Chantix

[Nograts]

Okay so, I am officially smoke free for about 48 hours right now. Still another 24 to go before I have to be back into work. I specifically chose to start this weekend because a lot of people at work smoke and I knew if I could get through the first 72 it would be somewhat down hill from there.

I've been taking Chantix for just shy of two weeks. I also attended a once a week smoking cessation class (required for the prescription), which was actually a lot more helpful than I thought. You start off taking the pill in .5mg increments. The first few days I kind of felt funny. It reminded me of when I first started taking an SSRI few years back, but nothing insanely unbearable. You can continue to smoke while on it, but after a week or so cigarettes start to taste a little bit funny and even make you slightly sick.

What's wierd is before my quit date I found myself not even wanting to smoke. I went from over a pack a day to about...maybe 8 or less in a day. I also wasn't drinking nearly the amount of caffeine or doing things I normally do (which was good and bad at the same time). The first 24 hours was a piece of cake. The 2nd 24 were a bit rougher but I honestly think I've peaked. As long as I keep taking the pills it shouldn't get any worse (and actually in one more day will get easier because if I recall the dose goes up one more time).

Anyways, the lady at the class said that it works by filling up your nicotine receiving parts of your brain so you feel "full" of nicotine, even though you're not. I haven't used a patch or gum or anything with it, although you can.

I've smoked for 13 years, so maybe not as much as you older guys with 40+ under your belt, but I've been thinking these past 3 years I really need to give it up before too much longer. Most of my family smoked and even though I don't blame them for me picking up the habit, I do kind of blame them for inadvertently making me believe it was 'okay' to smoke. I don't want to pass the same message off to my kids.

So, just wanted to brag that I'm at 48 hours. Wanted to rave about the success I'm having on Chantix when I failed miserably on the patch and on Zyban/Welbutrin(sp?).

Maybe I wasn't ready to quit when I tried those, but Chantix definately made it 90% easier than cold turkey. It is still possible I'll break, but honestly I am so stoked I really don't see it happening. Even my worst urges have been surprisingly bearable.



EDIT: And those of you who want to flame me for only doing 48 hours, 24 was actually a huge milestone for me so piss off.

 

[Puppies04]

Congrats, now you can focus on rebecoming beast.

 

[Mixolydian]

Why would you want to quit?

Oh and take up vaping!

 

[Nograts]

Why would you want to quit?

Oh and take up vaping!

After watching my grandpa die at 61 of lung cancer I decided it looked like a shitty way to go.

I tried the vaping for like a week. I ended up going through 150 bucks worth of shit because I bought one and it broke, then the next one broke, at which point I just went back to smoking. The lady at the class was saying there isn't a lot of data on vaping but that it might be just as bad or worse than smoking because it's fairly unregulated and I guess the juice makers are like....chinese dudes in small garages just making the shit. IDK. Seems legit.

Noop. My goal is to one day be a millionaire and I figure I can save some big bucks just giving it all up. I just hated being a slave to it. My sense of smell is starting to come back slowly...I forgot about bad smells

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I quit last October after smoking for 30+ years. I also quit caffeine in September after drinking coffee for almost 40 years.

Previously I tried Chantix, gum, and the patch. They all failed. Drugs and fluffing from class supporters aren't required. It's a mindset. You have to decide that you want to quit and not lie to yourself in the process. Every day gets easier; some more than others. Eventually you reach a point where you don't need it anymore.

Persevere and good luck.

 

[OverVolt]

Take a week vacation, rent a hotel room and quit cold turkey.

Better than the side effects of Chantix.

 

[Platypus]

"The new study relies on adverse events from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System from 1998 through September 2010. They analyzed 3,249 reports of serious self-injury or depression linked to Chantix (varenicline), GlaxoSmithKline's Zyban (bupropion) antidepressant that was approved for smoking cessation and nicotine replacement products.

They found that 2,925 cases, or 90 percent, of suicidal behavior or depression reported to the FDA were related to Chantix, even though the drug was only approved for four of the nearly 13 years of data included in the study."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/02/us-smoking-drug-idUSTRE7A181220111102

be careful, OP.

 

[Nograts]

Thanks and I'm aware. Still going strong!

@Tasteslikechicken I agree, the mindset this time around is dedicated and you can only quit if you want to. I think that was my problem with other attempts was I was trying to quit for others and not for me.

Since you're close to the 6 month mark, how often do you get an urge? Once a day or...it's just not even a thing? How long did it take you to hack the shit out of your lungs for more normal breathing?

 

[boomhower]

I took it a few years ago and while I was taking it worked great, no desire to smoke at all. Once I stopped taking it it was like it didn't do a thing, cravings just as bad as going cold turkey. I'm now vaping so I'll probably get some new kind of cancer from this, at least I can breath and taste better now.

 

[ninaholic37]

I quit last October after smoking for 30+ years. I also quit caffeine in September after drinking coffee for almost 40 years

Any particular reason why you gave up drinking coffee with caffeine?

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I quit last October after smoking for 30+ years. I also quit caffeine in September after drinking coffee for almost 40 years.

Previously I tried Chantix, gum, and the patch. They all failed. Drugs and fluffing from class supporters aren't required. It's a mindset. You have to decide that you want to quit and not lie to yourself in the process. Every day gets easier; some more than others. Eventually you reach a point where you don't need it anymore.

Persevere and good luck.

I wholeheartedly agree that it is a mindset. You must decide, with complete conviction and certainty, that you are going to quit -- not just that you WANT to quit, but that you ARE GOING TO QUIT.

After I surmounted that mental obstacle, the patch is what helped me cope with cravings and slowly ween myself off the nicotine.

Different strokes for different folks, naturally, but at the end of the day it comes down to personal conviction. The various quitting aids can just make it a little more bearable.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Congrats! I've never smoked but from the sounds of it, it's not something easy to quit. It would be like asking me to quit eating poutine. Forever. D: Is Chantix like Champix? Name sounds very similar. I know someone who was on Champix, and it helped a lot. It makes it so that when you do smoke, you don't feel that you got anything out of it. It basically messes with your mind and makes you not want to smoke as much, from what I understand. Actually pretty genius really, combined with will power of course.

I knew someone who kept taking it just because it gave him awesome dreams. He kept going back to his doctor for more because he was still not quitting. He did not even plan to quit. :awe:

 

[Nograts]

I had to Google champix but yeah it looks like the same thing.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Keep it up :thumbsup:

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Thanks and I'm aware. Still going strong!

@Tasteslikechicken I agree, the mindset this time around is dedicated and you can only quit if you want to. I think that was my problem with other attempts was I was trying to quit for others and not for me.

Since you're close to the 6 month mark, how often do you get an urge? Once a day or...it's just not even a thing? How long did it take you to hack the shit out of your lungs for more normal breathing?

I get an urge maybe a couple of times a week now. The urges are different too. They used to be "Fuck I want a smoke." Now it's more like "Man, a cig would be nice right about now."

I'm still hacking shit out of my lungs.

Any particular reason why you gave up drinking coffee with caffeine?

Coffee and a smoke are natural partners.

 

[DenyGFX]

I recently was diagnosed with 3 spots on my lungs. March 1st is my quit day and starting Chantix and patches on that day. Good luck with your quitting.

 

[John Connor]

Just pour some coffee or a drink and see if you still wanna quit. :twisted:

 

[Nograts]

Just got through my first day of work, well, an hour left. Not as bad as I expected, few urges, none too bad. I have learned one thing...my work smells funny. I never noticed before. Hrmmm :hmm:

Also I need to learn what to do over my lunch break. I normally don't eat. I'd usually go out and smoke and play on my phone. Was a very boring hour. D:

 

[BUTCH1]

After watching my grandpa die at 61 of lung cancer I decided it looked like a shitty way to go.

I tried the vaping for like a week. I ended up going through 150 bucks worth of shit because I bought one and it broke, then the next one broke, at which point I just went back to smoking. The lady at the class was saying there isn't a lot of data on vaping but that it might be just as bad or worse than smoking because it's fairly unregulated and I guess the juice makers are like....chinese dudes in small garages just making the shit. IDK. Seems legit.

Noop. My goal is to one day be a millionaire and I figure I can save some big bucks just giving it all up. I just hated being a slave to it. My sense of smell is starting to come back slowly...I forgot about bad smells

You just have to pay attention to where you buy your juices at, you can easily find made in the USA juices. While it's true no studies have been completed about long-term vaping we already know the studies from long-term tobacco smoke and it will kill you or cripple you then kill you later.

 

[BUTCH1]

I wholeheartedly agree that it is a mindset. You must decide, with complete conviction and certainty, that you are going to quit -- not just that you WANT to quit, but that you ARE GOING TO QUIT.

After I surmounted that mental obstacle, the patch is what helped me cope with cravings and slowly ween myself off the nicotine.

Different strokes for different folks, naturally, but at the end of the day it comes down to personal conviction. The various quitting aids can just make it a little more bearable.

Actually they don't, feeding your body small amounts of nicotine just keeps your body in a state of "semi-withdrawal" and prolongs the inevitable length of suffering.

 

[Printer Bandit]

be the master of your own domain.

 

[BrokenVisage]

It worked for my Mom, good luck.

 

[Captante]

Unfortunately nothing really works but cold-turkey IME. It was really hard for about 3 weeks as I recall and then the worst was over. Funny thing is that if I'm drinking coffee and smell a cig at the wrong moment I get cravings to this day and its been over 20 years!

As mentioned all drugs and nic-patchs etc do is draw out the suffering.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Congrats! Hang in there. Man, that list of possible side effects is almost as scary as the results of long term smoking.

 

[MongGrel]

My doctor told me not to go near Chantix a decade ago.

If it works for you, go for it I guess.