Anyone use "CHANTIX" to help quit?

[suede]

HI,
My DH and I are both wanting to quit and the dr gave us a script for chantix.
I wanted to know if anyone has tried this.
I have smoked for over 40 yrs and quit once only to be stupid enough to pick them up again..
Thanks for any info anyone may have..
Linda

[teddiebears]

I've heard a little bit about it but since it was just approved by FDA in May 2006, I don't personally know anyone who has tried it.

The Chantix medication and 52 week quit plan program does sound like it might be a very good choice for someone who is determined to quit smoking. I'd love to hear more about your experiences with it. :)

Thanks for stopping by........

[suede]

teddibears, Thank you for your reply, I happened to find a thread about this med. on another forum.
I have to say I'm leary of these medications but will let youknwo how it goes should I deciede to fill the RX.
Linda

[teddiebears]

Linda - I do understand your reservations about trying these medications - I often have had similar concerns. From the little I've heard or read about this one though, it sounds promising.

I wish you the best of luck whether you choose to use this medication or to quit without it. You're welcome to post here any time!! :)

[Fancylady]

If you would have know me back when I did smoke, you wouldn't believe I could quit. I had no medicine, but promised God I would quit if he would give us a child. He did and I quit. It was hard, I'll admit and the feeling comes over a person every once and a while that a smoke would taste good. You and I both know that it is not the answer to anything.

Let me tell you this. My husband did smoke since a teenager, and he died of lung cancer also. If you could see what he went thru, I think you could quit also. I thank the Lord for the strength He gave to me, to turn away from it. All those years creep up on you and all of a sudden your health is bad. It happen with Bob, he quit too but eventually went back to it, for it was to late anyway. He had been told he was going to die from from it. He took Radiation and Chemo and got real sick in 3 months and passed away.

I hope you have found the strength to stop. The pills didn't help my husband. They made him feel like he had the flu. When he stopped, that all went away. I have heard others say the same thing. Good Luck, and do yourself a favor and quit before its to late. My husband had cancer all over by the time it killed him and you don't want that.
Hugs,
Billie:)

[Hoosier Mama?]

I started taking Chantix on Jan 2, '07, and haven't smoked (or wanted to!) since Jan 9th (you can continue to smoke that first week)

I've smoked 2-3 packs a day for the past 30+ years. I even smoked in the shower, for crying out loud, if that tells you anything.:rolleyes:

Anyway, this treatment has worked a miracle for me. I had nearly become defeated after trying several other methods to quit, and I began to really worry that I'd never be able to do it.

The beauty of this medication is that after the first week, your brain is no longer addicted to nicotine. Technically, it has been restored to a 'pre-smoking' state, just like it was before you ever even had your very first smoke. Any urges you might have from that point on would be strictly behavioral/psychological. That's not to say that it's purely effortless on the quitter's part....I think you do have to have a focused mindset from the beginning....because you'll still get those triggers.

The good thing is that you can easily brush those thoughts aside...and they stay gone, instead of pounding into your brain every ten seconds: 'Grab a cigarette, grab a cigarette'. And, if you've ever tried to stop smoking, I know you know what I'm talking about.

I'm a little over two months now without a cigarette.:cool: ...I actually enjoy days now when I don't even think about it at all. And my husband remains a heavy smoker, smokes in the house, and I continue to be quite neutral about it....it's weird.

I started this process after I won a local Fox News contest whereby they selected ten winners to participate in their "Help Me Quit" program, with our agreement that they can follow our stories for six months.

I've been featured on the news twice, including an interview with myself and family at our home. My health insurance co. has asked me to speak to their marketing committee, telling them of my experience with this whole process.

I don't know what the success rate with Chantix is overall, but I'm guessing it's quite high. I would highly suggest it to anyone who really wants to stop smoking. It's very costly though (approx. $600 for a six mo. treatment), but many health insurances are beginning to cover it, so it's worth checking into. Ah, If I ruled the world, we'd be giving this stuff away.:D

[suede]

Congrats,
I'm so happy for you.
I have smoked now for over 40 yrs, at least a pack a day and sometimes up to three.
I started the Chantix, two weeks ago, just started my 3rd pack of pills today and I'm sorry to say I'm not doing as well as you I have cut way back and admit that it is psychological that I haven't quit.
Again way to go..
Linda

[Hoosier Mama?]

Linda...

Hey, don't get discouraged...just keep your eye on the ball, so to speak. I hope it starts to show better results for you soon. Just don't give up...Hang in there. :)

For me, it was empowering to let myself trust in the process. Looking neither right nor left, but straight ahead...ignoring those mental prompts to smoke.

I'm still so 'got' by how well this has worked for me, that I'm now a little worried about what will happen when the treatment ends. I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall...although the doctor says that there should be no notable difference...

One of the possible side-effects of Chantrix is 'lucid dreaming'....I'm paraplegic and have intractable pain, so I haven't dreamt in four years...I just never am able to reach and remain in that REM state, I suppose. Anyway, I'm now having dreams, at least twice a week, and I'm really enjoying that. Hate to see it go.

[suede]

Hoosier Mama,
I'm not giving up!!
However I sure am glad you said something about dreaming, I take it that would include nightmares, I sure had one last night that took me by surprise and couldn't figure where it came from, now maybe I understand better.
Linda

[Kittianne54]

I just came across this site by wandering off the MS site and it caught my eye. I notice the posts are rather old, but I'll add mine.

I quit by using Chantix after a pack a day for 38 years. My insurance company covers it, but I have a high co-pay. I figure it's still a lot less than I spent on cigarettes. I quit 3/18. It's a 12 week course, but some docs prescribe a second twelve weeks for reinforcement (mine did). The insurance will only cover 24 weeks.

It's not a magic pill, you have to want to quit. It blocks the nicotine receptors in your brain, so it thinks you never smoked. I still get occasional cravings, but they're fleeting and much easier to deal with. The biggest complaint I heard was nausea, but they say if you hang in there it passes in 15-20 minutes. Taking it with food is supposed to help. I haven't experienced any side effects.

I love it. Everywhere you go it's 'smoke free' now, and I don't spend half my time plotting when or where I can have a smoke! Freedom!

[Kittianne54]

I forgot! I was told the nicotine is out of my system, so there would be no difference when the medication ends. I've been reading on another site about people trying to get off the patch!

[teddiebears]

I quit by using Chantix after a pack a day for 38 years. My insurance company covers it, but I have a high co-pay. I figure it's still a lot less than I spent on cigarettes. I quit 3/18. It's a 12 week course, but some docs prescribe a second twelve weeks for reinforcement (mine did). The insurance will only cover 24 weeks.

It's not a magic pill, you have to want to quit. It blocks the nicotine receptors in your brain, so it thinks you never smoked. I still get occasional cravings, but they're fleeting and much easier to deal with.

CONGRATULATIONS! It's always a pleasure to hear another 'success' story. :D Since I quit smoking 11-1/2 years ago, long before Chantix was made available, I like hearing about how well it has worked (or not) for others who are using it today. ;) Keep up the good work. Remember, nicotine addiction isn't the only addiction to be concerned about when quitting. Often our emotional or psychological addiction to smoking can draw us back in (a relapse) when we least expect it, if we aren't careful. ;)

[Laura]

Hi,
I started Chantix about seven weeks ago. I had my last cigarette about a month ago. I quit after a week, then had a few relapses for the next couple of weeks. I found it has really helped make quitting easier, I have quit LOTS of times before, but it still wasn't painless. I think the only way to make it totally painless would to be to put me in a coma for a few months. ;) I also used a patch for the first few days of each quit. Maybe I am just a big wuss.

My insurance doesn't cover it, and I don't have much money. I still figure it is worth it. The price of cigarettes alone is as much as the medication at one pack per day. Personally, I recommend it. And yes, I have problems with nausea, serious ones, more than 15-20 minutes, unless I take it with a large meal, which I normally only eat once a day (the medication is twice daily). I still recommend it. And if you don't immediately quit, keep trying.

Laura

[jimmy412]

I started Chantix a week ago, does the dreaming stop after awhile for those of you that have tried it?

[suzie0613]

Im starting my Chantix today. Say a prayer.......

[jingle]

Best wishes Suzie --:D

I've said a prayer asking God to support you. He was with me all the way.

Please come back and let us know how you're doing. We'll listen........

[suzie0613]

Thanks Jingle. I made it through Day 1..no side effects so far. I did drink lots of water and that seemed to help. I did smoke a bit but I have to tell you ...don't know if it's my imagination or what...but I wasnt dwelling on thinking about smoking..it was strange. I suddenly realized that after about 7 hours...I had only smoked about 6 cigarettes...weird..i just didnt think about it..LOL!

[jingle]

I don't have ANY idea how Chantix works or what it does ....I just hope it works to help you quit smoking FOREVER. :D

I used the patches just a couple of months.

I think just about any method will work if you use it faithfully and manage to keep the QUIT thought ahead of everything else.

Prayer did more for me than anything else and I recommend it highly :)

[gizmogirl]

Just for completeness (I tried Chantix after 9 years on nicotine replacement therapy), I thought I would write this up for others to know about when they try Chantix, which I highly recommend. A vanishingly small subset of smokers who are very addicted to nicotine, will not want to use Chantix. But EVERYONE should try it out. Just watch out for the extremely rare case where you get massive withdrawal symptoms combined with massive anxiety and virtually suicidal depression within the first 3 days of using Chantix. Simply stop taking the drug and you will be fine in 3 days. It can be traumatic, but a temporary trauma is worth risking to quit. I am not talking about the anxiety and depression that generally go along with any great undertaking like quitting smoking. I am talking about a very sudden onset (within 3 days), drastic incapacitation. There are only theories about who might get it, and the reaction is so rare. (Since Chantix completely blocks the receptors for nicotine, maybe a very few people have other neurotransmitters dependent on those?)
I do, however, wish that it were in the package instructions, because you are so 'psyched' up that you try to tough it out for a few days when it is 100% incapacitating - toughing it out for 2 or 3 days after you stop is bad enough.
Again, let me emphasize that I am talking about extreme and sudden onset withdrawal/depression/anxiety that is 100% incapacitating that makes you curl into a ball or plan suicide. I don't want to discourage ANYONE from trying Chantix, which is an excellent alternative to nicotine replacement therapy or cold turkey, and is the first thing to try if those haven't worked for you. Also, if all three methods have failed, try to use high dosage gum or spray to give you variation in nicotine levels like smoking does.
Good luck!

[4paws]

hey all,
I stopped in a month and a half after 30 years of lighting up! yahooooooo.
I really liked the dreams to me it was an added bonus!!!! I also felt like I didn't require as much sleep. Here is what I found just because it seems like a magic pill you still have to want to quit. I tried so many times in the past, with the patch , the gum ,yuk!!!! And then there was white knuckling it which really sucked! All in all I could handle the upset tummy, wild dreams and less sleep,because I'am a non smoker and I haven't been able to say that in 30 years!!!!! So hang in there ,try it and as Nike says "just do it"
4paws

[teddiebears]

hey all,
I stopped in a month and a half after 30 years of lighting up! yahooooooo.


CONGRATULATIONS!!! :D
DOESN'T IT FEEL GOOD TO BE SMOKE-FREE?