Weed is my anti-nicotine.

I had to quit chantix after 10 days. I was getting some really strange side effects, like severe anxiety episodes at work (I'd never had those) and depression. Also, it made me violently vomit if I took it on an empty stomach.

If you google search for forums discussing chantix, most of the issues are related to the after effect of tapering down, not during.

- apologies to anyone that had problems 'during', don't want to minimize your own experience. Drug side effects can be scary shiat.

HomerButt: I had to quit chantix after 10 days. I was getting some really strange side effects, like severe anxiety episodes at work (I'd never had those) and depression. Also, it made me violently vomit if I took it on an empty stomach.

I take my first dose in about 20 minutes.

Woo! I love surprises!

Cake Hunter:
I take my first dose in about 206 minutes.


FTFY :)

flumpth: Cake Hunter:
I take my first dose in about 206 minutes.


FTFY :)

Too late, according to the timestamp on your post. He should already be puking by now.

If you never have the thought "Damn, my life is empty without smokes" you haven't really quit.

Hey, you can't smoke if you've committed suicide. Mission accompllished.

I took chantix and quit successfully. I had no side effects. So...that was pretty cool. Stuff worked like a charm.

Oh wait...I DID have some messed up dreams, and apparently that is common.

I was a smoker (pack to two packs a day) for 24 years.

Now I'm off the junk and high on life!

Cake Hunter: I take my first dose in about 20 minutes.

Ah, but can you bench 1200lbs?

I didn't want to kill myself when I quite smoking; I wanted to kill everyone else in the world.

HomerButt: Also, it made me violently vomit if I took it on an empty stomach.

what exactly do you vomit up from an empty stomach??

/heave!

sonder: Now I'm off the junk and high on life!

That's awesome..just don't get self-righteous about it.

Chantix had the opposite effect on me. It actually got rid of my depression AND helped me to quit smoking.

I took it too and the only side effect i had was a bit of insomnia, i would of much preferred the weird dreams.

I quit smoking with chantix, minimal side effects ( nausea and really weird dreams) But once I got off chantix, I would have a cigar on occasion. Now several a day. Personal accountability is a biatch, and n.n.n.nicotene is a helluva drug!!!!!

not amused:

If everyone would quit buying into the "OMFG it's so hard to quit and I need a crutch" propaganda and quit supporting the multi-billion dollar quitting industry the world would be a lot better.

And yes, I say this as a former 2+ pack-a-dayer for 20 years. Hell, I'd get up in the middle of the night for a smoke. I set 'em down, walked away, and the only time I've even had the slightest craving was the night my dad died from lung cancer.

It's not will power, it's just breaking a habit, just like stopping paying $3.00 for a cup of crappy coffee every morning in an attempt to save money.

I quit smoke cold turkey.
People who need a drug to help them cure an addiction to a drug are weak and should be culled from the herd.

I'm on Chantix right now.. Been on it for a month and a week.

- Quit after about 10 days on it.. I've been a smoker for about 14 years..
- No thoughts of suicide or depression at all.. I'm actually a lot happier since I'm not smoking.
- No nightmares as they said.. I've had a couple of weird dreams, but I don't know if that is just normal daily routine or if the drug has anything to do with it.. doesnt bother me though.
- Still pissed off that my insurance company doesn't cover it.. (~$135/mo for 3 months)

My thoughts on the whole suicide thing goes back to the 'people on antidepressents are more likely to commit suicide' ... Ok, to begin with, these people were depressed with TO BEGIN! So of course a couple of them aren't going to be helped with some drugs.. so then go to smokers.. I'd be willing to bet that MOST depressed people smoke, since it's temporary relief... so take away their cigarettes, and yeah, the other shiat in their life starts to add up.

I recommend Chantix to anyone who truly wants to quit, but everytime they try to, they dont last a day or two.. It really kills the cravings.

i've never seen an unhappy chantix customer in our pharmacy. ever. they all rave about how it works better than any other method, hands down.

Gee, if only there were an organization set-up to combat bad medicines from hitting the market.

/oh yeah, they were bought out by "special interests" years ago

Is Chantix basically an antidepressant with a different name? I know Zyban [or something that sounds like that] is the same as Wellbutrin, and the standard warning on all antidepressants is "if you notice x, x, or x," call your doctor. Suicidal thoughts is always on there.

The person above, for example, who mentioned anxiety and getting sick if taking it on an empty stomach? Standard issue Wellbutrin stuff. I've been on it for a while now, so I know to eat a bit, take a pill, eat the rest of my morning food [and the amount I need, which isn't that much, but more than I was used to eating in the morning.] I also have to use more anti-anxiety medication than I was... but... it's working in so many ways, it's worth it.

Can't speak to it working for quitting smoking, since I never did that in the first place, but it seems to be pretty good for BPD related depression and even my symptoms of BPD.

Anyway, I bet this one is pretty much an antidepressant and that's why they're finding these effects.

I'm back on the Chantix right now. Smoke free for about 10 days now...but damn if I don't want some sweet sweet nicotine right now.

Heroin has nothing on nicotine. People don't come over to your house and ask for a cup of water a spoon and a *needle tray*. Smokers will look around confused as hell when they see no ashtrays hanging out anymore. It's freaking nerve wracking. Leaving their needles...I mean cigarette butts laying around.

As far a suicidal thoughts? I think that's nicotine withdrawl. Not Chantix. I think it will be difficult to prove otherwise


/McK

I like to smoke for about a year then quit for six months just because I can. I find it builds willpower and I must be a masochist.

Right now I am in third week of a quit cycle and my life is empty and meaningless without my cigs.

That only means Pfizer's doing their work.

/just kidding
//aisle seat, please
///Non-smoker's section, just for the irony

Airwalk: i've never seen an unhappy chantix customer in our pharmacy. ever.

The unhappy ones are hanging from a shower rod?

mckenzie: Heroin has nothing on nicotine. People don't come over to your house and ask for a cup of water a spoon and a *needle tray*. Smokers will look around confused as hell when they see no ashtrays hanging out anymore. It's freaking nerve wracking. Leaving their needles...I mean cigarette butts laying around.

I used to know a girl who actually did quit heroin, as well as alcohol and other drugs, yet she still smoked. She said just that: "Quitting heroin is easy, compared to trying to quit cigarettes."

When someone who is a recovered heroin addict tells you that, you know that's some serious shiat.

In a huge surprise, a drug works for some people and not for others.

serpent_sky: When someone who is a recovered heroin addict tells you that, you know that's some serious shiat.

It sure is. They also don't sell smack in the corner store. I refuse to be a smoke nazi in my quitting however. I just can't be that guy. If I cannot quit with it being around me then it would be quitting by unavailability and not willpower/chantix.

The only thing Chantix seems to do for me is take the shake out my hand from a nicotine fit. Takes the edge off. It is not a *magic* pill. You still require TONS of willpower and have to WANT to quit.

serpent_sky: Is Chantix basically an antidepressant with a different name?

Actually no it isn't. It's a inhibitor. Attaches to the nicotine receptor in the brain.

Here's the secret to quitting smoking.

No drugs.
No patches.
Nothing.

Just quit smoking.

Oh wait, you don't really want to quit smoking, it's just that everyone else is telling you to quit smoking. Right?

You'll fail.

The secret to quitting smoking is to quit smoking because YOU want to quit smoking, not because other people are nagging, complaining, forcing you outside.

/10 months smoke free.
//I quit smoking because I wanted to
///When I miss it, I remember the depths of my addiction, such as picking up cigarette butts from the ground and smoking them when I was out, stealing cigs from friends when they went to the bathroom, etc.

I have been a non-smoker for 116 days (3 Months, 3 Weeks, 3 Days, 13 hours and 38 minutes).
I have saved $646.94. I have skipped 3,497 cigarettes.
I have saved 1 Week, 5 Days, 3 hours and 25 minutes of my life.
My Quit Date was: 10/9/2007 10:25 PM

Some of the comments here calling people "weak" if they can't quit cold-turkey are just NOT helpful.

I smoked for 30 years, up to 2+ packs a day. Watched my father die of congestive heart failure, most likely from smoking. And then I still smoked for nine more years, while wheezing and gasping for breath after climbing one flight of stairs. Nicotine is a powerful drug.

If you want to quit smoking(and you have to WANT to quit to be successful), use whatever you need whenever you need it to not smoke. Period. Making somebody feel guilty because they aren't tough enough to quit without help is just crap. Grow up.

imdriven: Some of the comments here calling people "weak" if they can't quit cold-turkey are just NOT helpful.

Amen brother!

If you want to quit smoking(and you have to WANT to quit to be successful), use whatever you need whenever you need it to not smoke. Period. Making somebody feel guilty because they aren't tough enough to quit without help is just crap. Grow up.

yeah! what he ^^^^ said! ;-)

Also,

THE PHYSICAL ADDICTION TO NICOTINE LASTS THREE DAYS.

Why the fark are you taking patches and drugs to prolong the physical addiction?

The_Time_Master: fark are you taking patches and drugs to prolong the physical addiction

Chantix does not contain nicotine.

My complaint about Chantix is that the drug is based on research originally done by my father. but do we get a cut?! Nooooo!

Other than that, I have ZERO problem with it - the wife and her aunt have been on it for 2 months and 10 months respectively, with no ill side effects at all, except for occasional light nausea when taken on an empty stomach.

nd: I'm on Chantix right now.. Been on it for a month and a week.

- Quit after about 10 days on it.. I've been a smoker for about 14 years..
- No thoughts of suicide or depression at all.. I'm actually a lot happier since I'm not smoking.
- No nightmares as they said.. I've had a couple of weird dreams, but I don't know if that is just normal daily routine or if the drug has anything to do with it.. doesnt bother me though.
- Still pissed off that my insurance company doesn't cover it.. (~$135/mo for 3 months)

My thoughts on the whole suicide thing goes back to the 'people on antidepressents are more likely to commit suicide' ... Ok, to begin with, these people were depressed with TO BEGIN! So of course a couple of them aren't going to be helped with some drugs.. so then go to smokers.. I'd be willing to bet that MOST depressed people smoke, since it's temporary relief... so take away their cigarettes, and yeah, the other shiat in their life starts to add up.

I recommend Chantix to anyone who truly wants to quit, but everytime they try to, they dont last a day or two.. It really kills the cravings.

Ask your pharmacy if they price match - and then tell them to call Sam's Club pharmacy - it's $30 less per pack there. :-)

The_Time_Master: Also,
THE PHYSICAL ADDICTION TO NICOTINE LASTS THREE DAYS.
Why the fark are you taking patches and drugs to prolong the physical addiction?

Maybe so, but that is not the experience I had. It took me a good 3 weeks before I felt like I was getting over it, and about 6 weeks before I was sure I succeeded in quitting.

But cold turkey is the only way to do it. Any sort of nicotine patch/gum/inhaler would have made the process last months instead of weeks.

I quit cold turkey, but I certainly wouldn't call anyone weak for not being able to do so. I did it by taking up drinking for three months. Not exactly the ideal way.

imdriven: I have been a non-smoker for 116 days (3 Months, 3 Weeks, 3 Days, 13 hours and 38 minutes).
I have saved $646.94. I have skipped 3,497 cigarettes.
I have saved 1 Week, 5 Days, 3 hours and 25 minutes of my life.
My Quit Date was: 10/9/2007 10:25 PM

Some of the comments here calling people "weak" if they can't quit cold-turkey are just NOT helpful.

I smoked for 30 years, up to 2+ packs a day. Watched my father die of congestive heart failure, most likely from smoking. And then I still smoked for nine more years, while wheezing and gasping for breath after climbing one flight of stairs. Nicotine is a powerful drug.

If you want to quit smoking(and you have to WANT to quit to be successful), use whatever you need whenever you need it to not smoke. Period. Making somebody feel guilty because they aren't tough enough to quit without help is just crap. Grow up.

where's that quit counter from?

I took Chantix for 8 weeks, quit smoking on week 4. I had my friend write a script for Phenergan (Promethazine) because I could not stomach the 1mg dose without it.

I had the odd dreams, but I've noticed that my short term memory is a bit out of whack, and now after 3-4 drinks, most of the evening is "erased" from my head. I've cut back drinking quite a bit because I find it a little scary that I'll only remember the 1st half of a night out.

mckenzie: serpent_sky: Is Chantix basically an antidepressant with a different name?

Actually no it isn't. It's a inhibitor. Attaches to the nicotine receptor in the brain.

Ah. Oh well, then ignore all my theorizing about Zyban/Wellbutrin. :)

I was going to try chantix, until I found this forum, which is 66 pages of people complaining about the side effects. Everything from headaches to violent dreams where they are killing people. A lot of talk of extreme tiredness (as in, not being able to get out of bed), suicide thoughts, homicide thoughts, depression, muscle aches...etc. No thank you! I'm going to try to find a better method, or to go cold turkey.
http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=2301

I quit smoking when I changed jobs and my entire schedule was turned upside down. Smoking was a habit, more than an addiction. The nicotine cravings left in a few days, but it took months for me to not be in the HABIT of lighting up in certain circumstances. People have all kinds of HABITS that they can't break, being a martyr for example.
But anyway, after I quit smoking I became very depressed. The doctors informed me that nicotine can act as an anti-depressant in many ways and without it, I went down the tubes. I wonder if the depression people experience while taking this drug is just from quitting, and not from the drug.

where's that quit counter from?

http://www.dedicateddesigns.com/qk/

It's a great positive-reinforcement thing for me. I love watching the dollars add up!

And here all along I thought it was one of the attractions of taking up the habit. I mean with the surgeon general's warning and all

Suregeon General Warning: All hope abandon, ye who enter in!

That's sort of a tip off right?

EthelPP: If everyone would quit buying into the "OMFG it's so hard to quit and I need a crutch" propaganda and quit supporting the multi-billion dollar quitting industry the world would be a lot better.

And yes, I say this as a former 2+ pack-a-dayer for 20 years. Hell, I'd get up in the middle of the night for a smoke. I set 'em down, walked away, and the only time I've even had the slightest craving was the night my dad died from lung cancer.

It's not will power, it's just breaking a habit, just like stopping paying $3.00 for a cup of crappy coffee every morning in an attempt to save money.

Fark you. Fark you straight to hell, you douchebag. Chewing your fingernails is a habit. Smoking and chewing tobacco are addictions - just like other drugs.

I tried several times to quit, and have not been able to until Chantix. It took me 7 days, and I've been smoke free for almost three months. I've never gone that far in all the times I tried to quit.

Your experience is very unusual, and for you to tell other people not to look into help for quitting is just plain idiocy.

imdriven: where's that quit counter from?

http://www.dedicateddesigns.com/qk/

It's a great positive-reinforcement thing for me. I love watching the dollars add up!

thanks

/quit yesterday...it sucks

Ultravibe: My complaint about Chantix is that the drug is based on research originally done by my father. but do we get a cut?! Nooooo!

Other than that, I have ZERO problem with it - the wife and her aunt have been on it for 2 months and 10 months respectively, with no ill side effects at all, except for occasional light nausea when taken on an empty stomach.

Why would you? Drug companies exist solely to make money. Period. They're not going to give you any discount.