Chantix and it's side affects

March 23, 2007 3:29 PM

Chantix....Have you stopped smoking with it or had any experiences with it?

My Doc wants me to start on it and I will. I just want to get some Idea of how it will actually affect me and the side effects lists are useless because they don't give me any idea of how common each side effects is.

posted by Megafly to health & fitness (21 comments total)

Wife gets nauseous, me, no sides. Works great but you must want to quit. She and I both 30-35 year habits. I’m sure someone else will be more verbose.
posted by mrleec at 3:48 PM on March 23, 2007

my father, a 60 year smoker, is on it right now. he has no side effects and hasn't smoked in months. from what i read, 1 in 3 gets nauseaous.
posted by brandz at 4:16 PM on March 23, 2007

I have two very good friends on it, and they're doing quite well -- no smoking for months. In the beginning one female friend did have a little nausea but it subsided and she's still going strong.
posted by viachicago at 4:31 PM on March 23, 2007

My coworker used it.

Her side effects were mild and she is still smoke free going on six months now.
posted by MasonDixon at 4:45 PM on March 23, 2007

One of the members of my quit smoking forum quit using it. She had had problems staying quit in the past. She was thinking that the only downside was a mental fog, but the other forum members claim that was a side effect of quitting, not the drug. Good luck.
posted by b33j at 5:15 PM on March 23, 2007

My parents (both 40+ year smokers) have kicked the habit in recent months using it. My mom reported pretty weird dreams, but that's about it.

My wife started on it about two weeks ago and it was really kicking her butt, but she just went to the doctor today and was diagnosed with strep throat, so her experience is probably atypical.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 5:20 PM on March 23, 2007

Holy crap...I just started taking it 2 weeks ago (I almost used my last AskMe question about it.)

Comes in a large overpackaged box w/ 4 weekly envelopes of press-tab pills.

You get a 4 week supply:
Day 1-3 .5mg/day
Day 4-7 1mg/day (1 .5mg pill morning and night)
day 8-x 2mg/day (1 1mg pill morning and night)

They tell you to set a quit date and start taking the meds 1 week before said date.

You are supposed to drink plenty of water while taking Chantix. I typically drink nearly a gallon/day and I've had to significantly increase my intake (judging by urine color)

My experience thus far:Smoker for 18 years.


Started the monthly pack on a Saturday morning - set my quit date for 1 week later.
Within 2 hours, I started feeling a bit tired. 4-5 hours in, cigs started tasting a little more charcoal-y. I took a nap and...the DREAMS! I normally have very vivid dreams, but these were unreal.

Day 4 - Started waking up in the middle of the night..easy to go back to sleep...woke up in the AM feeling fine (Still having mind blowing dreams).

I'm not really getting a nicotine "buzz" anymore. Smoking is a little frustrating...I start smoking a bit more(2-3/day).

Day 7 - No buzz at all. Increased appetite. I can easily go without a cig w/out freaking out.
Tried to smoke the rest of my pack before going to bed so that I would have no smokes left for the morning - I wound up falling asleep w/ 5 left (note - I only smoked 1/2 pack on day 6 and 7)

Day 8 - Quit day. Take increased dosage. Feel pretty tired and a little nauseous. No problems w/ not smoking, but I'm HUNGRY. I proceed to eat mass quantities of food. Around 5pm I force myself to have a cigarette - my appetite is immediately reduced to zero. Between 7pm and 2am I smoke my last 4 cigs in the pack.

Day 9 - Wake up w/ no urge to smoke, but again, very hungry. I'm able to satisfy myself with lollipops until 3pm - I go buy a pack of smokes. I get nauseous everytime I smoke a cig.

Day 10 - back to work. I'm a zombie. I woke up no less than 6 times during the night. Each time it's sudden to a wide awake state.

Today = Day 14. Yes, I am still smoking. Yes, they taste like complete ass. I try to quit every day.

I can tell you exactly what's holding me back:

Appetite: I'm overweight, but radically changed my diet 3 months ago and have been slowly losing weight, I'm voracious without the cigs. I can satisfy myself with lollipops (or food), but I haven't found the right ones (I can't find good sugar free pops). I know that once I find them (hopefully tomorrow), I'm done with this smoking crap and can properly exercise the way I want to.

The Chantix really has disconnected me from the nicotine. I'm working on my insane oral fixation. Chantix does nothing for that.

After the long, here's the short:
Side effects:
Insane dreams (I love them..even the nightmares..not everyone does..I'm not exactly normal, you see)
Some nausea
Sleep problems

Sorry for the long post - I hope this helps.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:41 PM on March 23, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

Argh...I always forget things...

I meant to say that, as of 2 days ago, my sleeping has started to normalize and I have more energy in the morning. Today I was even bouncy. The side effects do pass in short order; you just may need to suffer for a few days.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:43 PM on March 23, 2007

All great answers. I really wish I didn't have to quit but the it's this or a potential dirt nap.
posted by Megafly at 6:26 PM on March 23, 2007

I smoked from the age of 18 until I was 54 years old. I tried to quit two times and went back to it within weeks.

At 54 I looked at my life and decided that I did NOT want to die sucking on an 02 mask. (it may have been too late, but it was compelling none the less).

I told myself that I was going to quit, and ripped up a pack of cigs. For three days it was a pain in the ass, for a couple of months I had to work at breaking the old habits.

Physically, even after that many years the effect was nothing... breaking the "light it up habit" was the worst part..

Quit, you can do it...anything you use to help is good, but the decision is yours... just DO IT!
posted by HuronBob at 6:53 PM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I just want to wish good luck to all of you trying to quit, and I'm patting you on the back for every day you make it without a smoke.
posted by vito90 at 11:17 PM on March 23, 2007

Thank you for asking this question, Megafly! I never heard of Chantrix, so your post (and the replies above) were very informative...

In the past, I've tried the patches, gum, OTC meds, and cold turkey. Each time, the result was the same: successfully quit for a couple months, but went back to smoking. My last attempt, last year, was a gradual reduction, with a set end-date, followed by nicotine gum. That worked pretty well for about 5 months, until a few "events" cropped up all at once (family illnesses, new a-hole boss at my job, etc.), and I fell back on the nasty habit.

Anyway, I'm gearing up for another attempt, so I was interested in your question about Chantrix. I did a little research & found this informative site:

"Will Chantix really help me quit smoking?"
http://whyquit.com/pr/082506.html

Not knowing anything about the site owner(s), I won't comment as to the authenticity of their claims (although they cite several of their statistics), but it's an interesting read.

But just like anything else, what works for some won't work for others... My brother quit cold turkey, my father quit via acupuncture, a co-worker quit by using Zyban, and a friend quit by using patches. Each would say the way they quit is "the best," and that all the other ways "don't work," so one person's recommendation is another person's warning.

Best bet? Try different methods; when one fails, try another. They key, though, is to keep trying.
-
Good luck!!
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posted by NYScott at 8:18 AM on March 24, 2007

I'm on my 4th week of Chantix. Upset stomach and trouble sleeping the 1st few days, no problems since. I have not quit smoking, not even cut back (yet) - but I haven't actively tried to - it doesn't seem to have changed anything for me.

But my husband is also on the 4th week and down to just 4 cigs per day (previous 2 pack a day habit) - he is actively trying, unlike myself.
posted by LadyBonita at 9:57 AM on March 24, 2007

Re: NYScott's link
Whyquit is an excellent quit smoking site except for their almost psychotic requirement that all members quit cold turkey.Last time I used their forum, I wasn't allowed to join until I could tell them that I had a. quit and b. was not using any nicotine replacement therapy.

Many of Joel Spitzer's essays are incredibly motivational and informative and have touched many quitters all over the world, but please always be aware of that little spin he puts to his articles.
posted by b33j at 11:18 PM on March 27, 2007

Cold turkey quitting always struck me as macho tom-foolery. YMMV. Thanks for posting this question, I too had never heard of this particular drug. Quitting is something I have to do. Otherwise, I'm fairly certain I'll be dead before my partner retires.
posted by Goofyy at 4:58 AM on March 28, 2007

I'm not sure if anyone is still following this..just wanted to give an update about Chantix:

Today is day 21 without a cig and I'm happy as clams (that's good :). I stopped taking the Chantix over a week ago and have had no problems. The urge is minimal. I'm not sure it would have been as easy without Chantix.

Granted, it's only been 3 weeks so far, but the struggle stopped after the first week. Good luck!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 9:00 AM on April 13, 2007

I smoked since I was 14...and now I'm 50...I tried everything to stop, and I even took up jogging, which I still do. I was jogging at 17 years old and I jog 5 miles every other day. My smoking cut down, but I was also using the gum and the patch and the top part of my heart was putting an extra beat into my heart, and It turned out overdosing in nictotine.
My doctor gave me Chantix and I started to take 1 tablet for two days, then 1 tablet for 4 days, and then 2 tablets once a day...and I have them for 11 weeks. 0.5 mg. is what I'm taking in each tablet.
I have been on them for 1 and 1/2 week now. It is amazing how relaxed I feel. You sort of feel less hyper and I found myself taking a nap which could last for 4 hours.
I never took naps before. I have a half of pack of Newport lights left. If i'm under stress I try to smoke, and after 4 drags I find myself putting it out as I feel sick. I sm. a day..by 4 drags only. i'm also chewing Dentyne gum. I noticed it is the HABIT that I have to break, so I sit at a different part of the table in the morning having my decaf coffee. You need to change where you go outside or inside the house and do something different there if you often smoked there.
I noticed the sleepy feeling is partly chantix and partly getting all that nicotine out of my system. Chantix really does help...good luck to all!!
posted by starcats at 2:40 PM on August 25, 2007

I am a 30 year smoker on Day Five of Chantix which meant increasing the dose. This is the first day I have felt rotten. On the sofa, hoping the side-effects will pass. Light-headedness and weakness. (Hope I am not having a heart attack!)

Here's what else is happening to date: Dreams! YeeeeeeHah! I like them. Like watching a surrealistic psychodrama in a dark theater all alone.

I feel pukey IF I don't take the meds. with a small amount of food. I take other meds. (antidepressants) as well and have not noticed any bad interactions.

I am smoking a bit less, eating a bit more and I don't care yet.
posted by RodeoclownGirl at 1:06 PM on September 10, 2007

I am on day four of my smoke free existence. Having dreams and feel a bit sick if I don't take the pills in half-doses with yogurt. However, the Chantix really does help me from being snippy with others and I obsess less over smoking than I have during past attempts.
posted by RodeoclownGirl at 9:18 PM on September 19, 2007

This is still open, so I figured I would post an update.

I just hit my 8th month since stopping smoking. I haven't had any urges to smoke at all (I even dated someone for a few months who was a heavy smoker). I think the Chantix worked :)
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 11:10 AM on November 28, 2007

This post is kinda old but I found it while looking for the side affects of Chantix, so maybe others will as well. Sounds like most of you have had good results with Chantix, as is what I hear from most people I've talked to as well. But as with any drug, there are always side affects, and always ones they don't tell us about that we have to find out about on our own. I have smoked for 21 years, and I have always been a die hard smoker. Gotta have that last smoke before I close my eyes at night and one as soon as my eyes open in the morning. I've wanted to quit for many years, since my early 20's, and have tried about everything on the market. Patches, gums, hypnosis, numerous times, but nothing ever worked, except the hypnosis, one time for about 3 weeks, but as soon as I got really stressed out, I went right back to smoking wide open. So hearing about this new pill, I decided if it worked, great, if not, I guess I'd just never quit. And as far as having to want to quit, I don't personally feel you have to want to quit to be able to quit on Chantix, because it blocks the receptors in your brain that receive the nicotine, so if you do smoke one, it makes you sick sometimes, or if not to that extent, it makes you mad because you are getting nothing out of the cigarette you are smoking. My personal experience with Chantix has been somewhat the same in some ways as the above, but very different in other ways. I have experienced some affects not mentioned above, that is why I chose to post this listing, since it's a little bit different than some of the ones above.

I started taking Chantix on Nov 27, 2007. Took my first pill that morning just "before" I ate breakfast. Big mistake. Eat before you take these pills, at least for the first week or so. I got very nauseous and lost my breakfast just shortly after finishing it. From now on I'll eat "before" taking it. I had all the usual affects as listed above. The weird dreams, the insomnia, but one I didn't see mentioned was how it affected my mood. I was so ill and so grouchy I couldn't stand to be around myself let alone anyone else. So bad to the point when I would get home from work, I would just go to sleep to get away from myself. This continued for several weeks. I convinced myself it was from the lack of nicotine I was getting, since the drug was doing it's job and my brain wasn't getting any nicotine, so it was like nicotine withdrawl. But it was bad. I did not quit smoking or even cut back till I hit week 7. Many others seem to be able to quit within the first few weeks, but I had no desire to quit, and I wasn't getting that bad taste in my mouth when I smoked, so, I just kept right on smoking. Then, down to my last pack out of my carton, I had only 3 cigarettes left on a Sunday night when I went to bed. I was determined I would not buy any more after that. I got up Monday morning, lit one of my last 3, and UGH, there was that taste. Same as I'd always got, but this time I tasted it. I knew the pills had finally kicked in and started working. I did smoke my last 2 cigarettes though they tasted aweful, I just had to have them. I was able to go for days without even the slightest desire to smoke, but I'm still, as I enter week 9, am having a real hard time with the "habit" part of it. Cigarettes have always been my crutch and my stress relief. I know I should find something to relieve some of the stress in my life, but that's beside the point right now. I am smoking maybe 6-8 cigarettes a week right now. Better than 1 1/2 packs a day, but I still hope to be completely smoke free really soon.

But, one last thing I do want to mention about side affects is: And a friend of mine found another website that mentioned this as well, though my doctor said she hadn't had anyone to mention it, maybe I am one of the 1/1,000,000 that will have this affect. Late periods. Last month I was 2 weeks late. I had my tubes tied 5 years ago so I really really wasn't happy at all thinking my tubes might've come loose (it's been known to happen). Needless to say I ran out and took a pregnancy test. NEGATIVE---Thank God !!! But since then, I finally did start, had a somewhat normal period, but then, 2 weeks later started again. And I must say, before taking this Chantix, I was always perfectly on time and normal. OK, I just thought I was starting again. Just spotting that morning that was it. Now, I'm a week late again this month. I've also been having severe pains in my back and lower right quadrant of my front. I thought, and still think it could be kidney stones, but the doctor today said ovarian cysts. Never had them before, or not that bothered me anyway. But it just seems coincidental that this severe pain I'm having and have never had before, and my really messed up cycle, is all happening and started since I started taking Chantix. So if anyone else is having any of these same problems, it could very well be related to the Chantix. I'm not going to quit taking the pills, as I've come to far to end up not quitting smoking, but I am really hoping that I can feel comfortable enough to stay quit without the Chantix soon so I can quit taking it and hopefully things might get back to normal. By the way, the WEIRD dreams and insomnia, went away for me after about the 3 or 4th week, and so did the really bad mood swings. Hope this posting helps anyone else looking for info on the side affects of CHANTIX. You know there's already lawyers out there with TV commercials suing for people who have had really bad side affects, but, when does a new drug ever come out that there isn't a lawyer suing for someone????? It's always a risk to take any drug. Just like with that Musician in Dallas that went phyco and got himself shot. He mixed Chantix with drinking. A lot of drugs don't interact well with alcohol, why should this one be any different? However, I think if he had been further along, maybe on past his first month, the alcohol might not have affected him the same way. I rarely drink myself, but I did go to a party about 2 weeks ago and I did have too much to drink. And I am still on the Chantix, but I had absolutely no side affects from mixing the alcohol with the Chantix, perhaps because I've been on it so long, some of the affects wear off, just like the weird dreams did. ????????????????? Who could know???????? I know this is really long, sorry, but maybe it'll help some others answer their own questions.
posted by gotalotofpets at 5:30 PM on January 30, 2008