't seem to be as strong a when I quit. I might cut down to one pill a day and see how that works. I also get tired and have a quesy stomach but can handle it. I just want to get this darn nicotine out of my body!!!!!!!
Kimmie - glad to hear you're cutting back. I bet it'll be that much easier when you start to quit. Hope you're daughter has a wonderful birthday!!
Casino - I love your name and your game, whatever it is!
Kimmie, I have weaned off Chantix now after following the program, successfully for almost 4 months. I am not one who likes to be on any medication, so when I felt that I was ready to get off Chantix, I was confident that I would be able to succeed. Wow....little did I know.. while weaning off and taking just the one pill a day, I seen some weight gain and irritability. I thought, ok, an average smoker gains 10 pounds when stopping smoking, but it's worth it. But...I am so frustrated as now that I am almost 10 days free of Chantix, I am losing ground really fast. I didn't realize how Chantix blocked the cravings, and I never thought that the cravings would still be there after 4 months. Weight gain, OMG!! 10-12 lbs, most of it just within this past 2 weeks. I am so moody, eat all the time, crave cigarettes, smell one and go nuts. I smoked for 35 years, tried everything to quit, and don't want to fail with this, still as of now, successful attempt, but just can't believe that I am struggling so much after everything was going so well. Going to see my OB/GYN tomorrow. She's got to be able to come up with something supportive.
Hope everyone had a good weekend. Was feeling a little under the weather the last couple of days so I haven't been on line.
Nicholas9.......wow, you are the 2nd or 3rd person that has told me coming off the Chantix is H-A-R-D! I wish you the best and hopefully your OB will be able to help. Hey, maybe try gum? Either the nicotine or regular gum might help?
Mary Annie thank you for the birthday wishes. She did have a great time with her friends...we had a slumber party. I actually went the first 5 hours of the party without sneaking away to have a smoke!!!
Casino--good to meet you and thank you for the support. I really can't wait to see my doc and get this process started!
Anyone hear from Heather??? Heather if you're out there let me know how it's going!!!!!
Hey everybody. sorry I haven't been on board posting. Let me say this weekend was a realy eye opener for me about the side effects of chantix. I went out saturday night had a few drinks and I mean a few over hours, came home and layed down, and thats where it turned. I started having really bad gas pocket pain under my chest by my heart, and uncontrolably shaking. As if, and I can only guess as if I was a junky and thrown into detox. I could not STOP shaking. After 2 hot showers, and 3 pairs of socks and a heated blanket I finally calmed down and fell asleep. So I called my doctor on Sunday (loved that call) and he told me that chantix is probaly to strong for my body and to cut the dosages in half. I on the other hand decided that scared me for life and what is this drug doing to my body, and stopped taking it cold turkey. I STILL haven't smoked Which is awesome, and yesterday I went for accupunture. I feel fabulous today. I haven't felt this good in 3wks since I started the chantix. I wont knock it I totally didnt feel any urge to smoke while on it, but Saturday scared me, I thought i was flat lining and stroking out. I never want to feel that again. So anyhow it's now 11 days and I am still smoke free!!!! :-). But I am not taking the chantix anymore. I have come to realize that chantix was probaly not tested on a 5'5 120 pnd woman, and therefore its just to strong of a medication for us little folk. I will keep you all posted. I wanted to give you an update. I'm still here
Re: Hello 
I decided to go shopping last night, for the amount I would have spent on a carton I bought two pairs of shoes. Ok so I traded one addiction for another.lol. Im a girl Shopping is in the blood. Cravings were there all day yesterday, but I fought them off. I can say the hardest thing is sitting at my desk all day, and not going downstairs to smoke. If I go downstairs to take a break I immediatly want to light up out of habit. But sitting upstairs at my desk all day is making me nuts. So I was chatiing with another woman who recently just came back from maturnity leave and is looking for a walking partner around the parking lot at work. Perfect timing. So I can change the reason of WHY i go downstairs from smoking to just getting fresh air and a walk. See how that goes. Enjoy the day. Remeber even if you slip up tomorrow you can start all over again. Quitting is a process.
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