Anyone try Chantix?? I need to quit smoking!!!

ExplorinLauren

I'm seriously considering Chantix.... Wondering if any one has tried it? What were your results? How did it make you feel taking the medication? Any weird side effects?

Thanks!!!

hbrittingham

I did. I quit almost 6 years ago using it. I had wild dreams, but that was the only real side effect I had. I am a vivid dreamer anyways, so that didn't surprise me. I made sure to eat at least a 1/2 of a banana each morning before taking it, so I never felt sick to my stomach like some people do. It was the easiest quit I ever did and I had quit at least 3 times previously over the 20+ years that I had smoked.

classycouture

I quit cold turkey 139 days, 14 hours, and 20 minutes ago, I haven't smoked 2093 cigarettes, and have saved $570.34 because of it.

I swear by the "QuitNow!" app on my android (I believe it's available for the iPhone as well). Seriously check it out, it helped so much being able to look at my stats whenever I had a craving.

Best of luck!! It's worth it!

yrollamm

I used Chantix the first time I quit, and I was off cigarettes for about 6 months. It really seemed to help a lot....then went to New Orleans for a long weekend...too many beers...too little judgement...and I bought a pack. Within several weeks I was back at 2 packs a day!

The second time I quit, I used Chantix again, but it didn't seem to work as well the second time. It felt more like cold turkey to me. I've been off of them for three years now.

I didn't have any ill effects. The doctor kept asking me if I was having any "suicidal thoughts", and I kept telling him (tongue firmly planted in cheek), "NO....only homicidal thoughts"

My suggestion is to give it a try.

Faery7

I used Chantix and it does really work. However, what I've found is that it helped me get to the point that I didn't want to smoke after that first week - the rest of it was up to me and my will power. Althought, Chantix makes it a lot easier. (Keep in mind though that I didn't take the pills any longer than the 1st month - I have a feeling that if I'd stayed on them, it wouldn't have been hard at all). Oh and yes, I did have some crazy dreams - mine were always about frustration - and usually had me fighting someone in my dream. No, I'm not a violent person)

belladonna786

My husband used it to quit it worked, he had crazy vivid nightmares. Was smoke free for 8 months.

Ps. last month he started smoking again the dumb *kitten*

jsj024519

I used the patch. Been smoke free for 97 days!

Keto_T

I quit using Chantix 5 years ago Aug 8, 2012. No weird side effects for me. Followed the online program closely. Did all the activities.

rml_16

I've never been a smoker, but I have friends who thought it was the best thing on earth and friends who experienced some awful side effects.

Hellbent_Heidi

It gave me psychotic and realistic dreams that were so disturbing that I had to go off it. ...but some people have NO side effects and love it. It seems to be different for everyone!

I quit almost a year ago using the patch for a while...along with lots of water, and starting the C25K program at the same time.

Whatever you do...keep trying till you're free of the bad habit...its SO wonderful being out from under the control of nicotine! Download the QuitNow app if you have a smartphone too...its free and helps you track money saved and health improvements...its helpful for staying motivated...

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Morgenlstar

Have you looked into electronic cigarettes? I got one about 3 weeks ago and have not had a cigarette in 2..

76tech

I have several friends who used it. Each one of them went back to smoking due to side effects. I've heard of others that used ti successfully.

Personally, I quit cold turkey for a couple years. Went back to it, cold turkey again, been smoke free for four years now.

Drink water, and when you get a craving move your body. If even to open a window, jiggle the thermostat, whatever.

Dub_D

Yep. This January will be 2 years since I quit.

It f*cks up your life the whole time your on it, but it's worth it.

Temporalia

I used it last year, it worked well, didn't feel like smoking or anything but I am part of the small number of people who get suicidal, extremely depressed and extremely agressive on that pill, some days I couldn't get myself out of the house and I would feel like punching bf for no reason other than him talking to me. If you ever feel it's coming, quit the medication and you'll be ok. If you don't have that symptom, it works great. Vivid dream were another thing, but I could live with it.

So follow your instincts once you're on that pill.

EmilyOfTheSun

Chantix worked WONDERS for me. Some people say they have really fu*ked up dreams when they take it. I always have fu*ked dreams so I didn't notice anything different. I had zero side affects. I didn't even have to use the whole package of it.

Eric53066

I took it several years ago and it was fairly easy to quit smoking on it, but I had crazy dreams. A few months after I was off of it I had a heart attack at 37 years old. No history of it in the family. There's been some studies done that Chantix increases heart risks. Maybe it was a coincidence that I was on Chantix before my heart attack, or maybe the Chantix had something to do with it.

Either way, quitting smoking is something everyone should try to do. I don't really care if people smoke or not, and I will have the occasional one here or there when out with friends, but from a financial and health issue, I really think it's stupid.

ChitownFoodie

Boyfriend used it and didn't smoke for 9 months. However, he did have crazy dreams where I would end up waking him up at night because he was talking in his sleep. SMH! Nothing bad happened, but he would also sleep walk and I'd find him on the porch just standing around.

FlyByJuly

I'm 4 days away from hitting my 4-month mark of being a non-smoker. I did use Chantix. I also read Allen Carr's EASYWAY To Stop Smoking. I had been a pack-a-day smoker for about 11 years. I used only the starter pack of Chantix. I'm pretty sure Allen Carr's book was what helped me not need to use more Chantix. The only side-effects I had were the vivid dreams, which I kind of enjoyed. Good luck to you!

t2kburl

I quit with Chantix. But, I think, once you stop taking the Chantix it is almost like you just quit.
I highly recommend Allen Carr's Easy Way program. A 1 hour video will forever change how you think about smoking.

GiddyupTim

Like almost all smokers, I started when I was young. I mean, nobody starts smoking when they are older, right? Duh. It turns out the younger you are when you start the heavier a smoker you become, generally speaking.
I was 13 year old when i started smoking every day.
I think I made my first serious attempt at quitting smoking when I was 24 years old.
I finally succeeded three years ago, when I was 49 years old, and it was entirely due to Chantix. Some people have an oral-hand habit. I guess I did not have much of that. Mine was a pure physical addiction, and Chantix took that away.
People talk about bad dreams and the like. But, I found I was much worse off trying to quit without the drug. When I tried to quit without it, my skin would crawl. I would sweat. I would become incredibly spacey and unable to hold a thought.
I once opened my car door in front of a oncoming car and I once walked into the wrong apartment, thinking it was my own. That is just two examples off the top of my head.
I also became very fierce, and that was really not good.
Chantix spared me all that.
Now, all that said, I had a hard time getting my health insurance to pay for it, and I believe there are two, related reasons. The drug is on patent so it is expensive, and, even though it worked for me (where nothing else did), it is really not that effective according to studies. Those studies show that there is maybe an additional 5 percent of attempted quitters who are still successful at one year relative to placebo.
I hope that does not discourage you though. It worked for me, like a charm, and I was desperate.
Feel free to friend me if you need support.

lalos_dad

Medications affect people differently. For me Chantix was an extremely effective drug. On my quit date, I probably had less than half the desire to smoke than usual and by the second week, my desire was down to 20 percent or less, and falling. On the other hand, I suffered from numerous side effects. Multiple dreams every night, though not unusual ones. Waking up multiple times every night. Nausea of course. Skin rashes, including hives. And neuropsychiatric symptoms as well. I managed this by going to half the dosage, which Pfizer group studies show is almost as effective as the full dosage. In any event, cutting the dosage in half did not make me want to smoke any more. I recommend Chantix, but I also recommend that you be very careful using it.

ExplorinLauren

Thank you guys for the responses..

I really think I would like to try it. I've tried other things and they don't seem to work. I like that it has worked for most of you!
I would also like Allen Carrs Easy Way....

I'm a little scared of the dreams and sleep walking ... when my husband is gone on deployment I'm here taking care of 4 kids alone, I can't be out wandering the streets in a sleeping state
I'm def waiting til he is back home!!!

lilreddress

Okay, so how much is this Chantix? I know some of you are going to say that it pays for itself when you're not buying cigarettes, but I have a problem with shelling out a lot of money all at once versus $5 a day. I want to quit smoking but I have a huge irrational fear of becoming overweight. The other problem I have is that my boyfriend smokes, and last time I tried to quit, I picked it back up after 3 weeks simply because I couldn't stand the smell on him. I rathered being able to cuddle with him and everything than be a nonsmoker. Or maybe that's just what I used to justify my failure of quitting. I'm having a hard time losing weight with being a smoker now; so the fear of how much worse that could be when I quit is what keeps me from doing so. Help!