I have a prescription for Chantix but I'm terrified.

[ewells1014]

My mother in law swears by it and has been smoke free for almost a year now.  I'm TRULY terrified to start it after reading everything from the Chantix website, to patient reviews on drugs.com, to chantixhorrorstories.com  I'm generally healthy and the only thing I take is NP Thyroid (desiccated thyroid for Hashimoto's) and vitamins.  I don't drink.  I'm mentally healthy for the most part, but I do believe I may be mildly depressed.  (We moved 6-7 months ago, away from all friends and family, so my husband could start a new job.)  Other than the occasional anxiety (when I start to over think things, lol) I believe I'm mentally healthy.  I have never had a suicidal thought a day in my life.  

I am so scared I'll be the one in a million who has one of the truly bad side effects.  I realize if I start feeling "off" or otherwise bad, I can stop taking the medicine, but what worries me most at this point are the long term effects of taking it.  I've read a couple reviews where people swear the drug somehow "rewired" their brain, and where they were never anxious/depressed/angry before, they are now--many months after coming off Chantix.  

I'm looking for personal experiences how Chantix worked for you or close friends/family.  Did you feel mentally "well" after stopping the medicine?  Did you go off the deep end and have a mental break while (or after) using Chantix?

[TW517]

I've tried it twice.  Once by itself, and once with Wellbutrin (which is an anti-depressant and has also been used for anxiety).  I did have some pretty wild, vivid dreams, but neither time helped with my smoking and I had none of the other scary side-effects.  In fact, I have several friends and family members who have taken it and none were able to quit smoking with it.  That doesn't mean it doesn't work for some.  There are many on this site that swear by it.  I think it is a hit or miss thing.  You can always stop taking it if you have any of the side-effects you are worried about.

That being said, there is no reason you have to use a quit smoking aid at all if you don't want to.  Many people here, including myself, quit cold turkey very successfully.  Please don't talk yourself into saying you can't quit without an aid.  It's the old, "If you think you can or think you can't, you are probably right".

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

I took Chantix successfully and quit with none of the side or after effects noted.  With that being said, I did only take it for about three weeks, one before I quit and two after.  I ended up in the hospital after that, they didn't provide it, after I got home I had no idea how much to take, so i just stopped it.  Didn't lose my quit!

Can you ask hubby to keep an extra special eye on you and to promise you he will alert you to anything he considers different?  You might talk to your doctor about your fears, and ask what the absolute least amount of time you might take it for it still to be effective.

This was my first and final quit, so I don't have any other methods with which to compare it.

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

 Nancy

[beazel]

I used Chantix with no side effects - except for awesome dreams, which I loved. It also didn't do anything for me as far as quitting went. I don't think I truly wanted to quit at the time, it was just the next thing "to try".

However my boss quit using Chantix, and I need to add that she was a horrible boss, and for that matter an awful person.

Funnily enough, she was really nice and happy, much to our surprise. We were expecting the devil on steroids.

Just remember there is no magic potion, you will have to do the heavy lifting whatever method you chose.

Please read & learn about the addiction - there is tons of information here - it will be one of the best tools you could wish for. And the folks here will be a super support system every step of the way - we all understand the quit journey.

Commit. You can do this!!!!

[PastTense]

I tried Chantix a couple of years ago.  It gave me severe vertigo on the 3rd or 4th day of using it.  I stopped immediately and had no long term affects.

If Chantix scares you, there are other meds out there.  Wellbutrin (sp?) works for a lot of people.

The meds and the NRT can help, but the actual quitting part is on you.

IMHO, the support and community you get in this site is the KEY ingredient for a successful quit.

It's working for me.

PT

Day 6

[JACKIE1-25-15]

I did not use Chantix but I used Welbutrin which is an ANTI depression drug so no I did not go off the deep in.  In fact I felt better.  I used the drug according to my doctor's direction.  I had no side affects except not being able to sleep so I used it earlier in the day so that it would not affect my sleep.  I only used it for a specific period of time and felt mentally well.  Since Welbutrin is not an addictive drug I did not have to wean myself from it.  I truly believe that all of the issues that you are concerned with should be discussed with your doctor.  As it has been stated.  You have to do what will work for you.  There is no magic cure you still have to go through withdrawal from nicotine which part of the process to be free  whether you use an aide or not 

[Barbscloud]

I understand your concern about suicidal thoughts.  Chantix and Welbutrin (true for any antidepressant drug)  can both cause them.  I've used both.  The Chantix I stopped because it effected my stomach so much.  I used Welbutrin and nicotrol inhalers to quit this time.  I wasn't on the Chantix long and didn't have suicidal thoughts with the Welbutrin.  You can just stop Chantix.  As Nancy said, I just made sure those around knew I was on the medication just in case my behavior did change.  With all medications, they're required to present the worse case scenario, but you should consult with your doctor to address your concern.  It's important to be an informed consumer.   There are nicotine replacement options also.   

Concentrate on positive aspects of quitting and use this site for support.

Barb

[constanceclum]

I tried it a couple of times even while being treated for depression and had no mental complications from it. The main symptom I had as well as a lot of other people I know that have tried it, was bad nausea to the point of not being able to tolerate it.

Connie

[Barbara145]

I took it several years ago for a little over a week.  I did not like it so I stopped it.  No side effects at all after I quit taking it.  I am a small female 110 lbs and I was about 59 years old at that time.

[TriGirl]

I took the starter pack and stopped after because it made me feel nauseous and I knew I wasn't going to smoke anymore anyway. I think in the early days, it was very helpful in that I KNEW the meds would block the nicotine if I did smoke and so it was pointless to even try. I am on medication for depression and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at one point in my life. I was on the lookout for sneaky thoughts, but I didn't experience any besides my nicotine monster trying to convince me I wasn't through with him. 

Everyone is different. I think you'd like a guarantee that it will be 100% safe for you, but it is just not possible. You sound really nervous about it, so why don't you try your first quit without and then determine if you need the med support?