Chantix...

I've never taken Chantix, but I took Zyban (aka Wellbutrin) and I dealt with insomnia, anxiety, and unnatural amounts of energy... and I crashed hard when I stopped taking it.

WebMD says that, compared to Zyban:

The four-week continuous quit rates for the various treatments were:

* 48% for 1 mg Chantix twice daily
* 37% for 1 mg Chantix daily
* 33% for Zyban
* 17% for the placebo

Sounds to me like there is some promise to it, and if nothing else, it deserves a bump.

Me and my ex both took it. I had great results. My ex on the other hand became very moody and VERY easy to get upset. I saw on tv that there are class action law suits on the drug due to suicides.

My best friend is on chantix. He gets an upset stomach if he doesn't take it with a meal or glass of milk.

I have had 4 family members use that. One it worked great for, no problems. Two had to quit because of the "vivid" dreams. And One quit because he actually got one of the really rare side effects which was depression.

The vivid dreams are basically hallucinations that are nightmarish. My aunt described it as feeling like she was in alice in wonderland.

The depression is actually a fairly common side effect in men over age 30 that have been long term smokers and are trying to quit, but my cousins depression was bad enough that he wasn't just a bit blue, he was thinking thoughts beyond that.

Also there is a cash settlement available to former chantix users or chanitx user families if the patient committed suicide, developed severe depression or developed diabetes while on or just after being taken off of the chantix.

There is a good rule of thumb on NEW medicines approved by the FDA and that is to not let yourself be the human guinea pig. You should see if how long the drug has been approved for humans, if 10 years or more you are pretty safe to take it.

Oh, and for my other aunt, she quit smoking after 30 years, she had no problems.

And I had an uncle that took zyban, recommended because he had smoked for so long, zyban contains a little zoloft to help prevent the depresssion onset after long term smoking.

Good Luck, no matter what you need to quit that crap

I was on Chantix for awhile. It does work...if you keep taking the pills. I'm really bad about remembering to take pills and then one night...well, I just went out and bought a pack and haven't taken any pills since. I plan to get another script for them soon and start back up.

I never really thought it would work for me. I'm sure it's different for everyone. Here's what it did for me while I was on it.

I got the starter pack and WHOAH! If I didn't eat something (a full meal, not just a granola bar or a piece of fruit), I was completely nauseous (horrible feeling). And this was just the starter pack (half the dosage of the regular). You start off by just smoking whenever you feel like it. You set yourself a "quit date" seven days after you start taking the pills. You start taking the full dosage after the second week. Once your quit date hits, you're supposed to quit all together. I didn't do that. I kept on smoking whenever I felt like it ('cuz I'm stubborn that way). But here's the thing...I was still smoking less anyway and it was because I just didn't even think about smoking. I didn't even realize how much I wasn't smoking for a few days. The thought of a cigarette just never entered my head and when it did, I would smoke. But that became less and less. By the end of the second month, I was down to one or two a day. The nausea gets less and less as time goes by too.

Then I bought a pack... And now I'm back and square one.

Anyway, this was my own personal experience with Chantix. I will be on it again. Other than the nauseousness, I don't remember suffering from any other side effects. *shrugs shoulders*

Good luck on finding what's right for you!

Not sure about Chantix, tried zyban, it was okay, but I didn't stay quit. I finally quit in May of this year. I am not saying this will cure you, but you should get the book Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking, really helps you get your mind wrapped around why you want to quit. It really helped me and I haven't cheated since I quit, not even one drag, nor do I crave it, or even want to anymore. I made a point of still doing the things I did before (like drinking) after I quit, so even when beer is involved, I would never smoke a cigarette. I know it sounds stupid to read a book to quit smoking but it does help.

At 18, I began smoking and quickly went to a pack a day. I tried cold turkey, slowly down sizing, Nicorette, everything. And then Suddenly, I just didn't smoke anymore. I would have a few if partying with friends or during my art classes, but I never bought any. The last time I smoked anything was about a year ago.

Forcing myself to quit made me want it more and Nicorette made me want to kill people. So....that's it, I guess! You have to want it or no prescription will help.

:flowerforyou:

No matter how long you have been smoke free the craving will always be there.

I dont agree that everyone still craves it. I dont. It occasionally enters my head for about a third of a second, and then its gone.

No matter how long you have been smoke free the craving will always be there.

I dont agree that everyone still craves it. I dont. It occasionally enters my head for about a third of a second, and then its gone.

I agree with the idea that the cravings will still pop up. BUT what sets them apart from the cravings you get now and when you try to quit is that they are weaker and you have learned a different way to deal with those stress and the triggers.