cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Give and get support around quitting

Lisaml
Member

Chantix issues

I stopped chantix a few days ago for unpleasant nightmares. (I had already decreased to 1/day) 

HOWEVER, my urges to smoke are lighting up like crazy. 

Has anyone gone through rough issues with chantix? Is there a way to continue taking it and combatting the bad thoughts/nightmares?!  I'm wondering if taking it in the morning would help? 

Or should I just throw in the towel completely (on the chantix) 

Any advice appreciated! 

Tags (1)
0 Kudos
28 Replies
anaussiemom
Member

Perhaps hot cocoa or warm milk may counteract, the dreams some.  Sometimes it helps rest well.

Prayers for a good nights rest.

Lisaml
Member

Thanks, Kim. 

Its an awful feeling to be stuck in a real nightmare and not be able to climb back to the surface!!!!

making a cup of hot tea now 

0 Kudos
minihorses
Member

Hey Lisami!  How are you doing?  I've been blessed to have no problems with the Chantix. I'm just having to deal with the extra depression I think it's caused.  I have a friend that was able to control the nightmares by just taking it in the morning.  I've had days that I've only remembered one pill but not had any more cravings than at any other time.  I have 3 or 4 days of it left and am honestly nervous as all get out about stopping it.  I hope you can either continue with Chantix or get relief with NRT and keep all your hard work at this quit! Have a good night.

Lisaml
Member

Thank you so much! I took it this morning, and will pray for peaceful dreams. 

I wouldnt mind the dreams at all if they included Justin Timberlake, or some other sexy thing dancing... but my dreams have been ugly, full of rage and catastrophic events    

cheers to sweet dreams!!!

Flojoe77
Member

I’ve been taking Chantix for 2 weeks now and still smoking but cut down a lot. I hope it works and I hope side effects won’t kick in because so far I have none. My mom also is on Chantix for one month now, her side effects are very bad with nausea, vomiting and she sleeps most of the day cause Chantix are making her very tired, so today she told me she is not taking them anymore and that made me sad because she was just diagnosed with emphezima a month ago so that’s why we both started Chantix.does anyone get that sleepy with Chantix? 

Lisaml
Member

No, I don't get sleepy. I did get nauseated. (Like REALLY nauseated) and strong nightmares. 

i found that taking it anout 30 min after eating really helped. 

i would imagine that if you're already 2 weeks in and having no problem, it will be smooth sailing!! 

Maybe your mom will be so encouraged at your progress that she will give it another try;-) 

Roller831
Member

I used Chantix.  I took it for about 3 weeks and stopped it because the side effects were so bad.  I quit smoking after taking it for one week and then stayed on it for the next two to help with those cravings until the nicotine was out of my system for the most part.

I did take it in the mornings and built up the dose as recommended in the starter pack.  If it is really giving you a hard time, call your doctor since there could be alternatives to help you (like Wellbutrin).

At the end of the day, you are smoke and nicotine free!  You may be having urges and cravings, but you can get through them one at a time!  Do your reading here and look for /blogs/JACKIE1-25-15-blog/2015/07/09/what-is-your-crave-buster?sr=search&searchId=7b6ebf6a-5465-4c05...‌ This blog has lots of great info https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/message/109313-for-our-new-years-quitters-and-community-members-t...

Roller

Lisaml
Member

Thanks! 32 days and I really am doing okay. 

I am able to think of smoking in the past tense, although I do crave it sometimes. Thanks for the links! 

I have found my winning combination for the chantix I think. 

I've been taking it in the mornings or right after lunch. Whenever my belly is full 😉 

then at bedtime, 25 mg of Benadryl. Allows me to sleep through the nightmares! So YAY!!!! 

anaussiemom
Member

#Chantixissues

IDK  Have a brother in law who was on Chantix"  took him almost a year, taking it and finally stopped smoking.   He said he didnt expereince any bad dreams............He never slept!!   After he went OFF Chantix,   he started sleeping a lot.   You decide.  Lisaml 

( I spend a lot of  time at my sis's.)

This article below came from another cessation site.  Knowledge is Power.


A few words of caution about varenicline (Chantix and Champix). Never in the history of cessation products have we seen
such a wide array of serious side effects, including death.

And here's the problem. We can't accurately predict who will and won't sustain harm. What can be asserted with confidence is that varenicline is not the magic cure, or nearly as effective in real-world use, as Pfizer marketing suggests.

Three studies pitted varenicline against NRT: Aubin 2008, Tsukahara 2010 and Dhelaria 2012. In each, varenicline failed to show statistical significance over NRT when looking at the percentage of quitters within each group who were still not smoking at 24 weeks.[1]

The Aubin study notes that two varenicline users experienced severe depression, with suicidal ideation causing one to be hospitalized 11 days after ending use. It found that among 376 Chantix users and 370 patch users that the likelihood of a Chantix users experiencing vomiting was 5.5 times greater, that decreased sense of taste was 5.3 times greater, abdominal pain x5, disturbances in attention x4.5, nausea x4, flatulence x4, constipation x3, headaches x2, dizziness x2, diarrhea x2, with 2.3 times as many Chantix users complaining of fatigue.

Does it make sense to assume significantly increased risks, including risk of death, without a significant increase in your odds of success?

England's "Stop Smoking Services" (NHS SSS) may offer the most comprehensive government sponsored cessation services of any nation. Services include free individual or group counseling and support.

A 2008 study analyzed NHS SSS program performance. It found that at four weeks after starting varenicline use (Champix in the UK) that 63% of users were still not smoking as compared to 48% using nicotine replacement products (NRT) such as the nicotine patch, gum or lozenge, and 51% who stopped smoking without use of any product.[2]

While at first blush it appears that varenicline has the lead, keep in mind that these are four-week results and that both varenicline and NRT users still face another 4-8 weeks of "treatment" before trying to adjust to living and functioning with natural brain dopamine stimulation.

The only long-term English evidence is from an April 2005 study that examined one-year success rates.[3] That study did not include varenicline as it wasn't yet on the market. It found that while 25.5% of those who attempted to stop without using any pharma product were still smoke-free at one year, only 15.2% of NRT users and 14.4% of bupropion (Zyban) users were still not smoking.

I strongly suspect that varenicline one-year rates are likely slightly better than NRT (due to pill swallowing being easier than hourly chewing or daily patching) but significantly worse than cold turkey.

Don't expect any researcher to ever include a copy of FFN-TJH or Joel's book as part of any fair, open-label study pitting cold turkey against varenicline or NRT. Doing so would produce a cold turkey victory that would destroy the industry's golden goose. Also, any researcher bold enough to conduct such a study would never receive pharma industry study funding again.

Joel's poll suggestion - Joel has also written extensively on pharma industry cessation products. He was warning about nicotine gum's ability to foster relapse or become a crutch, as early as 1984.[4]

He encourages those contemplating using industry products to take their own poll of all successful long-term ex-users who have remained nicotine-free for at least a year.[5] He encourages us to believe our own survey findings.

Joel reminds us that smoking declined from 42% to 23% over the past 40 years, but that the drop-off stalled in the 1990s. He finds it curious because that's when pharma industry NRT started experiencing widespread use.

"Nicotine gum was first approved for use in America in 1984, by prescription only. In 1991 and 1992, four patches were approved for prescription use. In 1996 all controls broke loose as the gum and two of the four patches went over-the-counter and Zyban (bupropion) was just coming into the fray."[6]

"Lets hope not too many miracle products for smoking cessation get introduced in the future as it may result in skyrocketing smoking rates," suggests Joel.

Why delay and extend withdrawal and neuronal re-sensitization for weeks or months? Keep in mind that a 7mg. nicotine patch delivers the nicotine equivalent of smoking seven cigarettes a day.

In the end, all drug addicts who successfully recover must give-up their drug. In fact, all who successfully arrest their dependency eventually go cold turkey.

It is then and there that the rule for staying free becomes the same for all ... no nicotine just one day at a time.


0 Kudos
Lisaml
Member

I disagree. 

The patch provides a gradual decline, and doesn't require an eventual "cold turkey". 

As wonderful as Joel is, he can't speak to what will work for ME, you, etc. 

We have options. We can educate ourselves and choose our best option to ensure a lasting quit. 

0 Kudos