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The medicine is there...waiting and I am a nervous wreck about going to pick it up.
About ten years ago I started Chantix, quit smoking quickly, but quit taking the Chantix too soon and picked the cigarettes back up.
I really want it to work for me this time but I'm nervous about starting it.
Anyone else have trouble actually starting the med?
Thank you for replying.
I actually headed to the pharmacy just after posting the message above.
I have the Chantix in hand and am planning to start taking it on Monday when I can stay home for a few days.
Do you mind me asking what side effect bothered you the most?
Hi Sonia! Do NOT take Chantix!!!!!! I was warned about it. And I took it anyway. Just google “Chantix Horror stories” (it will auto fill in the words). I know so many people who took and it and not only did it not curb my cravings. It altered my brain chemistry so that I ended up hallucinating. I never took hallucinogenic a for a reason because I was afraid of having a bad trip.) Chantix is like bad acid that lasts in your system for years. I still smoked through it, I had terrifying hallucinations for the first time in my life, crashed my car and ended up in the hospital for 3 days. I have now (2 years later and thousands (and thousands more) of dollars in therapy for myself and my entire family after the trauma of Chantix Actually quit... I am on day 3 cold turkey with the finest help from a Blu vape yesterday and the day before, and one tiny hit this morning.
just do not take Chantix! I filed a letter with the FDA about the dangers of Chantix and missed the deadline to sue Pfizer for the horrible drug reaction. It used to be a black label drug and has NO BUSINESS being on the market at all. Quit any other way or even don’t quit, just do let take that drug!!! And read up more on bad reactions to Chantix. It can cause schizophrenic like symptoms (and I am a trained counselor/therapist!) it was terrifying.
good luck!
"I am on day 3 cold turkey with the finest help from a Blu vape yesterday and the day before, and one tiny hit this morning." Hmmmm, interesting. So I guess you're vaping the zero nicotine Blu?
What am I missing here?
I thought vaping was just as bad as smoking a cigarette. 
♀
Now you have a quit site loaded with quitters happy to listen as you work your quit and share about it. Go get the stuff. It is a tool to use--and you are the biggest part of the quit. Yes you can--one day at a time.
Thanks maryfreecig I picked it up and plan to start taking it on Monday.
I am more nervous/worried about the nausea feeling than I am about putting the cigarettes down.
I'm excited to start this journey.
Gotta be counter measures for the nausea right? Diet, over the counter, when taken? What can anyone of us do but stay tuned into what will make it all work. Thanks for the update and clarification.
Welcome to the community!
It is normal to fear the unknown. If you do the reading and preparation I will recommend, it should take some of the uncertainty out of it and you might even be excited to get started - REALLY!
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 easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware. I credit it in large part with my success at quitting. You can search for it online or at your local library.
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.
After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract. I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another. You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them.. For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum. For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion, 3) it maintains the addiction to nicotine, and 4) they are proving to be unsafe.
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-instead-of-smoke
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
Thank you Nancy... I've read a few of the mentioned sites above already.
I've made the decision that I am quitting.
I'm just trying to psych myself up to start taking the medicine.
I know it's scary, but you can do this!!!!!
Please stick around, read, read & read some more - the education you will get here about this horrible addiction is a huge tool in helping you achieve your sticky quit. We all understand, so post often - it really helps!
Come on.....one day at a time......
Just keep telling yourself this is one of the best things you will ever do for yourself and for the ones who love you. You CAN do this...don't be scared. We all did and we are no different from you.
Welcome to EX...we are all here for each other.
Stay Strong.
Try it! It’s not going to kill you like cigarettes will. It’s not as bad as people say it really helps so just try you can always stop. I cut each pill in half and did it that way. Worked great everyone is different but don’t be scared to try it. I never had to take more than one pill a day it really saved me!
I took Chantix for over six months. Do not be afraid, talk to your providers and tell them how you are doing, I did feel nauseous when taking it. I ate first then took it
Welcome to the Ex. With any medication there can be side effects. I took it once, but it bothered my stomach too much, so I stopped. Follow the directions-you do continue smoking for a period of time after you begin the Chantix. It is an aid, so you still need to do the work. Don't be nervous--you only have to quit for one day at a time. Looking forward to celebrating your quit.
Barb
HiTexasKiki - I'm on my last round of Chantix and so far, so good. I thought about stopping it early due to some of the minor side effects I've experienced from it, but I don't trust myself enough. I only have a few weeks left on it, I'm so glad I tried it. I know NRT's are not for everyone, but I've quit could turkey and with Wellbutrin in past attempts to quit smoking, and so far, Chantix has been more successful for me this go around.
Best wishes to you for a successful quit!