Scary Side Effects of Chantix?

I took Chantix to stop smoking, and I have been depressed and irritable since completion of 3 months of therapy. That was 6 months ago. The most troubling side effect has been decreased libido and inability to orgasm. Why didn't my dr. tell me about these s.e.? I would rather die of lung cancer than feel like I do now.

I have used chantix twice. The fist time I stopped smoking for 10 months, and I'm now on my second round. I have never felt depressed or irritable. The only side effects I felt were vague nausea and vivid dreams. Taking the second dose earlier in the day has helped with the dreams, taking the first dose after breakfast has helped with the nausea.

I had success using Chantix. No depression and I haven't had or wanted a cigarette for months. I was a smoker for 40 years and tried quitting as many times. This did it for me. I know I won't smoke again. The desire and taste is gone. I cheated a few times in the beginning. I'm finished with cigarettes.

We had a wonderful program at our local hospital to facilitate smoking quitters. We used Nicotrol Inhalers with a very high rate of success plus weekly meetings. We needed a script from our doctors to get the inhalers. They are not cheap but they ARE effective!! I have been smoke free since July 8, 2001.

I am taking Chantix now, and have suffered from depression all my life. Since I have been on Chantix and off cigarettes, I have noticed a big improvement in my depression. The only side effects I have noticed have been mild nausea if taken on an empty stomach and vivid dreams. The dreams seem to be more frequent the later in the evening I take the Chantix.

My daughter took Chantix for about 3 months, then stopped cold turkey. Three days later she had chest pains and SOB. The ER could not figure out what was going on. It was the cold turkey on the Chantix. Lasted one day then gone. ALL tests came back normal. You need to ease off of this med, not stop all at once. The literature says so, but it is not stressed. Check the package.

I have smoked cigarettes for over 20 years. I have tried quitting 10+ times with the longest period being 15 days (and probably cheating during that period). It has been 30 days of being a non-smoker (no cheating), and I owe it to Chantix. Yes I do experience nausea if I take on an empty stomach and yes I do have vivid dreams. I will happily live with these side effects for the rest of my life if I never smoke again!

I used Chantix to quit smoking on 12/25/06. Best thing I ever did. The only side effect I had was excess gas, which was no big deal. Its been 10 months without smoking and Chantix really helped those first couple of weeks after I stopped smoking. I only took it for 30 days total and had no problem when I stopped taking it.

I took Chantix for a couple of months and did stop smoking. I stopped taking Chantix suddenly and had terrible side effects. I would never take this medicine again.

Yes this drug really works. Had terrible, terrible gas and bloating. Had tongue problems and dry mouth. Would I take it again, yes. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT I DON'T SMOKE!

I have been taking Chantix for 3 weeks. It definately takes the edge off. I still occasionally have the urge to start again. As far as the dreams, they are intense and very strange. I do feel tired by late afternoon, but overall, it seems the pill is working.

I started taking Chantix in August 2007. I can honestly say that the drug has worked for me, but not without some serious side effects. The first side effect I experienced were horrible headaches; the second is the crazy, very detailed, very disturbing dreams that seemed to consume my entire night's sleep; the third side effect that I am currently experiencing is not being able to sleep. I fall immediately to sleep, but within 3 hours I wake up and I am completely awake and not able to fall back to sleep for well over 4 hours. This has been occurring every night and I am completely and totally exhausted. Last evening I took a sleep aide with the hopes that I would sleep through the night, but no such luck.

The no-sleeping side effect started approximately 4 days after I stopped taking my 3 months worth of Chantix. I did experience some other mild side effects, which I could handle.

I would recommend to anyone wanting to stop smoking to take Chantix, but you need more will power then you think because you need to be able to get through some pretty intense side effects.

I am on my second week on Chantix. I have NOT lost the urge to smoke. I have the side effects--constipation, nausea but the nausea goes away in 15 minutes, and is much less if I eat first.

How long does a person have to be on Chantix to quit smoking and not have the urge to smoke?

My son started taking chantix in late september. He has had a severe change in mood swings, depression, violence and suicidal expressions. Tonight he went on a rage and had to be removed from my house. Another son took chantix for two days and just informed me of his experience (nightmares and thoughts of suicide) which has prompted me to do an internet search of this poison. Please help with any info related to adverse reactions. He has also had rashes and horrible pus producing bumps under his armpit and on one side of his face.

I experienced severe depression, anxiety and anger ranging to rage (very unlike me) and suicidal ideation while taking this medicine. I thought I was going crazy and did not attribute it to the medicine until I stopped the Chantix and symptoms abated.

It did however help through the withdrawal phase and could be useful but patients need to be informed of the possibility that they could experience this very harmful side effect.

I have been taking Chantix for 15 days. My symptoms started immediatly. The first week it was mainly the nausea, weird dreams, weakness, and the headaches and constipation. The headaches are more like migraines. Towards the end of the first week is when the mood swings and depression started. It has just gotten worse.

I am usually not this way, but I scream and yell a lot. I can't stand to be around my children. Which is so not normal. I love my children. My husband says that I have turned into one of those crazy chicks. I usually talk to my best friend at least once a day and now I don't even answer her phone calls.

I do not want to be around anyone or talk to anyone. It is nothing for me to lock myself in my bedroom and just cry.

I have not had a cig since my quit date. (day 8) I still want one. I thought that maybe the side effects would go away but now I am starting to think not. I am scared to just stop taking the medication. I am going to the doctor this week.

2 years ago I quit cold turkey. I did not have a cig for 7 months. The withdrawals then were not near as bad as what I am going through right now. I am just going to pray that I will not have any long lasting effects. After going through what I am going through- I would not suggest this medication to anyone. If you really want to quit, go cold turkey.

My first day I did okay. The second day after having several coughing sessions and being very short of breath I did my asthma inhalers on reaction; later my heart rate increased and I realized that it was because of the inhalers. I desprately want to quit smoking and I know that it was the inhalers causing my problem. I have sleep problems anyway so they are normal and frankly I have missed having dreams which haven't been what I call nightmares. I'm sticking to my quest.

I started taking Chantix 11/2/07. I have quit smoking but I have to stop this med. I seriously am afraid of what will happen to me if I continue. Every second I don't occupy my mind with something I am thinking that I don't need to be alive.

My life is very stressful right now. Holidays, struggling marriage, kids. I have always been one that handled stress well, even thrived on it to some degree. Since taking this stuff I just want to give up. I cry too much, I get angry if the wind blows the wrong way, I'm afraid I am going to hurt myself. I started cutting back to just one tablet a day. I am afraid to stop it cold turkey. I don't want to smoke ever again.

I took Chantix last year and also suffered from moderate (to serious) depression. It took me six months of being off the med to make the connection.

What I found when I reveiwed the MD section of the Chantix website is that there were reports of depression as a side effect in their trials.

I also learned that Chantix is blocking Dopamine receptors - the pleasure center in your brain that nicotine activates. I now strongly believe that the medication "threw off" the Dopamine levels in my brain. The only anti-depressant I know of that works with Dopamine (as opposed to seratonin) is Wellbutrin - also marketed under the name of Zyban as a quit-smoking drug. Within days of taking the Wellbutrin my mood returned to normal.

I would recommend to anyone dealing with this side-effect to talk to their doctor about using Wellbutrin to get things back to normal.

I would use Chantix again, but with more awareness of this potential side-effect.

I absolutely feel like I have to write this: my experience on this was frightening. I have extreme mood swings, nigtmares, and impatience I can't describe. However the most scary thing is the SUICIDAL THOUGHTS out of nowhere. Severe intense depression too. Just QUIT!!!

I have been taking Chantix since 8/1/07 and have not smoked since the first week. However, I'm scared to death to quit taking it--several times I forgot to take my Chantix for a couple of days and experienced full-blown depression, crying, raging at my husband and kids. Thought I was having a PMS day even though I've been postmenopausal for 2 years! Help, how do I get off this drug without ruining Christmas for everybody? (I did cut back to one pill per day two months ago because of the insomnia/crazy dreams).

I have had constipation and really bad gas. Irritation, agitation, depression, just all around pissed off. I started taking chantix on Nov.13,2007. I have been having really crazy dreams. The past few days I have had outbursts of crying. Instigating arguments with my S.O. And sex is really the farthest thought from my mind.

My husband has been on chantix for 3 months, still smokes, but a lot less. He has been more aggressive and restless since staring to take this. At first the trouble sleeping and the vivid dreams bothered him. The other night he missed a dose and took 2. After a couple of hours he flew into a rage, trashed things in the house and then left. The next day he stopped taking chantix. I believe it works for some, but others have BAD side effects.

I am in my third week of Chantix, and have not smoked since day number 8. I have experienced some vivid dreams, but besides that, have not had any problems. I would definately reccommend to quit smoking. I am hoping it continues like this.

Ever since 2 months ago my mother has been very irritable and she's pregnant. The doctor said it's better for her to take it than not. I don't know what there is else to do.

Started Chantix and had great initial success... I work as a counselor in a pshychiatric hospital. I've never had a period of aggessive behavior, I don't drink alcohol or use drugs... pretty much laid back and calm.

After starting chantix I started experiencing increased irritability--I knew irritability was a side effect of Chantix and decided to live with the irritability. By the third week, I was having intense rageful episodes... 2 to 3 times per day. I had destroyed a laptop computer, a desktop pc, I had even at one time seriously considered shooting a train engineer because his train was "blocking" traffic....

Again I had never--even at times when I stopped smoking without anything--had these thoughts and feelings of intense rage. After the shooting thought though, I decided that I would discontinue chantix...

Within 3 days I was back to a level of peace that I was more used to... Luckily I didn't restart smoking. Chantix, could be such a wonderful product if it weren't for these side effects.

This is my secnd time taking Chantix. Last March, I took it for 3 months and quit smoking for 2 months after I quit the Chantix. I really don't remember having any side effects. This time is totally different. The crazy dreams seem to last all night and I'm depressed and exhausted the next day. I seem to cry at anything. I've been blaming hormones and PMS until I found this board. Now that I realize what I'm dealing with, I plan to continue the Chantix, deal with the side effects as best I can, and not smoke.

My best friend's mother is 56 yrs old and took Chantix for 6 months and quit successfully. Following stopping Chantix, she was having what we thought was anxiety. Now they have determined that it is Picks Disease which is a neurodegentrative brain disease. Could this be caused by Chantix? After reading the side effects of Chantix and the symptoms of Picks Disease, you just have to really wonder. Has anyone heard of this before?

Has anyone experienced nose bleeds or excessive loss of hair from Chantix?

I took Chantix in March of 2007, stopped smoking after only four days. The headaches were too much to take and they only came when I lit up. The dreams were strange, vivid and terrible. I am 39 years old and would wake my husband screaming at the top of my lungs. I have never dreamed like that not even as a kid.

My energy level went through the roof for about two weeks and than I crashed and it took everything I had to get out of bed, and then the crying, feeling hopeless and the big one trying to figure out how to run my car into a tree without my husband having to work the wreck (he's law enforcement).

This is when my friends started asking why I wasn't leaving my house and I started breaking out in a rash on the back of my neck and was itching every minute of the day. I talked to my Dr. and he wasn't much help. I stopped taking the med. and I'm just starting to get out of the house.

I started chantix aug 21/07. I quit smoking sept 3/07. I cut back to one pill a day in the eleventh week because I thought I was strong enough and because the constipation was so bad. It was better almost immediately. I also had a hard time with my stomach and the morning pill. Taking one pill a day I could take it in the afternoon and everything was fine. I didn't stop abruptly. I did a wean of sorts. Went to a pill every second day, then every third. I've been off chantix for three weeks now and a non-smoker for over 3 months. But I'm tired, and I'm having leg aches and water retention. If these are side effects, did or does anyone else have them and will they go away soon? Or is it just the time of year--you know winter, short days, Xmas?

I took chantix for 3 months, quit on 9/01/07 after 2 weeks of taking it, had nausea, headaches, malaise, vivid, but often funny dreams, and some bizarre outbursts. What bothered me is after tapering and then stopping the drug, 3 weeks later my cravings were like that of 2 days of going cold turkey. I wanted to kill someone for a cigarette, and unfortunately started again. It blocks your cravings, but they return after stopping. I think a small every other day dose for the rest of my life may have worked.

I'm now finishing up my 4th week of Chantix and I feel like sh!*! I've quit smoking, well except for 1-2 a day that I don't even finish--I was a 2-pack-a-day smoker before. Since starting Chantix I have been more depressed than usual, no thoughts of suicide but just have weird thoughts like where is my life going, why am I here, etc. Sometimes I feel like just crying for no good reason. I've had violent thoughts and can go into a rage over nothing. This is all since I started taking Chantix. I am usually very much in the Christmas spirit by now, but this year I could care less if it came or not.

Now, after reading everyone's comments, I am afraid to go off this crap for fear of the withdrawal. I already take an antidepressant as well as an anti-anxiety drug. The only reason I took this in the first place is because I'm having lap-band surgery in January and the surgeon said I had to quit 5 weeks before it to reduce the risk of blood clots. Now i'm kind of wondering if the weight loss is going to be worth all this. I don't even feel like myself, just feel like i'm in a never ending cycle of work and sleep, no enjoyment at all.

If anyone has any suggestions for me please let me know. My last pill will be Sunday evening and i'm considering quitting it after that.

I started Chantix Friday, 11/30/07. I had to quit taking the medication the following Saturday, 12/08/07. The last pill I took was for the AM., I was experiencing nausea, vomiting, strange disturbing dreams, trouble sleeping, taste changes (metal taste), couldn't concentrate, feeling dizzy, I was so tired and weak I have not been able to drive or work in 2 weeks. My head still feels like it's in a vice, I feel pressure. I'm praying these side effects will eventually subside. Today is Friday 12/14/07 and I'm still not back to normal.

Yikes!!! I have been taking Chantix for a month and quit smoking 19 days ago. I had to cut back the Chantix to 1/2 pill twice a day because of nausea and wicked dreams. I noticed that lately I have been crying unexplainably and having brief suicidal thoughts. When I googled chantix and excessive crying I was shocked to see others with the same side effects. I will stop taking the Chantix tomorrow!! I'd rather smoke then feel like this.

I have smoked for the past 26 years. There is no magic pill, you still have to have the desire to quit. It does make it much easier once you convince yourself that you want to quit. Can't imagine life without cigarettes? It's out there, and if I can do it, you can too. I too have had some small side effets, decreased libido, trouble orgasming, and occasional hellish-nightmares. In all, I'd do it again to rid myself of the monkey that stayed on my back for 26 years.

I went to see my MD on Friday 12-14-2007 and he gave me a RX for Chantix. I have not gotten it filled yet as I wanted to do some research on it first. After looking at this site, I need some honest opinions from people. PLEASE HELP.

I am Bipolar with Panic Disorder--I have been on numerous medications, the last being Cymbalta and Klonopin. I stopped all those medications in june and my episodes are starting to creep up on me again. My doctor feels that Chantix will help with my Bipolar as well as smoking. I do not want to doubt him as he has the medical degree not me, but I am really having my reservations. I did take Wellbuturin about 3 years ago and it sent my anxiety through the roof. Does anyone reading this have any depression or anxiety issues that Chantix did not increase?

I took Chantix for 7 months. After smoking for 30 years, it took 6 months of Chantix to get me to quit. Just to make sure it "took" I continued taking Chantix. I have been nicotine free since July 21, 2007.

I have also wanted to beat the crap out of complete strangers for absolutely no reason and wanted to kick my foot through my car door. I'm a father of two lovely girls and husband to a very tolerant woman. Tonight at a stop sign, I screamed at the car in front for not going quickly enough.

I know Chantix helped me quit smoking, and has turned me into a psychotic jerk. I'll be contacting a doctor soon, perhaps to give Wellbutrin a spin.

All I know is some lawyer is going to get rich, drug prices will go through the roof, and no one will give a damn about the rest of us who can't stand the thought of class action suits because they just take time that our legal system could be using to punish criminals, not selfish corporate jerks who don't care about killing their customers.

Thanks. Merry Christmas.

I have been experiencing HORRIBLE gas. I almost went to the emergency room thinking something exploded in my body. I am not experiencing suicidal thoughts, or anger issues, but I don't know how much longer I can stay on this drug if the pain continues.

The biggest problem I've had since I took chantix is my sex life. The second I let myself have a orgasm I start getting the most incredible headache anyone could every imagine. It hurts so bad I break out in tears. For a couple of days after, the back of my head feels as though someone has hit it with a two by four. I would like to know if anyone else has had this problem because my doctor said he doesn't think that chantix is the cause, but my husband and I are sure that it is chantix.

I tried to kill myself three days after starting this evil medication. From the first day, I felt a horrible depression that did not let up until two days after I started taking it. I had overwhelming thoughts of suicide and just gave in to them. Lucky to still be here.

I happened upon this information about the side effects of chantix by accident. I started taking Chantix back in June of 2007. By the end of the summer, I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I spoke to my doctor and tossed around the idea that maybe I had A.D.D. or something. I went to psychologist and talked to him about how INSANE my life felt. I had thought it was because of not smoking. I thought it was due to the nicotine withdrawal.

While taking Chantix (and not smoking successfully for three months) my life felt completely unmanageable. I was scatterbrained. I felt like I was on tons of speed and couldn't follow through with any tasks. It was after I found myself clutching the cucumber pieces that I had peeled in the kitchen while I was trying to sort the laundry that I couldn't stand it anymore.

I did visit that therapist and he said I wasn't A.D.D. -- I just have a lot to deal with (single mom, home owner, business owner and full time teacher).

Well I smoke again and feel much more in control of stuff that I have to do. I would not recommend this medicine to anyone.

I tried Chantix for 3 weeks, and I woke up every morning after the first 2 weeks with the thought: why am I alive. I had no desire to do anything. It took me 15 minutes to gather my strength and actually get out of my car in the parking lot to go to work. I had no desire whatsoever to do anything or even say anything; and worst of all, horrible bed experience, it practically put a bullet in my sex life.

I think smoking is much better than chantix. Pfizer should change their slogan for chantix to:
"Dead people don't smoke!!!"

Wow..I thought I was going nuts!! My husband and I both started Chantix the 18th of Nov. 2007. We stopped yesterday 12/25/07... It has been the month+ from hell...

Besides the dreams, lack of sleep, nausea (I LOST 5 LBS), we have both dropped into a terrible depression (not speaking to each other or snapping each other's heads off).

It came finally to a head Christmas eve when my husband was so sick he couldn't take the chantix... he felt so much better Xmas day that he didn't take it again and I went looking online for some answers.

Thanks to you all we stopped the meds and today was the first day I almost felt normal in a month. I confided in my husband that I have been trying to figure out a way to kill myself for over 2 weeks but kept thinking what if I only hurt myself and become a burden... I also began to believe that God didn't exist anymore and every night that I said my prayers I found my mind over-riding my prayers with thoughts of doubt... I am not a religious freak but have always found comfort in my faith...

Well the upside is we have stopped this downhill spiral and only now have to pick up the pieces... Like trying to catch up on our bills because I forgot to pay them last month and was too depressed to look at them this month... Hope I can repair the damage...

Thanks to all of you on this site and I hope they pull this poison off the market before others have to go through this hell... and PLEASE tell your doctors... They may have more power in stopping this than anyone...

Jo

I want to know what other medications some of you with the bad experiences are taking. I do know that a lot of drugs and herbals can interact with one another. My husband started taking chantix today. He does not take any other medications. All my friends who have taken this product have had great success. It is too bad some people can't take it.

I started taking Chantix three and a half weeks ago. At first I felt great and stopped smoking after the first five days. The vivid, crazy dreams were even kind of fun, but now I am so depressed I can barely get up in the morning. I am agitated and it's very hard for me to focus. All I want to do is sleep and cry. I thought about killing myself yesterday. The nausea, stomach pain and constipation are so bad it's been a chore to function. I have never suffered from depression in my life, so I was kind of blind-sided by all this.

I didn't associate any of this with the Chantix. My mother mentioned that there were some horrible side effects associated with Chantix that she just heard about on the news today, so I went online and I am so thankful I found this site. I didn't know what was wrong with me until I read the other posts. I can't tell you how relieved I feel right now. I am going to stop taking this immediatly. I would not recommed this drug to anyone. Beware!!! I'm sure the repercussions of this drug are going to be widespread.

I am a nurse who has smoked for 17 years. I used to enjoy it. As a single mom smoking sometimes was my only friend. Now I hate it. I feel embarassed lighting up in public and I can't think of the amount of money I have spent not only on cigs but also on body sprays, air freshners, teeth whiteners... etc.

I tried chantix when it first came out and it was horrible. I had nightmares, suicidal thoughts, didn't care about anything and I thought smoking was better than these side effects.

This time around I started wellbutrin which is equivalent to zyban about a month before starting the chantix. It has been so much better. My mood has been pretty even keel although I do have some nausea, my dreams are just silly, not nightmares like before. I am only taking small doses of the chantix and titrating slowly. Its been 7 days and I am down to 4 cigs a day.

As for the person whose doctor said it will help her bipolar....Dont listen!! This is not the drug for you!! Get a second opinion.

I've been taking Chantix since 10/26/07. My brothers have just told me that my moods are unbareable. They are very worried about me. I'm not suicidal--more like severely depressed, but not all day. It's strange. I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster. I could be laughing and having a great time one minute and a second later in a rage screaming at someone. I'm not liking this at all.

I have quit before. I stopped cold turkey and it lasted for 2 years. I used the gum and it lasted for 6 months. NONE of those times did I feel like this. I'm currently taking Lexapro for depression and have been on it for 2 years. It has worked wonderfully for me. I felt like a new person. But now I'm feeling like a new person and not in a good way.

I'm weaning off the Chantix. I'd rather smoke then hurt someone. Or myself by the sounds of other postings.

Good luck to everyone who is trying to quit.

I started taking Chantix on December 24th. I was really looking forward to this because I heard of people quitting on it. After my 6th day of taking Chantix I am unable to think straight. I am an avid exerciser and I can barely gather enough energy to work out for 30 minutes.

After reading all the other posts about this drug I am NOT taking another pill. I am still going to try to quit but I will use willpower or the patch. I need to function, and these pills are stopping my thinking process.

It is only a matter of time before someone does something horrible to themselves or others while taking Chantix. I have never had any problems with depression and I am feeling useless and sad. I cry for no reason at all and I am even having a hard time gathering thoughts to write this. People have quit before this drug was on the market. If you are serious about quitting then just do it. I would not recommend this to anyone!

This is in specific response to Mary Clark. I have had these headaches after taking Chantix and I understand fully the pain that you mentioned. I started taking Chantix on 9/17 and was doing great. I quit smoking a week later.

On 11/26 I experienced the worst headache of my life and then another one 5 days later. The day after the second headache, I also experienced the mood problem everyone has been discussing. The only common thread in the two experiences was needing to use the restroom and having to wait. I agree that these Chantix-induced headaches are also connected to sex or having an orgasm.

I am certain that Chantix is the cause. After I quit taking it on 11/26, I gradually started smoking again. Disappointed that I was smoking, I decided to take 1/2 of a pill since I wasn't certain the headaches were connected. Thirty minutes later the headache returned--not the severe onset but the lingering headache. It only lasted for a couple of days that time and I quit Chantix for good. I've not had another headache of that type since--even the less severe form is very distinguishable from a typical headache.

I have been taking chantix for 3 months, haven't smoked, but occassionally want to. I had a puff in the first month and it tasted horrible. Vivid dreams is my only side effect. I am wondering how best to discontinue the drug. Any links to this info?

I began taking Chantix in late October of 2007. Had problems with nausea throughout, but no vivid dreams. I have had a serious problem with depression and moodiness, however. Stopped taking it about two weeks ago. How long will it be until I get back to normal?

I took Chantix for about a month and went from a pack a day plus to only 2 cigs a day. I was ecstatic. Trouble was I am bipolar and had a serious psychotic episode at work that landed me in the local behavioral health unit for five days and also cost me my job (I actually quit during the episode and did it quite verbally). I've been out of work for 2 months now and still have a long time until I will be stable enough to work.

Also shortly after getting home from the hospital I had the worst headache of my life and lost the peripherial vision in my right eye. Six weeks later I still don't have the vision back and without a job and without health insurance I can't see a specialist, just my gp.

I don't know if it is all realted or not but I won't go on Chantix again. Yes, it sure took the craving away but the price was too hard to pay. I am only smoking 5 cigarettes a day and I did that without Chantix. It's good enough for me right now.

Not everyone will suffer such debilitaying side effects but anyone who has a pre-existing psychological disorder should use caution and discuss with physician and mental health doc.

To the person who would rather "die of lung cancer than feel like I do now." You've never watched anyone slowly die while the cancer eats away at their insides and their hope disappears from the outside. You've never sat by their bedside and prayed for their final breath so that their pain would end. Know what you are saying before you say it.

Chantix is a miracle drug. I tried everything and could not stop. It did make me feel a little sick for the first half an hour after taking it, but that was the only side effect.

If anyone is reading this and is thinking that they would really like to quit smoking but don't know how, I have nothing but great things to say about it.

I was on Chantix for 6 months. I quit smoking but... I have been hospitalized 3 times during this period for depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and actions. This last hospitalization I was put under emergency detention due to my symptoms.

Thankfully, with this last hospitalization, my MD was aware of the recent reports of bad side effects from Chantix. The medicine was discontinued and the intense anxiety has decreased. The depression, mood instability and general feeling of instability has remained. In addition, I was having trouble contolling my blood sugar level (diabetic) and developed bad edema and water retention. I think they are all related to the Chantix.

I would urge all who are using or are planning on using Chantix to do so with extreme caution. Any change in mood stability or physical health should be looked at in relation to the Chantix. Share the side effects with people around you so they can help you identify any changes you might have after taking Chantix. I was not able to see the downslide in myself. Thankfully I did not eternally harm myself or anyone else.

My husband started Chantix 4 days ago, and tonight came home and just started yelling about nothing, left, then came back and refused to speak to me. He hasn't even come to his quit day yet. Is this a side effect of the Chantix? He tried to quit several times before and had some irritability, but not like this.

Hi, I'm in the UK. On Christmas eve my boyfriend of four months had been drinking... he has been using Chamix for some months. He went beserk for no reason, assaulted me & spent two hours destroying my apartment causing endless damage. I waited in an ambulance for the police to come which took approx an hour... they found him unconscious after taking an overdose of 50 paracetamol & co-codamol. He survived, I have ended the relationship & pressed charges... then found this information. As far as I know he has no past mental health problems or violence in his past. Please can anyone advise, thank you.

My husband started taking this New Year's Day. For the first time in my marriage, I was scared for my kids. He has depression but won't admit it. This has made him angry. I would rather have him smoke than put my kids through this. I tried Chantix and quit because of the side effects but at least I admitted them. Of course try it because some people do have success. Yet like any other addiction I think they should give you this while you are in a nice quiet stress free place.

My ex-wife committed suicide 4 days after starting Chantix. She was still smoking and had been previously diagnosed as bipolar. This was in June of 2007--prior to any warnings. Pfizer talks about no suicides in their clinical trials but in my research, it seems that bipolar people were specifically excluded from clinical trials (likely due to the fact that bipolar people have issues with dopamine levels). However, Pfizer does not warn against prescribing Chantix to bipolar people. Just doesn't make sense to me or my 2 daughters who miss their mom!

I started Chantix 12/22 and after cheating with a puff or two (which tasted terrible) for the first 2 weeks, have been smoke-free for the first time in 33 years. For the first few weeks, I was very nauseous. That has gone away, but the gas pain and bloating are terrible. I have had vivid, amusing what seems like all-night dreams since I started. A little depression around the holidays (which is normal), but all in all I am thrilled. Just hope this gas goes away soon. I DO take the full dose, so maybe I will cut back in the hope that it will relieve the bloating and gas.

I'm not smoking, but it was an emotional roller coaster of hell. But I will never smoke again because I could never imagine taking it again.

I am in my 3rd week of chantix. I have smoked for approximately 12 years, more or less 1 pack a day.

The first week, I had nausea, headaches, dreams (not terrifying, just weird), and could not get back to sleep once I was awake, but i was already lessening my smoking substantially.

The headaches went away after the first week, the nausea lessened by taking the meds with food, the sleeplessness became less troublesome.

However, now my mood swings wildly, and I am very anxious--it feels like I am losing my mind. I made the mistake of having a few drinks after work this week. Don't do that. Although the medication says not to drink, there are no side effects related mentioned, and most medicine says that. I had 2-3 drinks over a few-hour period, then it hit. It was like I had been drinking all day and getting progressively worse.

Somehow I made it home, only to have a horrible fight with my wife. Although I wasn't violent, I said many, many vile things that I would never ever say. I am so ashamed and feel like a fool.

I have contacted my provider and will be reducing my dose by 1/2 tomorrow. I will taper myself off of this medication. It does work, they just need to counsel you on the side effects. 1) NEVER EVER DRINK ONE DROP OF ALCOHOL 2) get on an anti-depressant prior to starting this medication.

Cigarettes taste horrible, I no longer feel the need, I think I will have this kicked within the month. Even if I was uncertain, I wouldn't continue past that--I could see where I could become a danger to my family or myself. Anyone else had the similar experience with alcohol?

I have been taking Chantix now for a month and I have not smoked now for about 2 weeks... I have noticed that I get anxious and seem not to be able to focus on anything... I have been overreacting to situations but I think I can handle it... so I am going to keep taking the Chantix anyway... because I dont want to smoke... If it gets too bad I'll just start tapering off... I am relieved though that i am not the only one feeling this way... and I am not "going crazy" .. I would recommend Chantix, the benifits are outweighing the side effects.. so far...

I was on chantix for about 3 weeks. I had awful side effects--I had sleep, anger, depression problems. To me it wasn't worth it. It has almost cost me my wife and 3 kids. I'm also in the military.

I've been taking Chantix for close to 3 weeks now... On this medicine I can't sleep at all... I'm up all night tossing and turning... I get nausea on an empty stomach but otherwise I don't have cravings for cigs which is awesome... so besides the side effects it's working great.

I took Chantix for half the program. I have suffered with my heart pounding--had to try sleeping sitting up. Quit caffeine and still had the problem. It has taken 9 months now, and I still cannot sleep on left or right side or heart feels awful. Now I have IC extreme pain in my bladder and kidneys, no cure. Everything has happened since taking Chantix. I live in pain every day. I would rather have smoked the rest of my life. I think someone with undiagnosed heart condition could be killed by this drug. It has been and continues to be a nightmare. I stopped the program halfway through and just did cold turkey. I am not saying it did not help, I am saying it was not worth it.
Donna

I have been on chantix for 2 weeks and stopped 2 days ago. The depression was unbearable!!! PURE INSANITY!! Fits of rage, I was seeing shadows--I thought I was going completely crazy!!! The dreams were PURE TERROR... It scared me soooo bad, I just quit taking it, before I killed somebody or myself... My legs and feet are so swollen! How long does it take to get out of my system?? WHY DIDN'T MY DOCTOR TELL ME THIS COULD HAPPEN!!! Instead I thought these feelings were side effects of not smoking. I would never rec. Chantix to anyone...

I started chantix almost 2 weeks ago... I have such a feeling of fullness and I am so uncomfortable, I feel like I am 9 months pregnant with a big old belly that won't go down, and I'm not pregnant or overweight, it totally sucks!!! Don't know how much longer I can take this awful feeling. Didn't think it was a side effect until I found this site. I was ready to go to a GI specialest.

Still smoking about 5 cigs a day down from 20+. Will I just stop smoking one day soon so I can get off this miserable pill? How does that work? Also had thoughts of why am I alive, and wanting to snap someone's neck, thankfully that hasn't happened. Are we the people taking chantix guinea pigs??

My girlfriend started taking Chantix in august '07 and it made quitting very easy for her. She also takes an anti-anxiety med, but she experienced almost no ill side-effects from the drug, so I started taking it in Sept. '07 Neither of us follwed the recommended dosage guidelines. I took only .5 mg every other day. I experienced super-vivid dreams and some associated lack of sleep, so much so that I stopped taking the drug after three weeks. I was still able to quit smoking, but it was a supreme effort on my part, as I had been a solid pack a day smoker for just over twenty years. I feel like the Chantix helped, but I couldn't stand the not sleeping. I am dismayed by the stories of people who suffered all these terrible side-effects, I just don't see how a nueral inhibitor could turn someone suicidal so quickly and without warning. It doesn't make sense to me.

SO FAR SO GOOD. I have only had gas, and I am 18 days smoke-free.

I'm on day 7 of Chantix... tomorrow is my quit date. The only side effect I've had is constipation; however, after reading everything I've read on this site, I'm dreading continuing. Cross your fingers because I'm going to stay on it and hopefully quit smoking and take the chance of the horrible side effects a lot of you are talking about. Thanks for all the info!

Today is Day 8 on Chantrix. The urge for a smoke seems to have diminished greatly. I've been up 4 hours and had only one cig. Been a smoker for almost 35 years and have never quit. Side effects so far have only been colorful dreams that seem to last all night, and very mild, occasional nausea.

I know this drug affects everyone differently, like most any drug. I want to stop smoking, so will continue the treatment, but asked my wife to immediately tell me if she sees any "weird" behaviour. I've also noticed online articles often, but not always, point to alcohol use as being a factor in many of the more extreme symptoms. I'm glad I don't drink.

Thought to add something important after reading more comments. I am also on Glucophage (2000 mg/day) and Lovastatin (40 mg/day). I take one baby aspirin/day and currently Aleve for a terrible backache. None of this has seemed to add or change the side effects of all night dreams and mild nausea.

Stopped smoking using Chantix oct 07... Constipation and nausea I thought were my only side effects until I found this site. Now I'm relieved I'm not crazy... The mood swings I was attributing to starting my menopause... Think I'm gonna start tapering.. I really hate being like this and my husband doesn't deserve my fits of rage...

i have not had 1 problem with chantix. I've been smoke free for 5 days and feel better now than I ever have... I have no idea what some of you people are talking about--mood swings, suicide?? I do have vivid dreams but they have surpassed a lot..

Today is my first day off Chantix. I'm stopping after taking for 11 weeks. First of all, I have been smoke-free for over 8 weeks. I really hope that once I'm not taking it I can stay this way.

I found this site because I stopped taking it today and I'm very unhappy. I was wondering if it was because of stopping the med. The funny thing is I've forgotten a dose here and there and did not feel this way, so I really think it is all in my head and not from stopping Chantix. What I think a lot of this boils down to is we read all the bad things and overreact.

This medication is supposed to make smoking less desirable, but our bodies still have to go through withdrawal from nicotine and all the other poisons we've been putting in our lungs for years.

As for the side effects of taking Chantix: nausea if I didn't eat first, problems sleeping (but I didn't sleep much before taking it), and some very vivid dreams. Never nightmares, just dreams I had to decide if it really happened or not, sometimes I'd even wake up laughing because it was like watching a funny movie. To tell the truth when I tried the patch in the past I had more problems with not sleeping and bad dreams than with the chantix.

So how much of this is the medication, and how much is withdrawal.

I was a 1-pack-a-day smoker and took Chantix, as prescribed, for just over 2 weeks and quit smoking. That was 3/31/07. As of 1/22/08 I am still smoke-free.

Side effects experienced:
1.) Intensified bad dreams in the first few days. I stopped taking the 2nd pill late at night (took it earlier) and the dreams went away.
2.) Bad nausea.

Since quitting, I now have some extreme pain and aching in my hands and wrist. This started in September of 2007. I’ve been to the doctor and have had xrays, blood work and no problems have been found. I wonder if the the Chantix could have caused this? Has anyone else had this problem since quitting Chantix?

I began taking chantix on May 25, 07. I stopped smoking on May 31. I ended up being admitted to a psych unit with "major depression" on July 22. I have always handled stressful and depressing times in the past with the help of my family and friends. Instead, I was so depressed and isolated that I couldn't continue to function.

Not once did I connect these feelings to the chantix. Hearing the news talk about " a link to chantix and depression" I immediately began researching on sites like this. Thank God for this site. I was able to put the missing piece of the puzzle in place! I have been chantix-free since my hospitalization and continue to get stronger every day. I strongly urge people to opt for other methods of quitting. Chantix has had a devastating effect on my life.

Well, I quit! I haven't had a cig since last Friday at 9:30pm. I'm so proud of myself, and it's not THAT bad. The only side effects I'm having are still constipation and vivid dreams, but I think the vivid dreams are fun! It IS like watching a movie. I don't feel any better, after a week of being smoke-free, physically, like a lot of people say they do. Hopefully soon I will! Congrats to everyone that has been able to quit. It's a tough job, but we did it!! I thank Chantix 100%.

I just started taking chantix. I'm on day 8. I have no cravings so far today. Ever since I started taking two pills a day, I'm tired all day long. I'm losing my mind or so my boss says. I couldn't even do payroll this morning--he had to take over because I couldn't think. Is this normal? I don't want to fall into depression. This site has made me so scared. I'm not an angry person; I don't want to be an angry person. What happens if I stop now? Wow, this is scary stuff. Oh and I have no appetite at all and going to the grocery store just confuses me. Anyone else have this going on?

After reading everyone's thoughts on chantix, and dealing with my own experiences, I decided to get in on this posting. Hopefully with all these first-hand experiences, the next person can make a better decision whether or not to start or stop taking this drug.

I was a 22yr 1pack+/- a day smoker. I started the .5 pill on 12-25-07. I stopped smoking 1-2-08. I have not completely stopped, as I have had 4 or 5 cigs since then, so average out to be 1 cig a week. First week of the .5 pill had same weird vivid dreams like a lot of others; those have since gone away, I would say sometime after the first week. Now the only regular side effects that I know of are the constipation and gas.

Now the side effects that my wife sees: an extreme change in mood swings after that first week, say when I started the 1.0 pills. I thought I was just edgy from not having the nicotine, but I thought the cleansing of nicotine and withdrawal were supposed to be gone by now, and I think it's just getting worse. The fights my wife and I get in are happening more often and are more intense, to the point that I have thought about leaving and getting a divorce.

My wife was a little later than me to start the chantix, she started her pills maybe 10 days ago, and after our last fight 2 days ago she said she's gonna stop taking them as she does not like the way I have become and does not want to make things worse for her or us. Yes, I too can see the edginess and temper issue; I did not think it was that bad, but after being told what I do and relax and think about it, yes it has elavated to a level that I do not like and am considering weaning off of chantix.

It's been just over a month since my first pill, and I think I am going to start tommorrow on reducing the amounts just like I had to get on, I am going to do to get off. On the positive side, I liked the way it helped me not to smoke, I hope to continue not smoking after the pill is gone. Did not have suicidal thoughts thank God, but I don't like the way as others have said, the wind blows the wrong way and I am soo p.o.'d. I guess that;s about all, hopes this helps others.

I started taking Chantix on 1/11, and it seemed to help out a lot with the nicotine withdrawal. The negative side effects (bad gas, difficulty sleeping) got bad enough after two weeks so as to cause me to quit taking Chantix. This last weekend has been really rough--intense insomnia followed by whole days where I would sleep for a few hours at a time and wake up tired. After reading all these Chantix horror stories, I wouldn't recommend this medication to anyone. I am worried that my own depression, anger, and sleeplessness will continue for long after I've stopped taking this drug.

Day 5, I am holding a cigarette, but I don't why. I was upset about my girfriend breaking up with me, but now I can't remember why. So far, a mild euphoria, and slight sense of disconnect.

Sorry to hear of all the suffering. I think I'll be able to quit. Best of luck to everyone.

The only bad side effect for me is bad gas and constipation. I have vivid dreams, but I actually love them. It's a great drug and if it works for me it can work for anyone!!

I started taking Chantix about 4 weeks ago. For the first two weeks it was great! However, I slipped up and started smoking again at the beginning of week 3.

After a few days of smoking again and not being motivated, I was planning on continuing with the medication. However, one night I started to feel incrediable anger towards everyone around me. I picked a fight with my husband and bad-mouthed my step children, to the point of calling them names and declaring I hated them! I love my children to death. By the next day I was also contemplating suicide and threatening harm towards others.

I finally realized I needed help, so I went to the doctor who diagnosed me with bi-polar and prescribed me medication. However, my grandmother told me about the side effects of Chatix and my doctor agrees that this is more than likely what happened to me, not bi-polar.

Chantix does help you quit smoking, but the side effects can be really scary.

I took the Chantix in August of 2007 for two months, and on the third refill, I never did finish that package, and I have been smoke-free ever since without any side effects.

I am so relieved that I at least have the hope that the drug my husband takes is more than likely the reason for my husband's heartless mean hatred toward me. Drinking any chance he can get, not even sorry to make me cry at least 10 days last month; he cannot figure out if he even cares if I live through the night. My kids are lost and acting out the same verbal assaults.

He acts as if I'm someone whose really done wrong, and that if I don't shut up I'll truly know how he feels about me. I'm scared. Every night after work I begin wondering if ever I should go home. But he must have control because he can turn it off and act really sweet to the kids out of guilt. He was a real nice man, but we're so far behind on any scale of help. He claims I'm all to blame because I'm melodramatic.

I started Chantix at the beginning of January and am now into my 5th week. Initially I had a lot of vivid dreams, but these have passed. No depression to deal with so far, but then I am exercising, have lost 20 lbs and am feeling good. I am having problems maintaining an erection or reaching climax, which basically sucks. I am certainly aware of the depression/suicide risk and cannot wait to get off this drug. At the moment it just seems like the lesser of two evils, and despite it helping me (not had a cigarette in over a month after a 20-year pack a day habit), I do not trust it.

As a side, taking Chantix to quit smoking when you are ready to commit to a lifestyle change is one thing.... taking it and continuing to smoke is just stupid, double trouble as far as I am concerned. Make sure your mind is geared up for quitting before you start, or your attitude will kill your quit.

I would also like to add to the comments on my last post that typical side effects for quitting smoking with Chantix or NRT for me have been constipation, insomnia and irritability... some of what people are feeling while on Chantix may be a side affect of not smoking and should pass.

I started taking chantix, and the first week I would get bad headaches, but I was trying to deal with it. But the second week I didn't get out of bed, I just wanted to die. I felt like I was a burden on everyone, and my husband and children would be better off without me. I stopped taking chantix and got better.

I went to the doctor, and he did nothing. But if I hadn't stopped taking Chantix, I don't know if I would have been here one more day. I have never really been a depressed person, and all this took me by surprise. Someone needs to do something!

I am on week 5 of Chantix and have so far had minimal problems. The 1st week or so I would get nausea in the morning if I had not eaten.

The only problems have been with sleeping. I wake up about 3 times in the middle of the night. Sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. The dreams are also a problem. They are more real, vivid and bizarre then normal. This is terrible for me since I regularly have nightmares and lately they have been REALLY freaky.

Those are the only side effects so far. I have not had any problems with mood or depression. I also have not had any problems with alcohol, even if I take the pill with beers after dinner.

I would recommend this drug to everyone serious about quitting smoking, just be ready for the side effects because they will kick your butt. In the end I think it is worth it to finally be smoke free.

In response to DB from 1/21/08... although I have suffered the same general symptoms as most of the posts (nausea, depression, vivid dreams and/or nightmares, etc.), I too have had problems with my hands and wrists that are unexplainable by my doctor. X-rays and bloodwork and examinations have found no apparent problem. It also makes me wonder if others have this problem?

I am entering week 4 of Chantix. I stopped smoking on day 6 of the drug with the attitude that if this drug helped me to quit, I would never pick up another cigarette again. At the time that I quit smoking, I was up to 1 1/2 - 2 packs a day. I am smoke free for the first time in 39 years.

Side effects? vivid dreams--sometimes; headaches--sometimes, and nausea more often than I would like (5-6 hours a day).

Benefits? I do not stand outside in the freezing cold and rain while I have to smoke. I do not almost have fender-benders because I have dropped a cigarette while driving. My clothes have no new burn places, nor does my carpet. The bronchitis that I had in early January 2008 was the last time that I smoked even when I did not have enough air to breathe -- I gave the cigarettes the oxygen that I need to breathe. I can enjoy movies and tolerate meetings at work without being distracted by thoughts of how I can escape and smoke. I am in control of an area of my life that controlled me for 39 years.

I do not seek to minimize anyone's elses symptoms nor my own. The people that are having pyschological issues should run, not walk, to their physician for answers that they will never find on a site that allows us to share our "chantix experience." For me, taking a deep clean breath and having nausea, dreams, gas and bloating is weighed against the coughing and expense and for me, chantix helps me win and take back an area of my life.

Started Chantix in mid-Dec. 2007. I had no major problems at first, just the excessive gas, bloating and cramping. I had the dreams, but they were fun. I did notice more difficulty getting up in the morning. I felt that I could deal with these since I had also stopped smoking.

My problems began about 6.5 weeks after starting the chantix. My ability to concentrate is gone; it's not that my mind wanders off the subject, I just can't focus, I go blank. I am a student, and I am having difficulty connecting the dots--I can't seem to apply what I read and know to solving problems; I can't make logical connections. My moods are crazy. The rage I feel at times is scary since it is so foreign to me. it is more like a deep down hatefulness. I cry all the time, I keep asking myself why am I here?

I have stopped the chantix, but these symptoms have not gone away. How long does it take to get back to normal?

I was on Chantix and ended up losing all of my hair. They have not determined that this was the cause of my hair loss but my hair started falling out in my second month of taking the drug.

I'm pregnant and have been trying to quit smoking since I found out. My doctor prescribed me chantix, he told me it was safe to use while pregnant, and I just finished my first week. I've been feeling so weird and having strange dreams and a horrible time sleeping; I wake up every hour all night long since I started it.

I just chalked it up to being pregnant and nicotine withdrawal until I got online and did some research. Chantix has never been tested on pregnant women, yet my doctor told me it was safe!! I have a history of suicidal tendencies when I was younger, and I'm afraid this medication is going to push me over the edge, especially since there is already so much high drama in my life right now with an unexpected baby and a dad who I am not at all sure is going to stick with me through this.

I know the risks of smoking: chance of low birth weight and premature birth. What are the risks of chantix? I'm damned if i do and damned if I don't! I am terrified of what this drug might be doing to my baby or what it might do to me psychologically when I am already so hormonally out of whack. Has anyone out there quit smoking with chantix while pregnant?

I took Chantix for two months. Initially I felt great, though my friends and family found me manic and edgy. I thought I was doing fine! I was concerned that I felt I needed the drug and craved it wildly up to two hours before my next scheduled pill. Then the drug threw me into one of the worst depressive episodes I have ever had, and the depression continued after I had stopped the drug. It is only because I thought it would be a lot of trouble for my family that I didn't kill myself.

I was diagnosed as bipolar almost 20 years ago and I can tell you that I have NEVER felt that terrible about myself and wanted so much to die.

On the upside I did quit smoking for six months and am currently in the midst of a relapse into smoking. However I feel sure I can pull myself out of it.

I completely agree that the Chantix will help you QUIT, but my experience was just like some that I read. I was fine at first, just nausea was the worst, but hey, it was worth it if I wasn't smoking. So I continued and I started getting really emotional and crying and yelling all the time. (Very depressed and suicidial) I was a mess. I hated myself, then I felt sorry for myself. It was so HORRIBLE. I took myself off the drug and within 2-3 days it was so much better. It's definitely worth quitting smoking but at what expense??

This is my 3rd week on Chantix, and I plan to quit taking it. Although I have quit smoking, the side effects are too much for me to handle. I feel like I live in a fog all day. I have no recollection of the drive to and from work. I forget things all of the time. The nightmares are more like night terrors for me... I wake my husband up screaming. My vision has been blurry--I thought I needed new glasses. I have insomina and average about 3 hours of sleep a night. I am tired all of the time. I no longer have a personality. I am on an emotional rollarcoaster ride that seems to never end. I'm so depressed--I don't know how to function. I have no energy!

BEFORE Chantix, I was the happiest person alive! I would NEVER recommend this product to anyone! I do not believe enough studies were conducted on this product before FDA approval. If I didn't work out every day--I would probably be more depressed. Hopefully, this will get out of my system, and I can get back to normal.

I took Chantix for 5 weeks. I quit smoking the 2nd week and haven't smoked since. I stopped taking Chantix because I was having excruciating all-day migraines from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep (if I could sleep at all). It has been about 3 weeks since I stopped taking Chantix, and I still have these horrible migraines and cannot sleep for more than a few minutes without waking up. It takes me at least 4 hours to fall asleep, even with sleep aids. I would not recommend Chantix to anyone.

I haven't smoked in 35 days thanks to Chantix. Anyone who has a predisposition for depression should ALWAYS tell ALL of their dr's, family members, friends, etc that they are quitting smoking because that is a really big stressor and can cause the depression to emerge. I have had a handful of VERY disturbing dreams while taking Chantix, but no other side effects.

I have had a lot of mental health problems in my life and was suicidal for YEARS. I have been in inpatient and outpatient treatment. Outpatient treatment is continued, and I see a psychologist at least once a month. Everyone wants to blame someone other than themselves when they are suicidal. It is a very embarrassing thing.

I'm not saying that the pill does not bring out these tendencies, I'm just saying that I think people are UNDERRATING the addiction to nicotine.

I am so happy I am smoke free now. I can taste, smell, and overall enjoy life so much more.

I've been on Chantix since Feb. 2, 2008. Did the week of pills as prescribed and quit on the 8th day. I have no urge to smoke. The side effect are becoming unbearable. Insomnia, lack of appetite and major depression set in within a few days of taking the drug. I am going to make it through the first month's supply and then adios it.

I visited my doctor earlier this week and he attributed the symptoms to nicotine withdrawal. I was put on 20 mg. of Lexapro and given Ambien for the sleep problem. My wife and kids are supportive, but scared. It is a stressful time though. I was downsized from my job on Oct. 1 and haven't worked since. With the Chantix and the depression, not sure when I will begin looking for a new job. I feel really worthless and don't have much hope. I am going to beat these cigarettes, though. Thirty years of 2 packs a day and I'm on day 11 without one. How long does nicotine withdrawal take? Please let me know your thoughts. Jim

I am just like most of you. I wish I would have known back then what I know now.

1. I have severe edema, swelling legs and ankles.

2. Severe Insomnia.

3. Severe hair loss.

4. Shortness of breath.

5. Gained 25 pounds.

All of this didn't start until I stopped taking Chantix about 4 mo's ago. I'm really scared about what is going to happen next.

I started Chantix about 3 weeks ago, and am still smoking a bit, a couple a day. They don't taste good and I throw them away. I have had a very foggy head, and severe occular migraines every day. I am exhausted and stressed and having trouble making decisions, and have a vague feeling of hopelessness. I am off this Chantix, I was only smoking 4 to 10 cigs a day before I started it.

I only took Chantix for 7 days, the last two days just once a day. I was hoping things would be okay with taking it just once daily, but they were not. I quit smoking, which is wonderful. The nausea went away after I quit taking it, but the aches in my hips, knees, and ankles did not. I still cannot sleep! The dreams kept me awake while I was on it. I was thinking about the dreams and what I should do differently while I was having them. I heard the noises around me. I wasn't really sleeping. I was like a zombie all day. After being off of the chantix for about a month and a half, it is still the same. I even try taking something like tylenol pm and can't sleep. I ache and I'm so tired! I felt much better when I was a smoker!!! Of course I'm not stupid, so will not start smoking again, but will this ever end???

I started using Chantix about a month ago, and it was really working great. I cut down from 2 packs a day to 4 cigs a day and was feeling pretty good. I just finished up my 4th week, however, and about 2 weeks ago I started getting migraines and something was going wrong with my eyes so that it would appear that there was a split in the air. The migraines would follow this episode. The first onset lasted about a half hour, but have grown to last 3 hours now. I will not be renewing my prescription as I would rather find another means to quit than deal with 3 hours of severe pain.

I just wish someone could tell me how long these side effects will last. As I said in my post the other day, I've been off chantix for 4 mo's. I'm in pain every day. Also I can't think straight or say a full sentence without trying to figure out what I was GOING to say. My eyes are blurry. Sleep; forget it. What's that? I forgot what that is. My Dr. even has me on sleeping pills. No; does not work. So many side effects and nothing we can do. Should be something. Does anyone know of something to make all of this go away? I'm swelled from holding water, headaches, insomnia, blurry vision, horrible mood, can't think straight, bones hurt, can't breath etc. Someone please give advice on what to do.

Insomnia, upset stomach but the worst is my hot tongue--it still hasn't gone away after 4 months of not smoking. Suggestions please.

I can definitely relate to James McClain's postings on the 21st and 28th. I also finished my regimen of Chantix four months ago and I'm experiencing most of James' problems, the worst being insomnia and fatigue. The only good thing about this whole Chantix experience is that I did quit smoking after 47 years. However, I feel worse now than when I was smoking.

I started Chantix two weeks ago, and I have not smoked at all. I have not been sleeping soundly and the dreams are the strangest things that I have ever experienced. The dreams feel real, and I think about what I dreamt all day. Also, I am experiencing nausea for most of the day. Other than that things are fine.

I took Chantix back in Febuary of 07, did the full 3 months and only had the vivid dreams as a side effect. Then around the time of september I started to have heart racing at night when I went to bed; it was so bad that one of the times I woke up at 4 in the morning thinking I was having a heart attack and went to the ER. My heart was pounding out of my chest; after all the tests, they sent me home saying there is nothing wrong with you. Well, I never had anything like this happen before, and this has almost become a routine at night. Anybody else have heart pounding or something simlar to it?

I took the pills for awhile and never thought much about it until I heard the reports on it... it never helped me quit smoking, but I now think it is possibly what casused me to have a severe asthma attack. I had a lot of depression and anxiety and COULDN'T THINK STRAIGHT... KEPT ENDING UP IN THE HOSPITAL, finally having an almost fatal attack last summer. I now have no desire for sex or to go anywhere or do anything. Chantix is the only thing I'd done different .

People if you want to quit smoking... really do... then call the hot-lines... they work along with good diet and prayer. Instead of paying 100 dollars for a bottle of pills most Americans can't afford, it's time our country got socialized medicine and clinics for nicotine addicts. We also need affordable or free clinics for alchoholism and drug addiction... a 4 week program don't cut it.

People we pay the taxes and go without! Right now I could care less who gets President because I have to worry about possible permanent damage from chantix and maybe another fatal asthma attack. While the pharmacies and pill manufacturers get rich we suffer greatly. Chantix isn't the only destructive drug out there.

I started Chantix on March 1st, 2008. I deceided not to read side effects because I am the type of person who will automatically develope them. My first week was uneventful except I felt I had a bad taste in my mouth. I continued my usual smoking routine, and gradually found I was thinking less and less about having a smoke. My hardest part was coming home, which is where I do most of my smoking. I always look forward to having a drink and a cigarette when I get home. Unfortunately I am also dealing with and in the middle of an unwanted separation (not the best time to quit, but I really want to quit).

I have had the nausea if I take the pill on an empty stomach. I am usually a very active person and ballet is my major form of exercise. I am an older adult and therefore I have been on Aleve for arthritis and such. I usually could spring across the floor with the youngest of them, but this past Saturday which was one full week on Chantix for me, I was in my ballet class and literally felt like I was going to collapse. My legs began to ache and they lost so much strength I actually had to sit out a few routines. Since then I continue to have extremly achy legs. I was wondering if the Chantix is intereferring with the Aleve? Also am I in danger for having a drink while on this pill? If any of you have any idea to my dilemma I sure would appreciate the input.Thanks SLS

Yeah, my doc told me only one guy in Texas had problems with Chantix. I am on week number 5 and smoking 1-2 a day. I smoked at least a pack from 14 and am now 48. The nausea was awful the first three weeks. Gas is still there. There is definately a difference in mood when you get to the higher dose, and it intensifies with every day. Depression, suicidal thoughts, pissed off at everything. Life feels pointless. I have no psychiatric history. I knew this was too good to be true. I will start reducing dose and stopping it tomorrow--hopefully I won't smoke.

Oh, forgot -- blisters in mouth and god awful heat flashes, but not sure if those are associated with this.

I started Chantix in January and took it about 3 weeks. Immediately I began noticing that I wasn't getting the same pleasure from smoking and quit completely Feb. 7 while on a trip to Atlantic City, and even now just walking by someone smoking turns my stomach.

But. . . I almost lost my job. My supervisor gave me 10 days to get myself together or she was going to fire me. I didn't know what was wrong with me, I had no motivation, I couldn't think straight, I was screwing up on my job (I work for an organ procurement office and when I screw up people literally die), and worst of all, I couldn't rally enough energy to care.

I knew that something was terribly wrong one day when I was sitting at a red light and couldn't figure out what to do, so I watched other drivers around me to know when I was supposed to go. I had no motivation to go to work, and in the middle of a staffing when I present cases in front of our president, doctors, surgeons, executive, I completely forgot what I was saying and ended up looking like a fool while trying to stumble through my presentation.

Chantix almost cost me my job, and I still feel the effects. I get headaches, heart palpatations, still feel confused, have a loss of words, anxious and even a little paranoid.

I have been off Chantix for about 3 weeks now. How long should I expect to have the nausea, heart palpatations, mood swings, and anxiety/confusion, inability to concentrate?

SLS, Just a heads up I do believe the package says do not drink alcohol with Chantix... also be prepared for more interesting side effects to come.

I was on Chantix for 2 months when I started getting migraines with visual aura. I had been prone to migraines, but never the visual aura or ones this intense. The migraines would hit me out of the blue, which was scary especially when it happened while I was driving. I was out of work for several days as well. I had a migraine for a straight week, but my doctor said that Chantix wasn't responsible for it.

I stopped taking Chantix and it took about 4 days before my head started feeling better. I also had a violent dream that really scared me badly. I went back to smoking, sadly, but haven't given up on myself yet and don't smoke like I used to. I work with others that have taken the drug successfully. My doctor is encouraging me to try it again as he doesn't believe the headaches were a side effect of the medication, but I don't want to go through that again.

I have been off Chantix for 6 months, and I am still having problems. The problems didn't start until a couple of months AFTER stopping the pills.

I did stop smoking but I am having severe side effects and they're not getting any better.

This is what I have so far:

Severe headaches, blurry vision, hot flashes, severe insomnia, can't concentrate, no energy, heart pounds, severe swelling in my legs and hands, weight gain, hair loss & shortness of breath.

I never had any of this until taking Chantix. I didn't have these side effects while on the medication, or I would have stopped taking them. I only took the pill for 6 weeks. I didn't even stay on them as long as they recommend you to. And I am having all these effects. I hate getting up each day because I suffer every day. Smoking would have been better. I was healthier then!

Does anyone know how long this will last? My doctor hasn't heard anything about chantix. I told her to google it. There is so much out there about the severe side effects. You'd think someone would know something to tell all of us.

I took Chantix for just 3-4 weeks, and quit successfully one day before the recommended quit date. I am smoke-free now for almost 3 months.

I had all the side effects I was told about -- insomnia, vivid dreams, gas, nausea. I also, though, had fits of anger while on the drug, and was prone to making rash decisions (like splitting up with my partner, pretty out of the blue) and have suffered from a low level of anxiety, an inability to concentrate, and depression (crying fits) since I went off the drug. It's been almost 2 months off the drug and these things are not getting better. I still can't get up in the morning. Sometimes I can't convince myself to go to work. I still sometimes go for several nights waking up 3-4 times a night, which has never been an issue for me. I am very moody.

I am going to my GP to discuss a plan to get me back on track emotionally. I have clinically depressed family members so recognize the symptoms, but as I am in my mid 30s and have never suffered from depression, it took a while for me to realize what was going on with me.

The drug worked great for the quitting smoking ... I smoked for 20 years and have tried quitting in the past. I still have no desire to smoke at all. However, the side effects are pretty horrible. I don't know that I can say it's worth it, in light of the fact that I am now a depressed non smoker instead of an emotionally healthy smoker. Six of one etc.

It should be worth noting that when quitting cold turkey in the past, I did not experience problems like I am now, so I don't think they can be attributed to the quitting.

I have been on Chantix for about 2 mos. and didn't experience any adverse behavior effects until I upped the dosage to the 2 pills a day. Once there, I began to experience irrational outbursts of anger that were totally out of character for me. Blessedly, I was alone during the experience, or my kids would have been horrified.

I cut back to one pill a day, and it has helped considerably. Because I can feel these "episodes" coming on, I have also been able to talk myself down from them because I've now identified where the behavior is coming from. Interestingly, too: I have been on Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory painkiller, for an unrelated ailment and find that if I take it along with the chantix, it seems to control my emotions much better. Weird....

Aside from the above, I am really having great success with the chantix but would absolutely recommend monitoring one's behavior very, very, closely while on this drug. Good luck to all!

Thank God it's not all in my head! I haven't taken chantix since oct. It is now march, and I am going through a rough time. My vision is blurry at times, I've gotten some chest pain and anxiousness, I've had times when I have been very short tempered--when I was on it, I walked out of my job twice, I am unsteady on my feet sometimes, and I noticed for about the past week, my memory is worse than usual. I don't type as well as I used to; I'm just really messed up in the head--I keep doing stupid things, saying WHAT is wrong with me.... and up until I went out and bought a support for my elbow about a week ago, my elbows (but mostly my right one) were killing me. All of a sudden they arent bothering me, but we will see what happens there.

I smoked for 40 plus years. I started Chantix at the end of January and have not had a smok since. Problem is I am starting to have some of the same weird thoughts that I have seen in this site. In addition I seem to be anxious all the time. I am going to back off to one a day and see what happens. Some of the wierd thoughts are troubling.

We have been meaning to contact you way before now, after reading an article in our local paper on "Chantix".

My husband, Dave, took Chantix for 3 weeks in November 2006. He quit taking it on his own because he became so depressed and had no desire to do anything! He could not get his mind on work, and would sit and stare at nothing. He later told me that often he would just sit in a chair in his shop, not even knowing how long he was there.

I was so worried about him--he decided to quit taking this terrible medication.

We certainly hope this medication will be taken off the market soon!

Elaine and Dave Betts

Lewes, Delaware

P.S. Dave is still not his usual self!

I have been on Chantix for a month now. I have had a lot of side effects: constipation, bloating, etc. The worst for me was itchy red rash from my neck to my ankles. After 2 weeks, the rash faded somewhat, but now I have very rough and very, very dry skin.

I have tried several lotions and baby oils to soften my skin--nothing seems to help. Also some of my skin on my thighs is discolored now (purplish); I sure hope this clears up soon, it is very annoying.

I have quit smoking, and this has been a rough road to go down. It is worth quitting, but darn those side effects. I have also dealt with depression most of my adult life, along with anxiety. I have not noticed any changes with that.

I started taking Chantix in March of 2008. I was only able to go 4 days without smoking, but the symptoms became very strange. I felt like I had taken a truth serum--if I thought it, I said it, without regard to anyone's feelings. Between the rage and the crying spurts, I never felt good about what I was trying to do. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I have taken Chantix for four weeks and have only had the nausea and vivid dreams side effects.

I know from trying to quit cold turkey in the past that just the nicotine withdrawal alone caused headaches, weakness, concentration problems, etc. I also had horrible nightmares. A lot of what I'm reading are actually symptoms of nictotine withdrawal, whether or not they are associated with Chantix. Also, I don't know, but it seems to me that even after you go off the Chantix your body may still be looking for the nicotine, so the symptoms would still be there. The American Cancer Society says that nicotine cravings/withdrawals can last up to two years after quitting.

These are nicotine withdrawal symptoms from the American Cancer Society website:

dizziness (which may only last 1-2 days after quitting)
depression
feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
anxiety
irritability
sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares
trouble concentrating
restlessness
headaches
tiredness
increased appetite

I'm alarmed at the number of people who described suicidal thoughts as a result of taking the Chantix -- then later in the post mention that they have been depressed or suicidal in the past or that a family member has been depressed or suicical in the past -- that means that the predisposition was already there and a number of things could trigger it. It doesn't seem logical to me that one pill in any form (antidepressant, Chantix, etc.) can take a happy-go-lucky person to a suicide risk in two weeks.

I don't want to make light of anyone's problems or symptoms, but I wouldn't want anyone to be discouraged from at least trying it. I'm a proponent of the medication since it's worked so well for my husband and me.

I started on Chantix Feb. 15th and have only smoked twice since the first week - bad taste and no familiar satisfaction from it. I take 0.5 morning + 1.0 at night due to the queasiness. I have had the amazing dreams, some of which might be viewed as "scary" but I am kind of entertained by them. My breathing is improving to the point that workouts are not nearly as taxing.

However I did experience the itch, and the long-lasting headaches are still with me. The worst was yesterday at work when, for the first time in my 50 years, I experienced a migraine. I couldn't read the text on the screen in front of me and watched as the "aura" slowly moved across my field of vision (stroke? blindness?) eventually disappearing but followed by the head-in-a-vice feeling.

I'll stay on my 1.5mg daily for now, as it has helped greatly, but another migraine and I'll wean off quickly. And I have not been depressed, just somewhat dulled by it.

BK - your symptoms are that of nicotine withdrawal. It may not be the Chantix. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can last up to two years (see post above).

I think that many expected to have no withdrawal since they are taking Chantix. This is not the case. Nicotine withdrawal will still be there, for some, more severe than for others.

Hang in there and good luck - congratulations for quitting smoking!

I started chantix at the beginning of march went through the first box. Only had constipation and moodiness then for my birthday had a couple of beers and sleptwalk fell down the stairs while sleepwalking woke back up in bed and could not remember any of it but had blood and injuries. Pieced it together the next day. Doctor told me to quit takeing it right away. I hate this drug and wish they would pull it.

I too have had the sever anger, suicide, and mood swings, but the product seems to be the only thing that makes not smoking a reality and am wondering if anyone has attempted to use chantix with a mood stabilizer or elevator like Xanax? I have read the literature and don't see any drug interaction warnings.
Has anyone tried this?

KL; I don't agree. I was a smoker for 35 years. I quit 2 times. Both cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant. I had the normal withdrawel symptoms. What I went thru then is NOTHING compared to what I'm going thru now. And these other people on this board. It's different. Believe me; been there.
It will soon be a year and the symptoms are getting worse, not better!

Migraines, hair loss, imsomnia, blurry vision, hot flashes, heart racing, swelling of legs/ankles, shortness of breath, joint pain etc. This started after I'd been off the Chantix for a month or so. I only took the pill for 5 weeks.

My husband took it for 8 weeks. What's so amazing is he didn't start his symptoms until 3 weeks after mine. His is only migraines, joint pain, rash. It is NOT withdrawels from the cig.'s.

I think everyone on this board is wanting to know what else to expect and how long to expect all of this to go on. And also to relate to others who are going thru this. I'm afraid after your post; no one is wanting to tell their story now. There hasn't been anything said since you stated it was withdrawels from the nicotine. I sure hope they get back on here.
Have a blessed day.

i agree with you cheryl i have been off chantix over 3 months my legs ache i get dizzy when i look up/my nose has been a constant water fall of clear liquid and i still feel the anger one minute and cry the next minute

I started Chantix on March 13, '08. Very quickly I went from 2 packs a day to less than half a pack. But the nausea was horrible. For almost two weeks I simply couldn't function. There is a three day period of which I don't remember much at all. When I was functional, I was so violent and angry. Then the horrible nightmares hit. Never, never have I experienced such dreams.

On the morning of the 25th I threw the cigarettes out for good JUST so I could quit the Chantix. For that day and the next I only took 1/2 a pill in the AM.

Now I'm scared because it's been almost 3 weeks and I'm still feeling violent and having nightmares. I'm so ashamed of my outbursts (after their over), but I simply can't control this. I feel like I'm going crazy and it's been weeks without cigs or the drugs. I'm just praying that it'll eventually end. I quit before for four years and didn't go through this. I can't believe I'm considering going back to smoking. Not because of the cravings (there really aren't any), but in an effort to restore my sanity.

For the woman who is bipolar and thinking about Chantix: PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRUG! I was mentally stable before I started this medication. I can't imagine what it'll do to someone who's already on shaky ground!

Don't feel as though I have anything original to contribute to this thread, just an augmentation: After 8 weeks of Chantix I found myself dreading going to sleep because of the intense dreams I'd knew I'd have. None that I remember quite fit the definition of nightmare, but all were disturbing. I'd awaken at 3 in the morning and be unable to get back to sleep.

To my consequent fatigue, I began adding irritability, a diminished ability to focus and concentrate at work, and a new-to-me short temper that manifested mainly when I was driving.

So: Three days ago I stopped the Chantix cold turkey. So far, so good, although I'm still irritable. But last night at last I got a good night's sleep, and I'm hoping for another.

To give credit where credit's due, I have no desire whatsoever to smoke a cigarette. Net result? Unsettling. Not what I'd thought it would be. Tolerable. And, I'm frustrated that Pfizer provides NO information I can locate about how to taper off the medication. So I quit cold.

I took chantix last october for about 3 weeks. I was so overly emotional while taking it. I finally had to stop. I had one bad day after stopping the perscription where i was just really moody. but two months later I suddenly developed extreme anxiety and depression. Has anyone else gone through this after a few months of being off of it? my mother had a similar experience

I just started taking Chantix and I already have a headache! While I was driving, I felt like passing out. I just phoned my doctor to prescribe me something else.. I can't concentrate and I just SNAP majorly at people. I dont like this stuff at all.

I have been on chantix 2 times.The first time the dreams had me terrifed to go to sleep.I was very depressed and lost my appitite,i had a constant awful taste in my mouth,but i was determined to take the chantix and quit smoking because i have C.O.P.D .

After about 6 weeks i couldn't take the feeling of wanting to hide in my bedroom away from everyone because i knew my behavior was not normal.I was talking to myself,crying alot and had to no idea what was happening.My faimly talked me into quitting the chantix and i did.

A year later i wanted to try chantix again,this time i was having nightmares,sleepwalking,and had thoughts of overdossing just to make everything stop!I decided i would rather smoke and die slowly then keep going through this horrifac experiance.I DO NOT RECOMMEND CHANTIX TO ANYONE!

Side Effects of bloating, gas, severe constipatoion. I feel like I am 9 months pregnant. Can't fit into any of my pants. So bad I had to purchase new one's so I could go out to work. I have been on Chantix for 3 weeks. HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST? I however, have not expirienced any depression or suicidal thoughts. I think that people who are already taking antidepressants are immune to that type of side effect. Good luck if you are considering taking this med. I am seriously considering stopping the Chantix due to the intolerable side effects.

I took chantix 3 months ago. I started noticing changes in my personality immediately. I am a passive person but wanted to become insanely aggressive.

Now most days I am ok and getting back to myself but there are way too many frequent days I am depressed and my anger is over exaggerated. I wish I never took it. I was only on for 2 weeks. I can imagine the effects of 3 months. I quit smoking but the pain I feel and what I have put my family through isnt worth it at all

I started taking Chantix two weeks and two days ago. I read every single post on this forum before I decided to add one of my own.

I have quit smoking before and been under way more stressful situations (you are not allowed to smoke in bootcamp). Bootcamp was very stressful, for everyone. And I couldn't smoke. That was 2 months.

I've been on Chantix for 2 weeks and I've already got in some extremely terrible arguments with my wife and dreamed about many adulterous things I would never do. The difference is that for a few hours one day I thought I did do them! Then I finally asked my friend if I fell a sleep and I didn't notice that I had. He said no, so it turns out my 'daydream' was so vivid I thought I did it.

I am extremely irrate all the time. I have no patience for morons or fools lately. If I know an answer to a question someone has, and someone has the wrong answer, I verbally abuse them for their stupidity.

I still 'want' to smoke, though Chantix has helped with the urge to smoke. I've gone from a pack a day to about 7 or 8 cigarettes in the past two weeks. I've felt depressed too, and gone into one fit of rage. Thank god I have not been violent, but I've never been the type to strike someone.

Obviously there are many things we won't know for years about this drug. Look at how many decades it took for the data about the birth control pill to get back to us. I've experienced an extreme preoccupation with sex lately, but have had no real libido. I know that sounds like an oxymoron or a paradox but it's true.

Every day that goes by, I get more and more irritable yet start to want to smoke more again. I certainly hope my hair doesn't all fall out or I will get an attorney. I think I will just stop taking the Chantix starting this evening. Thank you to everyone that shared their stories both good and bad.

Oh, I've been smoking for 12 years.When I went to bootcamp I was 25 and had already been smoking for 7 going on 8 years. That was four years ago. And I was not this quick to anger even in bootcamp.

Quit smoking after 40 years using chantix.Had uber vivid dreams, irrational rage,and a total collapse of my formerly healthy libido.After 1 year of no smoking& no chantix, rage is diminished, dreams not quite as vivid, libido is still gone. I love not being enslaved by nicotine, but i sure as hell miss my sex life.

Side Effects...Unconfidence...Musings... Natural Source-Seeking

I went on Chantix a month ago near my impending 30th birthday- smoker for 15 years.. Nausea yes, but after a week or so I noticed I could handle that by eating. But what's the point of eating if you can't take a poo- for days on end? Feeling clogged up all the time made me feel gross. But the worst feeling (I just stopped cold turkey today out of the blue because this dawned on me) is it was, strangely, Very Hard to focus (I'm a natural daydreamer anyway, but chantix-I think- made me feel super dumb at times)Since I just got a new job as an editor, that was beyond a bad thing.

I don't know what the heck I'm going to do- as everyone realizes in this forum- it isn't the "wonder drug" we thought it was. I know full well I'll relapse back into smoking this early in my semi-quit mode; I'm somewhere in the grey.

I think the key lies in having to replace the body-hurting habit with a body-helping one. You need to develop the dicipline and somewhat positive outlook that, say, climbing a mountain is more inspiring then just sitting around bullshitting with wine and smokes. Perhaps even making a search to find that the balance of moderation. Being in physically good shape ((we all know as smokers, that's the first thing to go)) probably will make me feel a heck of alot stronger and happy, but you know what? I'm a good storyteller and wine and a cig are,like, ritual, sometimes- Americans, relax!!

Realize almost every other country enjoys life more and we screw ourselves by trying to be health obsessed/ a nation of fat people - smokers aren't bad people but we must all push ourselves even if it's in other directions, unconnected to our habits. I'm signing off by saying, I'm trying the natural approach and looking into herbs, meditation and "getting back to my roots"- For thousands of years, no one took synthetic medicine...we should all just try to gravitate more to the n a t u r a l.

I started taking Chantix in Sept. i went through the second dose pack, then had to quit. I ended up in the mental unit at the hospital, was having severe panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.

It started about a week after starting the drug but I continued taking it thinking the symptoms would go away. But they didnt. So had to stop.

I have been smoke free since then. this medication will definetly help you stop smoking. But your life will never be the same. I now can not have a relationships with my children or my grandchildren.because of the depression and the anger. I miss and love all of them but i dont want to hurt them.

I have had a big change in my personality, Im not the same persom anymore. I really have no feelings about anything or anybody. Its really sad to live like this. I miss my family.The depression and the suicidal thoughts are there everyday. Have been many places for help, but have not got any.

I have lost my home and the people I know I still love. This is no way to live your life.Am having chest pain and arm pain also, am still having severe panic attacks. None of the medications help.depression is getting worse.Dont want to go out or see anyone. Cant think straight.My life as I once knew it is over, I dont think I will ever get it back. I sure hope someone finds somethig soon to help.

Please don't take this drug if you haven't started yet or if you are, toss them. I have never had heart problems until I took this drug. My heart started skipping while on it. The day I threw them out was the day I went to bed thinking I wouldn't wake up in the morning. I can feel my heart stop several times a minute now. I had a clean bill of health before I started taking chantix. I had a very strong heart. Now that has changed. Doctor said I will have to live with this for the rest of my life.

I started taking Chantix on April 20th and noticed a severe change in my mood only three days later. By the seventh day If I had any emotion at all it was angry.

I have the best husband in the world and by the seventh day could care less if we were together or apart. We have two children and by the seventh day they heard me crying myself to sleep.

I felt as if no one cared about me and I just felt like crawling in a hole and dying. I explained to my 11 year old that sometimes you just have to cry to get "things" out of your system and that I had been upset and just had to "get it out". But I actually had feelings of --well, my family would be better off without me--but I really knew deep down inside me that was not true.

I only took seven days of this medication. Yesterday, on Monday I was in bed all day not wanting to live and tried to sleep the day thru. I also take Wellbutrin and Xanax. That night I told my husband of the vivid dreams and felt as if my emotions for the past few days was due to the Chantix. I am planning on telling him alot more tonight since I found this site.

Today is Tuesday and I am at work. So far, so good.

I had gone online and read things about this drug and decided to go ahead and take it anyway. From reading about what some of you have written, you too saw changing symptoms within a few days.

I have a question for those of you that took Chantix for only a week or so.....did these feelings continue or did they stop once you stopped the medication??????

I feel ok right now but anxious of how I am going to feel!? Is this "hell" over yet??? Has seven days of medication changed my life??? I certainly hope not. I hope that by stopping after my seventh day...I will get back to normal quickly. I have a call into my doctor now and am waiting.

I have been using Chantix for 8 days. Not only do I have severe headaches & nausea, I am now having anxiety attacks 2-3 hours after taking it and can't stop moving to go to sleep. I cannot concentrate and I feel like checking myself into a mental hospital. Is this normal ?

I began taking Chantix in January 2008. Great news... I quit smoking after more than 25 years! I still had withdrawals and cravings. I had awful dreams and stomach upset, but I thought I could deal with that.

I noticed as time went on that I grew more and more angry and depressed. My motivation was nearly gone and I felt miserable. Friends and family noticed the changes in me and it made me very sad and angry, but I couldn't stop being mean or sad. I weaned off of Chantix a couple weeks ago... nobody said to wean off, I just did. I have tremendous self control because I haven't killed myself or done anything to anyone.

I feel better BUT not normal yet. I have never felt so tired. I have headaches, slurred speech, stomach upset, vision changes (slight), depression, diminished thinking ability, on and on. I am relieved to hear that Chantix is the reason...obviously. I am not a nut. Hopefully the medicine won't take too long to get out of my system/brain. I also have INTENSE urges to smoke... but I haven't. Who cares anyway, I mean does it matter that I don't smoke? In exchange I fight to think, function, and struggle to want to exist. Day by day, minute by minute.... it is SLOWLY improving.

I took Chantix. Yes, it helped me stop smoking. However the side effects were BAD. I was achy all day (like I had the flu) and drowsy, I started getting horrible dreams, like my worst fears I could ever think of happening to my children were happening in these dreams. I also started gettin insomnia. Every night from 3 - 4 I was awake. And the rage... I didn't think it was that bad, my poor husband took most of my anger. Everything set me off, the car breaking down, things not working right, things he did. I did get off the medicine and started smoking but quit on my own. After three days most of the nicotine is out of your body and withdrawals are NOTHING compared to this medicine. Even a year after taking this I wonder if my anger is so bad because of this drug.

I started taking Chantix on April 21 and quit taking it on April 28th, my target quit date.

I avoided the majority of side effects others have mentioned. The side effect I immediately had was a headache on the first day. By the third day, I felt like I couldn't think clearly.

When I hit the double dose days, I fell into a stupor, sleeping at least nearly 18 hours a day for 3 days (it was the weekend).

Was not irritable, angry, or depressed. In fact, felt like I had no emotions at all. Didn't dream or think at all. Co-workers have since told me that I simply checked out, mentally. Performed work tasks okay, but didn't participate in conversation at all. They said that many times I just sat and stared at nothing, like a zombie.

Quit taking the meds after Day 7, and my friends noticed a huge difference right away. I felt like a million bucks within 2 days.

Though I didn't even hit my quit date for not smoking, I can't imagine being on this stuff for any length of time.

I have been a smoker on and off for 15 years. The most sucessful I was in quitting was cold turkey, when I found out I was pregnant. Now that I have smoked longer, I realized the addiciton was very powerful and I couldn't just quit like that. I decided to take Chantix.
The first 4 days were ok. My dreams were totally wild and crazy, although vivid dreams are a normal thing. These dreams were totally nuts.

I was also told ahead of time to make sure I ate well before I took the pill, and I was regimented about that as well. The first week was fine. Mild nausea, but not much else. Week 2, the nausea became so bad at times, I would have to lay down for at least an hour after taking the drug. Week 3 the nausea and headaches worsened, and I weaned myself off of the medication. When I began to feel those horrible cravings, I took a pill and dealt with it; but within a week I was off the drug.

The headaches were really scary. I felt like my head was going to explode.

I am so grateful that it gave me the kick-start to quit smoking, but I think they should lower the doses, and offer a program like I gave myself.

I am not someone who normally pays attention to all of the crazy drug side effects; but this time, this drug made me feel really weird.

I have now been smoke-free since March 19. You know, I still think about having a smoke every single day. But the physical addiction is gone; so I have decided to change the way I think about smoking so I can continue to be smoke-free. It's not easy, but it's better for me than Chantix.

I took chantix for 7-8 days in Oct 07 and it is now May 08. I felt really spaced out, tired and depressed at the end of the first week I took it, a huge change in my normally happy self. I was in tears thinking something was really wrong with me, probably the first time I have broke down and cried for no real reason EVER.

Prior to that week of chantix I was really happy, energetic and social. Never stopped smoking so no chance any of my symptoms are withdrawal-related.

A month after stopping chantix I went to the emergency room feeling just plain wrong, had no idea how to describe the overall feeling. Told them I had difficulty swallowing, anxiety and felt really spaced out. I thought they were going to find a tumor or something seriously wrong. They found nothing. Freaked me out so I went home and bought health insurance.

I have now been to three physicians, an Ear Nose and Throat doc and an Optometrist and have aquired thousand of dollars in debt. NOTHING has ever been found. I hadn't been to a single doc in the past 15 years prior! NOW... My vision is blurry, I have occasional anxiety, I am depressed, very low motivation to do anything and I can't sleep (up till 6am every night, driving me nuts). Luckily I can work my own hours, otherwise I would have serious money issues.

This is all new to me, no past diagnosis of anything at all. I have had slumps before in my life and perhaps mild seasonal depression but not this, not even close. Have now had a CAT scan of my head thinking I had a brain tumor, nothing. Tension in my neck/throat is still there. The biggest problem I have now is the general lack of motivation, spaced out feelings, blurry vision and depression that doesn't seem to go away. I still excercise a bit trying to get past all of this, depression comes right back, spaceyness never goes away. I will go mountain biking and feel spaced out the whole time. Almost seems unsafe to drive or bike sometimes. I really want this to go away.

I don't know if it could possibly still be from the chantix, I took it for 8 days 8 months ago, but I have never felt like this. I do know that it is the same feeling that came to me at the end of the first week of taking chantix though. I am going to get on antidressants, I can't take it any longer. I hope they help or at least starts to get me back to being me. I try to ignore it but it is always there.

I would highly advise not taking chantix and quitting by other means. Both seem equally important. Even if it is only one in a thousand or so that feel this, I know you don't want to be the one who feels like this.

Anyone with short term use and lingering symtoms please post your situations. I have stopped smoking with wellbutrin in the past and it did help me with the nicotine withdrawal symptoms, check that out if you need help.

I took this poison for 2 weeks, and it was the worst 2 weeks of my life. I guess it's great if you are one of the few that don't experience the awful side effects, but for most people it is a gamble not worth taking. I felt horrible all the time. Extreme depression, anxiety, rage fits, suicidal thoughts constantly, it's a miracle that I'm not in prison or 6 feet under right now.

I have quit before using nicotine replacements and cold turkey, and although I did experience some anxiety, irritability, and trouble focusing, I never at any moment thought I might as well end it all or perhaps hurt a loved one.

If you choose to take this drug, please be very aware of these side effects, and stop taking it the minute you think dying sounds pretty good. Once I quit taking it after 2 weeks, it was as if the haze lifted and all was well. I was no longer this zombie that no one even knew! It was amazing to say the least. I've never felt better in my life than the day I stopped taking Chantix.

I fully plan on finding another solution to the difficult task of quitting smoking, but I would rather die from lung cancer, than to live another day under the spell of that "life changing" poison. Good luck!

My father and my family have become recent victims of the rare but severe adverse reactions linked to Champix in which my father had accidentally taken his own life during what appeared to be a major “psychotic event”. He had been drinking in combination with taking Champix, which appears to have resulted in hanging himself in the garden shed.

I had spoken to him only hours before, and he was his usual happy self, just settling in for the night to watch some TV and have a few drinks. He was a contented happy man with everything going for him and everything to live for. He was happily married and had recently become a grandfather and was about to become one for the second time. With no financial worries and his working life nearing an end, he was positively looking forward to his twilight years of watching his grandkids grow up and share his retirement with my mother, family and his wide circle of friends.

He had began taking Champix in early February and had reported to the family that he had suffered from some of the more common side-effects including vomiting, headaches and disturbed sleeping, but did not elaborate on why he thought his sleep had been effected.

On the 23rd of March 2008, his body was discovered by my brother at the family home. There was no note and there appears to have been no premeditation to the events. The authorities so far are treating his death as a “terrible accident” in which they believe there was no intent to end his life. In my opinion with the evidence that has been explained to me, he appears to have behaved completely out of character including damaging our home in a way that would be totally alien to my father given the pride he had in his home.

In my mind there is no doubt that these pills, which are designed to mimic the “high” from smoking by releasing dopamine which effects behaviour, had a huge part to play in my father’s premature death.

I went on Chantix about 7 months ago. Within the first week, I noticed digestive problems. I quit taking the pills after 1 month. The side effects were too much for me to take. My lower body swelled up 20 lbs worth within 2 months. It looks and feels like water retention. I have had ongoing problems since the 1st week on the pills. I have had a colonoscopy, I have been scoped down my throat to my stomach, I have had exploratory surgery, I have had every test known to man run on me, and still find nothing.

The last couple of weeks my vision is blurred, have terrible headaches, and feel like I am going to faint. I went to the ER 2 days ago to find nothing as of yet. I am having an MRI and Stress test done this week. I seem to feel in a fog or daze most of the time. The doctors deny that Chantix could cause any of this, but I believe it is to blame.

I am so sorry to hear about the misery of those who have had adverse reactions to this drug. My doctor recently prescribed it for me, but I won't take it now. It would be too risky. I have quit for 9 months by attending smoking cessation classes offered by my local health dept. and a local hospital. I used the almost-free nicotine patches only during the day (I had vivid dreams and insomnia if I used them at night).

It wasn't easy, but wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done. I did gain weight because I started snacking instead of smoking and didn't increase the amount of exercise I did. When I went through a series of losses, I suddenly started smoking again.

All of the rewards of quitting smoking were great: being able to sleep better, my night vision improved, I could sing again (in the shower), breathe more easily, had more stamina and less anxiety, a cleaner-smelling house, car and me, and, eventually, more patience and greater ability to concentrate. I think I'll go that route again.

I wish you all had had a chance to make that choice too. I wish all of you better health very soon. You may want to check out Mehmet Oz's plan for quitting smoking at www.realage.com. I agree with another person who posted on this site that you have to find ways other than smoking of coping with life's bumps in the road -- for me exercise helped and a return to some creative pursuits.

I started taking Chantix 8 days ago. My doctor pretty much forced it on me. I didn't go into this with the "I want to quit" mentality.

So far, I've had trouble sleeping due to the crazy dreams I've been having. The first night was the worst because I woke up every 2 hours. Even now, when I wake up, it takes a minute or two before I realize it was just a dream.

I do have a history of depression, but I was fine for almost a year. Suddenly, I'm depressed/tired again.

I will say that it does decrease my desire for cigarettes as long as I'm not drinking.

I'm a manager at a restaurant (where a cigarette break is of high value), and I've already noticed that I don't take as many breaks as I used to. Yesterday I took a break and made it through half a cigarette... then I decided I just didn't want it.

So this med has its ups and downs as all of them do.

I started taking Chantix on Wednesday and was fine for the first three days, but on Saturday I was so agitated with my one son (who usually agitates me) that I just couldn't handle it and became so anxious about it I didn't know what to do but not be around him. I also slept for eight hours that night, but barely had the energy to get out of bed for church on Sunday morning. I play in our praise band and about half way through our set I felt detached from what was going on and couldn't read the music or play guitar and had to just stop for a bit. This freaked me out a bit afterwards and decided these things must all be related and decided to stop taking the medication.

Just for the record I don't have a history of mental illness or depression, except a bit of ADD, but I've had some adverse psychological reactions to drugs that most people generally don't have reactions to (some legal and some of the kind you take in college).

My girlfriend has been on Chantix for about a week and a half, and it has caused a number of serious side effects which make me question why anyone would ever let this drug reach the market!

It started with an upper respiratory infection for which she needed to go on antibiotics, and ended with serious depression, spells of anger, anxiety and exhaustion. As soon as she was off the drug for more than a day, she felt a lot better.

She told me yesterday that she had thoughts of killing herself at the worst moments.

I am sorry but no one should ever take this drug. If the thousands of people having the same effects don't change your mind... maybe the fact that suicide shouldn't ever be an acceptable risk when quitting smoking. After all, you're on the drug to SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Smoke-free on chantix 6 weeks. Only side effect is terrible gas. I would recommend slowly tapering off this drug as I had bouts of anxiety and sleeplessness when I quit cold turkey. Great medication if you want to quit.

Have read all the comments. And I believe all of you! It's different for every person. I have been smoking for over 30 years. Am now 50 and I had to have surgery last year. The surgery went fine, but breathing. I spent about 2 weeks in the hospital, and could not breathe. Oh yeah, sure, I was breathing or else I would be dead! But I spent 2 weeks doing nothing buy trying to breath, focused on nothing but breathing. Nightmare! Could not sleep, not eat, had a fan in front of my face for 2 weeks.

Cigs suck and so do those who manufacture them. And I know they will have to answer to the almighty in the end! I love smoking. But I also love to breathe. Chantix saved my life! Sure weird dreams, fart like crazy, sick as hell for hours after taking. Beats dying! And being sick all the time I haven't gained a pound! I'm in my 5th week. Still sneak a drag now and then and yuck!

Anyway, it's well worth trying, and I gotta say thanks to Chantix. I did spend one day wanting to kill myself, but hell, I tried to kill myself every day I smoked! All drugs have side effects. It's your job to educate yourself and figure out if it's worth it to you. Take responsibility! Life is always about choices and you make those choices. Good luck

My husband started taking this drug about three months ago. We have been married for over 20 years, and I can count on one hand how many times we have argued in those years. But this weekend, I was unsure whether he was going to kill me or himself, or both of us.

He had doubled up on his dose, because he had forgotten to take it earlier, and then had a couple of glasses of wine. After a couple of hours, he was full of rage, and told me that I was making him crazy.
I told him that he needed to quit taking this medicine, as he has NEVER acted like that before. Now I found this website, and I am unsure whether he needs to wean off of it, or just stop taking it.

He is very robotic-acting, and is stating that he will wean off of it, but he does not want to start smoking again. This drug appears addicting to me. I would never reccommend this to anyone.

i've been taking Chantix for three months.

Every time I google the side effects, I see the same group of complaints -- anxiety, depression, anger issues, etc.

Often these complaints are followed by a damning statement about Chantix.

I have to say it:

YOU ARE QUITING SMOKING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD FEEL LIKE IF YOU QUIT COLD TURKEY?

Chantix is not liking putting a frozen dinner in the microwave. Chantix is not like turning on a toaster. Chantix is not easy.

This is life, this is quitting smoking, and this is a hard process. And yes it does require some participation on your part, and yes you will experience discomfort.

Numerous people, most famously Ray Charles, have stated that quitting smoking is the hardest thing they have ever had to do. Harder than quitting drugs like heroin or cocaine.

Chantix has, in my experience, made this process easier, for which I am extremely grateful. Without it i was angry, irritable, depressed (sound familiar?).

With Chantix, I get the same symptoms, but they are manageable.

yes, I have the dreams and the nausea, but I also have an increased chance at success.

Manageable.

That's what it's all about.

best of luck.

I have been very pleased with Chantix. I might even call it a miracle drug. I have smoked for 47 years, all my adult life. I tried quitting cold turkey a few times but didn't even make it through one day.

I am on day 13 smoke-free. I have taken Chantix as directed with one exception. I am a small person and the two 1 mg. pills was too much for me. I just take one pill after a meal with the glass of water and have experienced no side effects except gas and remembered dreams, but not bad necessarily. My husband is quiting as well and has few side effects other than feeling a little tired.

I didn't expect quiting with Chantix to be completely painless. For a few days I was getting weary of fighting off the thoughts of wanting to smoke every half hour or so. But these thoughts are getting more infrequent now.

I find these posts on bad things happening months after stopping Chantix worrisome. I hope that doesn't happen to me. I don't know if I should continue to take as directed for the greatest chance of success or wean myself off as soon as possible.

I'm grateful that the Chantix helped me get off the smokes or chew. I've been on it again for the past 6 months, but have been on then off for 2 years now due to the frequent tobacco relapses. I have had horrible insomnia but never connected it to the Chantix. Since I was a kid I occasionally sleepwalk. Over the past 2 years this has been a nightly experience. It occurs with or without alcohol.

I'm not on any other medications. I've tried to urinate in the sink, on the floor, in the closet, you name it. Thank God my wife is a light sleeper. I've raided the fridge and done other complex tasks with no memory for the event.

Last night I got up at 2 in the morning and started shaving, my wife asked me why and I stated I had to get to work, then explained I had to get something downstairs. She wasn't able to stop me in time, and I fell down the stairs. She managed to guide me back to bed. Zero recall of this.

When I woke I wasn't sure if it really happened or just one of my usual vivid dreams. She informed me that it did happen. I'm pretty banged up today but no broken bones. I've never connected the sleepwalking and insomnia to the medication. By the way, I'm a doctor (should know better not to smoke) and have prescribed Chantix many times. I will be more informative to my patients and more vigilant for side effects my patients might not volunteer.

My husband started taking Chantix in December of 2007 when quitting cold turkey proved harder than he thought. The first few weeks, the only things he experienced were vivid dreams that he could remember in detail, and a little bit of nausea. Now that it has been over 6 months, and he is still taking Chantix, he continues to still cheat every once in a while, he has severe mood swings and displays bizarre behavior. At times he gets panicky, experiences anxiety, and displays the inability to cope with small instances that come up.

He has started to display this behavior in front of friends and family on 2 large gatherings to where they got scared and questioned if he is okay. He informed me a few weeks ago that he has racing thoughts and he thinks he needs medicine to calm him down because he feels like he can not escape or cure the "stress" in his life.

Those were magic words to me and I immedialtely called his Dr. to give this info to him and make hubby an appointment. None of these bizarre things were going on pre-Chantix. The past few months he has seemed very distant with our family and has lost the desire to do activities with the kids that we did this time last year and enjoyed. I am afraid he is making himslef sick by taking this medication, but doesn't realize it. If the Dr. does not take him off this stuff immediately, I will flush the remaining pills and refuse he takes it. Chantix will not be allowed in my home!

I started taking Chantix on 5/12/08 and put the cigarettes down 8 days later. I was told that you just had to put them down and then let the pill do it's thing. I am a single 55 year old woman who has smoked most of my life. I still crave cigarettes and it is June 3rd and I have been taking the pills for 3 1/2 weeks. I chew gum or find something to do when I have cravings. I get queasy in the mornings but that is the only time. I do not have weird dreams, but I am soooooo very tired. I sleep twice as much as I did, and I have been very, very depressed, but that is starting to lift. I am not as hungry as I had been before I started the pill so I have not gained any weight at all. I have IBS and a Thyroid Disease. My IBS has gotten so much better since I have been taking this pill. I was very surprised to here about all the stomach problems. Start taking one cap lid of Myralax every night in water, coke, juice, or anything you like and that should make you fill like a different person. My doctor put me on it right before I started taking this pill and I have no more stomach problems including gas or constipation.

It scares me about all what I have been reading from everyone, but I am going to stay on the pills. I have tried quitting many times before and I usually was depressed with anxiety and that was trying cold turkey, so I can't expect this to be a miracle drug and not have some sort of side effects. Although I was disappointed that my cravings are as strong as they have been taking the Chantix pill. I desperately want to quit and I quit last time on the Nicorette Gum, but was then addicted to the gum. I made the mistake of smoking one of my boyfriend's cigarettes 2 years ago and started smoking and still chewed the gum at work. Not good! I had 2 addictions going on. I only chew spearmint gum now and am trying so very hard to quit both of the addictions with this pill.

I wish everyone the best and am soooo very sorry for the problems that some of you have experienced. If you do not take this pill anymore then I do recommend the Nicorette Gum. I chewed it 3 years and did not smoke. My doctor said the gum cannot hurt you. You can gradually wean yourself off the gum I just did not choose to because I had a lot of stress in my life.

WOW! this is so nice to read. I thought I was going insane. I took the Chantix, only experiencing the crazy dreams and mild nausea. I gradually smoked less and quit after 6 weeks. After another 15 days on Chantix... I didn't like how I was feeling. Something didn't seem right, I was sad, cried way too easily, and I felt hopeless, like my life had no meaning.

I stopped taking it and thought I would get better. Bad idea!! I crashed big time! It only lasted for about 3 days but was very severe! I wanted to kill anything in front of me and hurt my family and friends emotionally. I am a soft-spoken, kind person. Yes, I quit smoking, but this is horrible stuff. Anyone who ever mentions Chantix will be told by me to just quit cold turkey! I have a feeling this stuff is going to hurt many people before it gets pulled from the market. Take care everyone.

I started taking chantix on 6-6-08. It's been 4 days on it. I don't know if this is common with quiting smoking or this drug, but my cravings are not too bad but my temper has gotten so bad I looked at my wife of 12 years and blew up at her because she took our kid to a b-day party. I never got upset like that before--usually I like being alone and relax; instead I got mad and took off all day and half the night. Thought about having a butt, but that's as far as I got. I am stressed out--I found out I need surg. on my shoulder and will be out of work for awhile. After reading everything from people, I wounder if I should be taking this stuff at this time, but I need to quit smoking. I will post more on 6-13-08.

Well well well, I am really starting to see the light. I have been on this junk for a full month, and I am not sure who I am anymore. I haven't smoked though I wanted to, but didn't. Now that my libido is gone, I am in total shock. I have always had a full erection--now I could care less and that really bothers me. What do I need to do now? Go for another script of viagra? Hey, it's not funny.

I was on my second week of chantix. It really was helping. I woke up this morning and I had bad eye pain. This has been a tough week with a 35 yr old friend dying and both grandparents in hospital possibly dying, but my mood has been out of control. From reading what everyone else posted the chantix must have added to my anger. I called my Dr, and she said eye pain was a s.e. so I should stop right away. The littlest thing just set me off. Good luck to all who try. I'd rather try on my own to quit.

Well I'm back with my progress report. I started chantix on 6-6 one week. After starting it, I have not been sleeping but maybe 2 hours a night. Have major constipation. My body says get some sleep, but I just cannot. I went from drinking a couple of glasses of water a day to probably a gallon. I am thirsty all the time. I did have some itching like on the fourth day of taking it, but not anymore. I haven't had any dreams yet, but if it's all true, I'm sure they will start when I actualy get some sleep besides a couple of hours.

Ii told my wife what's happening, and she thinks I'm crazy for still taking this stuff. The only good thing I see from this is that i still have not craved a butt. I even go outside at work and talk to the guys while they smoke, and it doesn't bother me at all that they are smoking around me. I never thought how much they stink.

I started a no smoking fund to go toward my new fishing boat, so at about $50 bucks a week, that's $200 a month. I should be able to get a nice boat for that payment, plus I will have some good times with my 3 kids. I will post more on my progress next week. Hopefully I will be getting some sleep by then.

Well, I had to quit taking this crap. I started taking it on 6-6-08 and now it is 6-17. I had so many so called common side affects that it was driving me crazy. My eyes started to hurt--it felt like someone was sticking a needle in them--I cried at times--I'm 39 years old--I was so tired, but I could not sleep; I work 60 plus hours a week and was only sleeping about 2 hours a day, not good; my temper went out of whack--could be from not sleeping.

When I took this junk in the morning, my stomach would hurt, and at night I felt like I was tripping my brains out. My co workers were asking me if I was ok and wondered if I could do my job safely. I did not last past the second round of the pills and the side effects I had were not worth taking this junk anymore.

I am not smoking because I look at my kids every day and it gives me willpower not to smoke. I hope that they ban this garbage. What they call common side effects could be dangerous to others. I had to quit because the common side effects were getting worse with every day I took it. I hope people have a deep talk with their drs. before they take this crap. Good luck to everyone who decides to take this, and be careful.

Has anyone else wet the bed while taking Chantix? Had a very vivid dream that I had gotten out of bed, gone into the bathroom, sat down and urinated. Woke up and discovered that I had wet the bed. I spoke with a friend whose husband is also taking Chantix, she said he had also wet the bed a couple months ago but didn't even consider that it could be a Chantix side effect. Another friend who works in a tourist-related field said she had heard from tourists that they had the same sympton while taking Chantix. I have only been on it for one month, knew to expect the nausea and weird dreams (which I accepted) but since the second week when I began taking 1 mg in am and 1 mg in pm, my anxiety and mood swings have gotten bad. Now I am wetting the bed. I stopped taking Chantix entirely. Not happy because I really want to quit. I plan to try again, just not with Chantix. I am afraid of what else I may do while sleeping.

I am taking Chantix for the second time. I first tried to quit around Christmas, but with the parties going on, and the drinking (I love to smoke while drinking). . . I recently started taking it again. I am having very vivid dreams that last all night. I will dream, and after waking up, I will fall asleep and the dream continues where it left off. The dreams are almost real, they are so intense. I am dreaming my worst thoughts in my head. I hope this will stop soon!!!!

I AM IN MY 4TH WEEK OF TAKING CHANTIX, AND I HAVE TO SAY IT'S AWESOME. I DIDN'T STICK TO MY QUIT DATE, BUT THE CRAVINGS ARE GONE AND I NO LONGER FEEL A VICE TO THEM. MY DREAMS HAVE BEEN VIVID ALSO, BUT THE WORST SIDE EFFECT I'M DEALING WITH IS SEVERE BLOATING AND TRAPPED GAS PAINS!!! WOKE UP THIS MORNING SCREAMING IN PAIN--FELT LIKE MY KIDNEYS HAD BURST. I DO RECOMMEND THIS DRUG, BUT BE AWARE OF ANY CHANGES IN YOUR BODY. I'M CALLING MY DOCTOR TO ASK IF I CAN LOWER MY DOSAGE?

I have had a lot of symptoms, not so good, since day 8 on Champix. Bad headaches, always on the right side of my head, bad breath (my mother tells me), extreme thirst, painful gas, bloody dead bodies in one particular frightening dream, and so confused, so tired, and a painful flare-up of arthritis. My blood sugar readings are always low (3.4-4.6), and then you do feel like sh*t. I also was so irritated, and that's definately not my personality. I could sleep for 12 hours all night and fall asleep for three more in the evening. I was sick!!

My doctor said I had nicotine withdrawal. I felt in my gut that it was the Champix. So I went off the Champix, and the headaches are gone. I hope the real me comes back soon. And yes, I'd rather smoke than feel half dead. If I still sound irritated, I apologize.

I have been taking Chantix for 2 months now. I thought it was the miracle drug. I quit smoking after day 11, but now I am so moody. I don't want to be around anyone, I don't answer the phone, I yell out of control at my kids, I have thoughts of suicide, which really scares me. I have never been like this. I have always been happy and wanted to be around people. I am also scared to get off the medicine, because I don't want to start smoking again.

I would recommend this medicine to people--it really does help you to stop smoking. But be aware of the side effects.

I took Chantix for only a week. i quit cold turkey, but now have alopacia. I have lost most of my non-gray . Anyone having extreme hair loss?

I just started taking Chantix tonight. I had a stop date and WANT to stop smoking. I've been smoking for 15 years. I decided to go this route b/c my mother who has been smoking for 30 years stopped after a week of taking Chantix and has not smoked in 4 months. I have read the side effects and I know that everything will definitely be "by the book" on this one as my mother did. Eat first, take the pill and drink 8-10 ounces of water.

A lot that I just read on this web site...doesn't sound like people did it "by the directions." Follow the directions and go by that. What the Chantix website does NOT tell one... DO NOT DRINK... maybe a couple, but not in excessive amounts. From a friend's experience on Chantix, this is the only time he had suicidal thoughts, anger, depression, etc. is when he drank excessively. From what I've read so far, no one has mentioned the effects of Chantix when drinking. Please beware, that it can hurt relationships and yourself.

The side effects of nausea, constipation, gas... is nothing when it comes to one's life. If anyone else knows anything about drinking alcohol and taking Chantix, please be honest and post as it would help a lot of people. It's because of blogs like this that helps our own people.

My mother-in-law started Chantix last July and is almost one year off of cigarettes; however, she is now extremely sick. She has been complaining about the nausea, insomnia, moodiness, extreme itching, bloating, etc. She went to the doctor in February for a routine check and everything seemed ok...her health and these symptoms have continued to worsen even after being off Chantix for 6 months. In June, after another trip to the doctor, they have found a tumor in her liver, blocked passage between the liver and pancreas and now her lymph system in her abdomen is covered with cancer. We are suspicious and can't get Chantix off our minds; did this cause it...anyone with any help...please!!

I have taken it before and I am back on it. It seems like the first week is always the toughest...I am so anxious and my mood swings are horrible also I say thing that I wouldn't normally say...After that it is smooth sailing.

I think Chantix is a miracle for people who really want to quit smoking. The dreams WOW! yes, they are vivid, and I am AWARE that I am dreaming when those really frightenng ones occur. I am able to wake myself up.

Most dreams are sexual or very violent. Strange. BUT it's worth it. I have found that I do better taking 1 pill a day, rather than 2. I feel exhausted about an hour after taking it. I now take it in the early a.m. with some food and lay back down shortly after. By not taking it at night, the crazy dreams have subsided. I think 2 pills was too much for me. I am no longer a smoker!

I was on chantex's for a mo. I went into a angery person, & short tempered. Went to bed on a Saturday nite, I don't know what time it was when I woke up, but I was chilled to the bone and had a very high fever, couldn't even hold a glass of water. I covered back up and passed out till 8:am, alot better, but still not feeling well. Thru the pills out and won't take again. I called the manufacture and told them all my sytems, haven't heard any thing. Thank You G. D.

I took Chantex for 7 weeks. I was not smoking by the 4th week. I picked a date not to smoke. Chantex worked for me. I took myself off Chantex after the 7th week because of the side effects. I had constipation and felt nausea every day which I could handle.

When I woke up one morning and still felt like I was in my dream is where I drew the line and got off the drug. I could not handle that feeling. A lot of will power is what it takes not to smoke.

I'm still smoke free and it has been for almost 2 months. Chantex helped me through the roughest part at the beginning but the will power is what is making me smoke free now.

I started on program on 7/3. I was really happy that after the 4th day I really didn't want a cig. I am still doing really well. The only side effect I am having was a intense nausea, but this came after take the pill on an empty stomach. (Note to self...don't do that).

I am only on 1 mg a day now, per my Dr. After reading people responses on this website. will certainly monitor my behavor. I will only do another 20 days, then I think I will stop. My pharmacist said that a lot of people only do 30 days a have success.

I used Chantix and experienced some awful side affects too. I quit taking it as soon as I was able to stop lighting my cigs which was about 2 weeks into the program. I am still smokefree, albeit not Chantix symptoms free though but getting better everyday! Its a serious drug but it works. I hope it isnt as harmful in the long run to my health as smoking was. Im glad I dont smoke but I do worry what the medication did to me. I can tell I dont feel the same emotionallyefore I took it. I have to try really hard to muster up joy in things, I have a short fuse now and I do not like being around others anymore, makes me want to be a recluse. Its getting better day for day that Im not on it anymore.

I was fighting back tears as I read about people who had lost (or nearly lost) their loved ones to suicide because of the poorly-publicized adverse effects of Chantix.

It's very hard for me to talk about, but I owe it to everyone, smokers and nonsmokers alike, to share this information. If it can prevent one person from experiencing what I went through, then it's worth it.

Within a few weeks of starting to take Chantix, I noticed a sharp reduction in nicotine cravings. Eventually, I lost the desire to smoke altogether. All seemed to be going well, but I was oblivious to the insidious changes that were occurring within me.

During the course of my "treatment" with Chantix, I began to have irrational thoughts, anxiety, panic attacks, and suicidal ideation. The panic attacks became so unbearable that I'd be afraid to be at home alone at night. I'd drive aimlessly in the car to calm myself down, because I felt safe and in control of my environment. Sometimes I couldn't bring myself to come home until dawn. I did not make the association between my experiences and the Chantix, because I was experiencing a number of stressors in my life at the time. I attributed my problems to an inability to cope with my own problems.

I was able to conceal my depression and anxiety from my coworkers... But it was too much for me to contain my rage and impulsivity at home. I vaguely remember all the times I was cruel to my loved ones, especially my fiance. He and I fought constantly. I had NO sense of restraint whatsoever, and I would fly into a rage before I even realized what was happening. I felt incapable of controlling my emotions. Looking back, it seems like a blur. I felt so detached from myself, and so out of control, as if I were witnessing someone else's behavior. I felt powerless, but somehow I knew that my thoughts and actions were irrational.

I do remember crying and praying in desperation, and contemplating suicide time and time again.

I won't get into detail here, but I can say that I had a very obtainable and lethal plan.

I hit rock bottom when my own family came to my house to find me unconscious on the floor after having a complete mental breakdown, resulting in emotional and physical exhaustion. I'll never forget feeling like my own mother was looking at me as an object of pity, as if I were a wounded animal. My fiance struggled to cope with all I put him through, but he was resilient and faithful through it all.

I never cried so much in my life as I did when I was taking Chantix, and for the few months following. It took me THAT LONG to recover from the effects of Chantix! Only with the care of my loved ones, a counselor, my PCP, and a psychiatrist was I able to survive.

I was a different person, unrecognizable to myself, while taking Chantix.

I'm now functioning back at my baseline, taking an antidepressant, with lorazepam prn for anxiety. I haven't had to take the lorazepam for weeks; I HAVE had anxiety, but nothing anywhere near the terrifying panic that I experienced during and after the Chantix. I do smoke occasionally, not even every day. So, I'm still struggling with smoking cessation (don't we all), but I'm a lot better off than I would have been if I'd continued taking the Chantix!

I encourage you all to try to stop smoking, but to exercise extreme caution with Chantix!

I have read through some of these comments and the people that say these side effects of anxiety and nervousness are to be expected with quitting cigarettes. I don't firmly agree, I have quit cold turkey before and have felt a little angry but not like this. Last week, I started taking Chantix.

After two days I had to stop taking Chantix I was on my way to work and my heart started beating rapidly, I was nervous. I felt like I was going to pass out at the wheel. I have since been to the ER and they are still running tests but my doctor has stated that with no history of this in the past, he feels that it is totally chantix.

So he has ordered me to quit taking it. Now it's been 3 days since all of this and I don't really seem to feel any better. Hopefully soon I will, How can you focus when you can't breath? Isn't that the reason for wanting to quit? I think this stuff is awful and definately not safe and should be taken off the market.

I've had friends that have had to get off of this because they have had dreams about killing their own children. Now is this drug about safely quitting smoking or a company trying to make mad money?

I have not used Chantix yet. And after reading some of these stories I am not sure I want to start.
I think it has alot to do with the chemicals in the brain. As to what kind of side effects you would have.
I am a little scared to take itm, but would much rather be smoke free then continue to poison my body. I am thinking of getting pregnant soon, and wonder how it would affect the baby, or if I would continue to take it.
Can anyone ease my worries???

I'm starting my 4th month on the medication and have experienced all the side effects so far except the suicide.......of course. I was a heavy smoker for 40 years....starting in 68' when I started jumping out of planes with the 82nd Abn.

Something about jumping out of planes makes you want to smoke I guess. Then last April I had an accident falling off a backyard fireplace and broke my wrist and some stupid bone in the thumb. My doctor had to put a pin in it....and suggested I quit smoking so the bones would mend properly.

Heard about Chantix in a advertisement and got on it promptly. After 2 weeks it was a piece of cake to quit.....but I realized that if I missed a dose I'd get into these mood swings. Mostly yelling at the wife. So.....I kept on taking the stuff and like I said...this is the 4th prescription.

I run a Power Plant in Utah (control room operator) and I think this stuff as adversly effected my judgement and I'm currently off sick because I don't want to be a liability to the company....you know...pushing the wrong button. Have to contact my Union Stewart sometime today to see what he can do to keep me out of the control room. Noticed in some other sites that the Government is banning pilots and air traffic controllers from using it........and now bus drivers and truck drivers.

Guess us Power Plant Operators should be put on that list. Yeah.....I keep a secret pack out in the backyard for those cheating moments....but for the most part.....the stuff works... but I should have been on a anti-depressent along with it.

I took Chantix for about a month and it worked great for me. Cravings significantly decreased after about 1 week and became pretty much negligible after two. I have tried the Gum and the patch with Welbutrin and none of it worked this well.

The worst side effect I experienced were vivid dreams, it was like taking some of the worst moments of my life and reliving them. A few times I woke feeling angry, agitated, and was unable to go back to sleep. This occurred mostly during the first 10 days as the dosage was going up.

The Craving for Cigarettes came back pretty strong when I quit taking it, but not bad enough to make me start smoking again.

Maybe I didn't experience other side effects because I never took it on an empty stomach and Gradually decreased the dosage when I quit taking it. I already have trouble sleeping, depression, and suicidal thoughts but it didn't make any of these things worse.

I would of probably taken it for the full three months but it my employer discourages the use of it due to it's potential side effects, and it was kind of expensive at $130/month. But overall I'd say it was worth it to be a non-smoker.

I feel the same as all you above. Depressed is not the word! Stomach pain is an understatement.

I just started taking Chantix last night. My doctor warned me of potential stomach issues and mood changes so I knew all of that going into this.

This morning I definitely felt "different". My stomach felt bloated but the urge to smoke was less and when I did have that first morning smoke it was not a satisfying activity.

My mood on the other hand was very bland. I just moved into a beautiful new house with my partner and for the first time I felt none of the excitement related to being in a new home.. That I thought was very strange.

Soon we left for breakfast. When I got up to leave the restaurant I couldn't believe the painful cramping! Its been almost 2 hours and Its still pretty bad though it is subsiding.

After reading everyone's experiences, there's no way in hell I am going to continue with this poison. I've been on antidepressants before and they just made me suicidal (driving your car off a cliff type stuff) -- which is totally uncharacteristic for me.

So I am so glad I found out how bad this stuff is before I got in to deep. Ive quit the old fashioned way before and so that's the route I will go this time around. Quitting with Chantix is not worth the risk of permanent bodily physical/ mental damage.

I started taking Chantix on July 1 and finally quit smoking around August 1, it does feel good not craving a cigerette. The side effects that are bothering me are insomnia and my arms and the back of my neck itch uncontrolably, I am going to start taking one a day now to see if that helps with the itching

I have used Chantix twice. The first time I had no side effects. However, the second time I had and still suffer from the side effects some six months later. While using it I began to have intense anger issues, frustration, road rage and aggression.

I almost got in a fight on a golf course which is completely unlike me. After being off the medication I still have some lingering side effects. I would NOT recommend anyone to take this medication. It is not worth the risk. I wish i had never taken it. All I want is my old self back and am scared I will never go back to the person I was before Chantix.

I began experiencing partial paralysis on June 19, 2008. It affected my lower limbs and to some degree my arms (I could still walk at the time, but it was very very painful and I couldn't go up stairs). I went to urgent care and the doctor diagnosed me as having Lyme Disease based on my symptoms.

I was given doxycycline and within a day or two I was feeling better. The symptoms reoccurred on June 29 and the next day I went back to urgent care (I had no one to drive me) and was given more doxycycline. It cleared up and I seemed to be fine until July, 14th. I woke up and was stiff again and it progressively worsened that time.

I had an unrelated medical procedure that day and I asked the doctor if he could just prescribe some more doxycycline and he did. It continued to worsen that night, but I kept thinking it would get better. After midnight I could no longer get out of my chair. I fell asleep and my alarm woke me up the next morning about 8am.

I couldn't even move my arms at this point. I tried to move but I slipped out of the chair onto the floor. I managed to knock over my end table to get to my phone and managed to get a hold of my dad. He rushed over. He had to dress me, as I couldn't do it myself. He managed to get me in the car and we went to the emergency room.

They ran multiple tests, including a spinal tap, to determine what had happened. They found that my potassium level was at 2.2 when 3.7 is the bottom end of normal. They diagnosed me with severe hypokalemia and Rhabdomyolysis, Lyme Disease was a misdiagnosis. Hypokalemia is listed as a side effect of Chantix on their website down at the very bottom of the page among the numerous other side effects.

The doctors said that Chantix is the only thing they could think of that would have caused all of this. The ER doctor told me that if my alarm hadn't woke me up I could have possibly died, as it was beginning to affect my breathing and if it had progressed much longer my breathing may have stopped and/or my heart muscle could have been affected. I was given potassium pills and a potassium IV. I stayed in the hospital from 7/15 to 7/20.

Since then I have been weak and having pains in my legs that affects my sleep. I am exhausted throughout the day, even when I do manage to sleep decently. Any task exhausts me, such as driving; I almost fall asleep. I have tried to go into work a couple of times and I can't stay because I get so tired & weak.

I went to my family doctor on August 11th, and my potassium had fallen to 3.4, below normal. I have been taking vitamins with potassium in it and eating potassium rich foods, to no avail it would seem. I also have been experiencing extreme emotions, especially the “negative “ones. Anytime I watch anything sad or touching I bawl and bawl until I can’t see. I have this irresistible urge to flee, just to get away from my life. I get filled with panic in public sometimes. I became reclusive, not wanting to see anyone or do anything.

I also suffered from increased frequency of migraines and/or tension headaches. I can’t think correctly and it is getting harder to hold a conversation as my mind wanders off topic every few minutes (or seconds in some cases). My legs ache constantly and my joints also. They pop and crack almost every time I move them. The restless legs keep me up at night and it is unbearable to lay flat on a bed.

It did help me quit smoking, but it almost killed me and has screwed up my body and mind. I’d rather smoke.

My husband has been on Chantix for about a month now. Let's put it this way......I no longer have MY husband. This drug has made him hateful and just plain mean. He picks fights at home and work. Anything can make him go off. Things will be fine for a few hours and then out of the blue he wants to fight.

We've had disagreements before but we've always talked things out rationally. There is nothing rational about him now. There is no compromising or coming to an agreement. It's almost like he gets pleasure out of arguing. The arguments escalate and I'm just shocked that my loving husband has turned into Dr. Jeykle and Mr. Hyde. We've only been married 3 months so I've went from wedding bliss to thinking perhaps I made a mistake. I just want my husband back.

I'm 46 yrs old and smoked 2 packs a day for over 15 years. I started taking Chantix in July '08, weaned myself completely "cigarette free" in 2 weeks and now I'm in my late 2nd month...still smoke free and getting easier by the day. I have had one side effect and that is the vivid dreaming you hear about. But I love it! Every night it is like going to the movies. The dreams are long and so vivid that they are actually like watching a movie.So far, none have been out of the ordinary/weird/scary or anything.

My husband developed Type 3 diabetes after taking Chantix.

I went searching the Web to find out if anyone else was suffering from the same feelings I have had since starting the Chantix.

I misplaced the information packet so when I went to read what the possible side effects were the Chantix website listed a number of things and then said speak to your doctor about other possible side effects. I assumed that these would be the uncommon side effects which is why Chantix didn't list them.

I am in the middle of my third week and I can tell you that my mood, depression, anger, frustration, tolerance, etc are horrible. I cannot handle any kind of stress - which my threshold has been reduced to missing a green light or something minor.

It is effecting my job, my marriage and my relationship with my children.

I am stopping this med cold turkey - maybe I'll sleep without a vivid dream and have more peace.

I have quit before and NEVER had this type of reaction - ever.

I would caution others to be very careful when considering this medication and feel that doctors should do med checks each week to monitor for a persons mood and emotions - this is just careless dispensing of meds to the masses for maximum profit.

Hi i started chantix about 3 or weeks ago, the first week was easy i could still smoke and i was happy. I had smoked for almost ten years but was ready for a change. Then the second week rolled around i was full of energy i would bounce off the walls started working out excessively. Then by the third week my family said they had had enough I had apparently been getting aggressive or mad or upset at the drop of a dime.

I hadn't noticed. What i had noticed was the terrible tooth aches i felt like i had a cavity in every tooth. I have read reports of people having the same issue, also i no longer hyper very down and notice i am no longer my self.

I cant keep eating tylenol likes its candy. So i am weaning my self off the drug and have scheduled a dentist appointment for tomorrow to verify that there is nothing wrong with my teeth. This Drug is not worth it at all. yes i haven't smoked in two weeks but why put myself through all this!

I have used the Chantix for 1 month, and I have quit using smokeless tobacco. I was a one-can-a-dayer, and have not used since starting the 2nd week of treatment. However, after the 1st month and after completing the medication, I have felt intense rage, depression, and intense anxiety. Be aware that even after completing the medication, for at least a week anyways, the rage and anxiety may intensify. I can't imagine taking this medication again.

my friend told me about this pill, she was a smoker for 30 years , went to a doctor and he prescribed it without telling her anything else and without examining her in any way. I was shocked, when she told me this, I couldn't believe he told her there were no dangers or side effects.

that would be too good to be true I told her .I am planning to see a doctor to inquire about this medication for myself asap, and am researching it thoroughly before i do, so I know what to ask and tell the doctor!

Thank you to everyone who has posted such useful information on this site. It seems to me that each person is different and this drug can work for some with lil to no side affects and in others can really be severely dangerous. I cant believe doctors aren't stressing these effects to people when prescribing it!

I did stop smoking using Chantix. When I started taking it, I noticed I did not want to get out of the bed in the mornings. I have since noticed unusual swelling in my legs. My feet and ankles have started to swell. Doctors have not been able to figure out what causes this. I wonder if Chantix could have caused this.

My husband started this medication in june 08. July 08 he moved out saying he could no longer handle living the life we live and is still to this day taking it and contemplating divorce. He has NEVER been a violent person and has now kicked a hole in a wall, fractured a door, thrown a table and is very easily aggravated.

Someone should do something about this drug. He will consider stopping the drug next month, but in the meantime his kids and I miss him. This is not him and before this med I would have sworn on a bible that he'd never do this to us. Just up and leave his kids. Not him. AND HE'S STILL SMOKING!!!! Not a much, but i'd rather him smoke...honestly!!! Think twice, 500 times, before starting this drug!!!

I have been on Chantix for 8 days now and still have the urge to smoke. I have been a smoker for 25 years at a pack a day. I am down to 3to 4 a day. Dreams are not to bad, have really bad gas and stomach pain.. I have also noticed that I am acting quite "loopy" I put the silver foil in the freezer the other day as well as occasionally forgetful and confused.

I've been reading about the awful side effects and I am scared to keep taking this drug!! I noticed I was very irritable towards my daughter this morning..Maybe I'll just cut back on the dosage and see what happens.
Martha

Unlike so many others posting, I haven't had a really bad time on the Chantix so far. I started on 9/13 but put my quit date off by a couple of days. I can say that I've been smoke free for 3 complete days, and though not much, that feels like a worthy accomplishment! The vivid dreams are interesting and fun, though I do wake up tossing and turning a few times a night.

So far so good, and since I'm still withdrawing off the nicotine, I'm attributing weird feelings, listlessness and emotions to that. But all these posts are scaring me (!) so I think with my resolve and just one month's worth of Chantix I can quit. I do like not having to worry about always having cigarettes with me, and where to sneak off to have one, and feeling like a pariah! (Smoker for 20 years, now age 51, in good health otherwise, now enjoying breathing only air!)

I started taking Chantix about two weeks ago. I finally put down the cigarettes this past Sunday. I have smoked about 10 cigarettes since then, and each one tastes worse than the last. Is this common? I get a strong baking soda taste and some after taste that I never had before.

I too had some problems with agitation. I am bipolar with anxiety issues and have been doing great until the first and second week of taking the Chantix. I knew about some of the side effects but I was prepared. I kicked my son out of the house (he's 17) raised cain at my husband, had two fights with my husband and told my 19 year old to get out within that time period.

I've started taking my Klonopin daily (prescribed for my panic attacks) and have managed to steer off the mental affects. Unfortunately now I have moderate to severe nausea and mild headaches.

The Chantix is definitely helping quit, but I agree the personal cost is higher than the monetary loss.

I will continue taking it until I haven't smoked at all for at least a week. I then plan to taper off.

I cannot believe how much is written on the web about terrible side effects from Chantix. I smoked for 20 years, over a pack a day. I decided three weeks ago to try Chantix because I had heard so many "great" things about it. The first week was awful--- nausea, sleeplessness, depression. The second week was even worse, to the point that I felt like just curling up in bed and rotting, that I couldn't even work or exist I felt SO terrible. I stopped taking Chantix because of the massive depressive complications to my life. If you need to quit, do it the old fashioned way. Cold turkey....better yet, don't ever start smoking!

The suggestion to talk to a doctor about the possible side effects, is somewhat of a joke in my opinion as they are the folks receiving incentives from the pharmaceutical company. My experience with Chantix almost cost me my life. I experienced a major depression disorder, anxiety, bipolar II, attempted suicide, lost my job and ended up in 5 hospitals over 6 months. Clearly, the significant chemical imbalance created by this drug came very close to ending my life.

Like others, I have been completely unable to stay asleep after taking Chantix. I have been off of the medication for 10 months and to this day, I fall asleep easily, and wake up 3-4 hours later and that's it for the night. I feel I am dying of exhaustion.

Has anyone found a way to get over this without taking more Chantix? I do not want to be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life because I took Chantix to quit smoking.

i took chantix for three months i threw up once a day while on it i developed a rash on my back and head upper arm and butt and i still have it. its been almost seven months and am still itching i went to a skin specialist she said i have a high histhimine level in my body. when will it end?

I started taking Chantix 2.5 weeks ago. I have had very vivid dreams, but it has completely curbed my "appetite" to smoke! I have not suffered any moments of depression, but I was already on an anti-depressent medication before starting to take this, so maybe that is what helped me out. The only thing I have noticed is that I have woken up twice to my heart almost feeling like it had an irregular heartbeat. Has anyone else felt that?

I started taking Chantix 8 weeks ago, and have been a non smoker for 7 weeks. Dealing with smoking urges was so much easier with Chantix, and I really feel that I broke the addiction.

I couldn't handle the nausea of taking two pills a day, so I just took the morning pill. I also take Wellbutrin, and have been a very positive person during the entire quit.

A little over a week ago, I decided to get off the Chantix and began to wean myself off by cutting my pills in half. Three days ago, I stopped taking the pills altogether. This morning I woke up to a severe depression, and it feels like the days before Wellbutrin. I'm angry and I'm tearful over the littlest things. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow to let him know. I don't know what else to do.

I took Chantix for approximately four months and although it made me stop smoking, I experienced horrible side effects. I was also taking Paxil, hormones and requip for restless leg syndrome. I lost the will to function and to live. In a fit of rage I threw all my prescriptions in the trash and have spent the past year trying to get back to the person I was before. It's like my brain chemistry changed and I feel like I will be depressed and lethargic for the rest of my life. And I started smoking again.

Because this medication is so new you must weigh the pros and cons and monitor yourself very closely if you decide to take it. Doctors do not always consider the interactions of other medications and do not always listen when you try and tell them how you feel.

I started taking Chantix about a 2 weeks ago and the only side effect I can identify are some pretty vivid dreams; no nightmares ..just some pretty trippy stuff. A little nausea the first couple days but not since.

I'm preparing for my quit day coming up and am welcoming it. I've been a smoker for years. I quit for 2 years with the help of a multi-injection (scopalamine & Atropomine) a few years ago.. only to start again the same day my mother died.

No headaches or suicidal thoughts.. thankfully. I can tell you one thing.. Going from 1+packs a day to less than 6 per day feels great.

wish me luck as I wish everyone else the same.

I am a nurse and have been on Chantix now for 3 weeks.
I no longer have the urge to light up. The only side effects I have is that my head feels strange,like light headed and I am having strange VIVID sexual dreams for the past 2 weeks now... which I must admit is AWESOME I quite enjoy them!! lol! No violent or horrible dreams at all. So far this medication is FANTASTIC.

After 35 years, I started taking Chantrix. Aside from a mild, occasional irritability and vivid dreams, I have experienced no side effects. It did take me 4 times in first 3 weeks to quit, but since then I have been smoke free. I am still working on the habit (I have substituted toothpicks for cigarettes), but I think I have the nicotine beat. I have 1 more week of Chantrix left and I am wondering about quitting it.

I took Chantix a couple of years ago. I can't remember exactly when due to my loss of memory. I also had severe depression and irrational behavior. My hormones were and still are very messed up. I was recently diagnosed with a pituitary tumor. I now wonder if this is not a side effect of this drug. Anybody else have this experience? I think it should be looked into.

My husband took Chantix. He experienced the nausea, dreams and headaches. Those are not normal for him. He also became VERY short tempered. He walked around angry all the time. Angry for no reason. Unreasonably angry. He is normally very mild mannered and easy going. I could not figure out WHY this was going on, what was different.

One day, it hit me the Chantix was one thing that had changed over the last couple of months. He stopped taking it at my urging. Now he has been off the Chantix for a month or so and he is back to his sweet loving self. He said he never really felt any different then. But now, he see's and feels that he was different. I can see how this drug would be good, even great for some, but WOW it really didn't work out well for my husband.

I have been using Chantix and can see how taking the full recommended dose for the recommended period of time could send you over the edge. Some of the side effects experienced while taking this medication seem to be unavoidable (vivid dreams, insomnia). However, the more serious side effects i.e. depression, I have found can be avoided using the following guidelines:

- Don't take the recommended dose of 2 1mg tablets a day - this seems way too much and unnecessary. When using the starter pack, don't even allow yourself to get up to taking this amount per day.

- Instead, take 0.5mgs for the first few days as recommended. After the first 3 days, take 0.5mgs in the morning after breakfast and another 0.5mgs around 3pm to reduce the chances of vivid dreams that night. Do this for 2 days and then for 3 days, don't take the drug at all. Continue taking the drug like this - 2 days on,3 days off, until you feel you can do without it.

As a note, when you finish all the 0.5mg pills in the starter pack, cut the 1mg pills in half so that they can be taken as 2 0.5mg doses.

Using this method, I have avoided becoming depressed, and have also been able to last the 3 days that I have not been taking the medication without a desire to smoke. Admittedly, cigarette cravings do start to creep in again on the 3rd day of not taking the medication, but I guess this is good training for when I completely stop taking Chantix. I have also found that the insomnia and weird dreams have disappeared on the days that I am not taking Chantix.

This seems to be a much safer way to take the drug that allows some plateau time to get your thoughts together and get a few decent nights of sleep in.

I have no doubts that Chantix is effective at blocking the urge to smoke, but something needs to be done about those side effects.

Hope someone will find this info helpful.

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THIS REPORT IS BASED ON THE COMMENTER'S EXPERIENCE AND IS NOT THE PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RECOMMENDATION.

I started taking Chantix 3 weeks ago for the 1st time. I have severe insomnia. I haven't slept more than 2/3 hours at a time. I love that fact that I'm not smoking, but I can't function this way!

I have been on Chantix for almost a month now and quit smoking two days before my quit date. The only side effect I have experienced is feeling sick to my stomach for 2 hours after I take it. I think it reacts differently with everyone's body chemistry. I am not depressed, angry or aggressive.

If you think about it, we all should be somewhat angry, depressed and aggressive we just given up a habit that was a big part of our lives. Without Chantix after the first day of not smoking I would have been ready to mow down anyone who got in my way.

I've been taking Chantix for 3 1/2 weeks now and have to admit that it is the easiest time I've ever had quitting smoking...but now I'm having trouble with the side effects. There are the physical side effects, nausea and headaches are bearable. The water retention is horrible! I've been watching my weight go up 1 pound a day this week.

What I miss most is my brain. Somehow it just stopped functioning and I have no ability to focus or concentrate. I have no motivation. I am so cranky I can't stand myself, and the crankiness comes in huge waves that just wash over me and I become a raging maniac. I feel like I sleep harder and longer but am not refreshed when I wake up. The dreams I don't mind at all, I've always enjoyed dreaming. I can't wake up when the alarm goes off. It went off for an hour yesterday. So I get in to work late and when I'm at work I can't focus.

I've started to take myself off the drug...I thought I would go off the same way they had me go on, with 1/2 mg twice a day for 3 days and 1/2 mg a day for 4 days. This is my 3rd day on the lower dose and no noticeable improvement yet.

I've quit smoking before (many times!) and haven't felt this way. I think the answer is just to NOT START AGAIN.

I took chantix Dec 07 for three months. It worked I did quit smoking. Doctor said I might slide back and may need to do another three months. I never did and did slide back but didn't smoke as much. Then in one months time I ended up in the hospital with internal bleeding and then a pulmonary embolism. My vascular surgeon said that Chantix has a side effect of producing blood clots. Now I am on coumadin for the rest of my life. This side effect is not in the paperwork and my Oncologist also said it would be risky for me to continue on with the medicine.

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: GI BLEEDING IS LISTED AS A SERIOUS SIDE EFFECT OF CHANTIX. WE COULD NOT FIND ANY MENTION OF BLOOD CLOTS.

I took Chantix in May/June 07. I successfully quit smoking but have had severe anger issues and depression ever since. I have now been diagnosed with thyroid problems and will probably require a lifetime of medication.

My husband started taking Chantix 10/17/08 and we believe is having some terrible side effects. His legs are swelling up and when you touch them they dent in. They also hurt very bad. He is a type 2 diabetic and takes medication. Has anyone else got this problem?

I just started taking Chantrix. (Starting week 2) Have mild to moderate nausea in the morning. Also headache off and on. (Which I think is from nicotine withdrawal) I also have some major muscle pain and back ache. Anyone else have this? But the dreams are a hoot! I can't wait to go to sleep at night. I took me about 4 days to figure out where they were coming from. Although last night I had a hard time sleeping and was awake an hour before the alarm, and wasn't able to go back to sleep. Reading all these posts have me a little scared. Maybe I should be weaning myself off of this stuff??

Oh, one other thing. I did try wellbutrin a few years ago. It was AWFUL! I was so nasty, I couldn't stand myself. I was Super "B". Haven't had that problem with Chantix.

I've been on Chatix for 2 months now. I had constipation, nausea, insomnia, vivid dreams and memory problems (I couldn't recall friends names and started forgetting little things or details I had to do), I was constantly tired and irritated very easily. After reading every body's experience I decided to cut down the dose. I did for one week 1mm in the morning and 0.5mm (half pill) in the evening. Last week I did half pill in the morning, half in the evening.

From the side effects I have only the vivid dreams, but I do actually kind of like that part. I'm still kind of easily irritated but it is not worst than a PMS. The pills still work and I'm not smoking but I get more cravings. Well, they all last for 5 min and less and I'm looking at it as a way to practice for the no pills time. I'm planning to keep on the halves for a while and than next month to go 1 week just half pill in the morning and than half pill every other day for a week and than half pill every 3rd day and etc.

I believe that will help to ease the side effects on stopping the pill cold turkey. My advice to the people that are starting now is not to go on the 2 mm per day dose at all. To avoid nausea eat a big breakfast and than take the pill. If you can't eat breakfast try to have some cereal or at least a cup of yogurt before the pill. Do not take the evening pill after 6 pm, that will help with the insomnia. Than you won't have to be awake at 3 am wondering if you can have a cigarette. Good luck to everybody. It is not easy but I'm planning to stay quit, so I don't have to go through something like that again.

I stopped smoking and biting my nails. I had no intentions of stopping nail biting, just happened to notice it at the end of the 30 days.

I just went on Chantix for the 2nd time -- the first time I really wasn't ready to quit. I must say the 2mg they have me on by week 2 is crazy... there is NO way my body can take it.. i'm female at 130 pounds. I only went up to 1 mg and I am cutting it back to .5mg in another week. I am so ready to really quit .. I am using this to help with the nicotine addition but than I'm taking back control. After reading all these blogs.. no way am I staying on this. I think Pfizer is not being honest and considering peoples different weight and makeup. The bottom line is you have to be determined NOT to smoke. This is just a crutch.. that sounds like could kill us too.

Hi All again,
I'm just on a half pill per day and I'm doing fine. I cut the mm quicker as last week I started having blood from my nose in the morning. I will stick to my plan to decrease the pills gradually as I'm worry about the side effects if I stop them at once. Yes, these pills are not fun. Well, along with my smoking I did quit drinking coke, I think they kind of help for all type of addictions.

Or may be not, I still eat chocolates like crazy. Pfizer is honest about the side effects if you read your brochure carefully. At least for the ones that were reported and the pill haven't been on the market long enough to know about the long term side effects. What they are not honest about is that you can actually experience all the side effects plus some unreported ones and I don't think they are very honest with the percentage. This is the first time in my life I did experience a side effect from a pill and I had them all.

That was very unusual and stressful for me. I don't take medicated pills very often. Actually I even forget to take my vitamins, so I can say I hardly take any pills. Taking this on regular basis was a big deal for me and yes, I had all the side effects. I'm still not smoking, I'm down to half pill per day and the cravings are bad but still manage to fight them successfully. Hopefully never go back on that stinky habit. Good luck to everybody!

Wow - reading all these posts now makes me wish I would have found this and read this a long time ago. I started taking Chantix in Nov 2007. It did take away the cravings for cigarettes. I didn't read the fine print on this drug before taking it. I knew a couple of people that had taken it, and it seemed to work really great for them, so I really wanted to try it. It did take away the cravings for cigarettes better than anything I had ever tried. However, I started having some of the side effects such as extreme anxiety, anger, depression, etc.

That kept getting worse. At the time, I was still going through some post partem issues (had started back up smoking after my daughter was born). After like a month and a half, and things just getting worse, I just quit taking it. Then about a month later, I tried taking my life and had to get hospitalized for it. A month after that I found myself in the hospital diagnosed with MS which unto itself has as a symptom depression. I truly believe the Chantix mixed with all the other factors greatly contributed to the level of depression I reached. I think had I really done my homework on this drug, I never would have used it.

Took chantix for three weeks, stopped smoking after the second week (mostly; still have 1 or two cigs every couple of days) , 3 weeks after stopping the drug i woke up one morning fine and happy, by noon i was angry and enraged at everything and had broken almost every piece of glass in my house, by mid afternoon i was hysterical and crying non stop, and by dinner i had taken a razor and slashed the crap out of my wrists for absolutely NO reason.
I want this drug pulled off the market.
My neighbor had the same thing happen only he was locked up for it.

I have taken Chantix twice this year, and had the nausea, gas, and dream symptoms, I agree with taking less , I have started smoking again, because I had a crisis with my younger sister passing away. I have experienced some severe depression since I have been off the Chantix, I feel so unworthy I don't know what to do with myself. I am going to go to the doctor monday to see about putting me on Wellbutrin in addition to going back on the Chantix, I hate smoking, I don't know what the answer is. My husband say's he can't stand to come home because I am always so depressed and sad, I can't even explain why or how to him it's like I am paralyzed in my own mind. I just want to be alone, after I think, this will make me feel better I just want to run away and be by myself.

My mother started taking Chantix about two weeks ago. She got it from her brother who experienced bad mood swings and hallucinations. My mom has been fine with her mood. No bad headaches, no nightmares, no suicidal thought and she can sleep normal.
The only thing that's been happening is she forgets what she tells people. Or will claim that she told someone to do something like make her breakfast when she really didn't. Her husband asked her to go to a Packer party the night before and had no idea what he was talking about when it was time to go. I'm worried but I wonder if it'll be okay in the end. If she just fights through it. A doctor is not monitoring her taking this. But I don't want her to stop cause she hasn't quit for 40 years so it is a big step for her. She chews gum and it curbs her cravings. She's actually lost 18 lbs and she's been eating normal. What do you suggest?

First off, I quit 2 months ago (29 Oct) with the help of Chantix. I had a quad bypass a few years ago and was smoking the day I got out of the hospital. Would have smoked in the hospital if I could have found one.

All the bad side effects are real. I tried 6 months ago but felt overwhelmed by the anxiety and said forget it in no time. When I was a stupid stoned out kid I had a problem with depression so I knew I was "at risk". Anyway I had to quit and wanted to bad enough finally to stick to it. This time I asked my Doctor for a script of xanex .25mg to go along with it. I finished out my first week of the chantix and started the xanex to help mitigate the anxiety before my quit date. Then I did something different. I took the week off from work, suffered through the worst of it with the xanex, dvd's, and lots of snacks. I know there are better ways (exercise), but the week off really did help alot. Everyone needs a little time off and that is well worth your vacation days.

As I said, I have been smoke free for over two months and it's getting better and better. To help motivate me to stay quit, my wife has agreed not to complain about me getting a motorcycle unless I start back. Fair enough I thought. Yeah, I know they can kill you too. But at least it's not suicide. It's only the last 8 years that I haven't had a bike though.

Good luck to everyone. Remember, eat plenty before you take it, and always drink plenty of water when you do. And God blesses those who bless themselves. Not only do you have to do it, you can.

Nov 2007 I took this drug and on the 2nd week I awoke to a severe burning, itching feeling on my face and neck. My whole face and neck was 2 times their normal size, My husband rush me to the ER and there I stayed for 2 nights while the doctors tried to figure out what to do to get me back to normal. After the 2nd day of being flush with steroids and my face and neck were back to normal, I will never touch that chantix again, now it has been a year later and I still suffer from the red itchy rash all over my face and neck and my upper lip swells up. This rash will appear out of nowhere, I can be clear for 2 months and wake up to the itchy burning rash. Has any one else suffered from this side effect?

I've taken Chantix for 3 months. I made it through 24 hours without a ciggy for the first time in years. Then it became a few days, then a few weeks. I've found that I'm drinking like i did in college. I'm a little out of control and I think it may be related to the Chantix. I used to only drink a glass of wine a week or sometimes per month. But now, one glass of wine seems to somehow lead to shots. This is odd behavior for someone who left drinking irresponsibly back in college.

With all the negative feedback regarding Chantix you have to wonder that people are not recognizing the possibility to some of these bad side effects is simply nicotine withdrawal from a very addicted person.

People have stated they feel depressed and agitated and suicidal, even when they were not like this before. (How could you when you stimulated your dopamine receptors 20, 40 or more times a day?) Which is what happens to people who stop getting their mandatory Nicotine fix. Yes some people also stated that they never even stopped smoking while on the drug so how can it be Nicotine withdrawal, right?!!

Well guess what, they must have not done their homework to know how this drug works, as if they did they would know that while on the drug, even if they did smoke 3 packs a day, they are not getting any Nicotine! As the drug blocks the nicotine receptors, remember?

Yes all drugs have side affects, and this is a serious drug that does wonders to help you to stop smoking. I am sure you all will agree it does mess with your head to make you stop smoking. With such a severe addictive substance like Nicotine, it has to be something at this level. I would urge everyone who is thinking about going on Chantix to really take this seriously and talk to your doctor in great depth. Make sure you understand what you are doing, and do use the drug as directed. I do agree with a lot of the posts that maybe reducing the dosage is a good idea, as everyone is different. Bottom line is be careful, and watch out for any changes and have loved ones help you out while on this medication. (Maybe being on this for more than a couple of months is not such a good idea?) With all this said, I think this pill is indeed a Miracle drug and is able to help many end this deadly addiction which will surely kill you if you do not stop now.

I do agree time will tell as to what some long term affects will be for this drug, but also remember what smoking is doing to your body as well!

Good luck everyone and stay away from Nicotine!

I finally decided to start taking Chantix three days ago. In those three short days I experienced too many negative side effects that I can't live with. The nausea, stomach issues, dreams, headaches... And I never even got to the second dose day. For me the risks of this medication are not worth it. I quit before three times and made the conscious choice to go back to smoking. I know I can do it again on my own and have the will power to put it down for good. Even if I am doing it more for my young children than for me.

Getting sick, experiencing crazy scary dreams that wake me all night, and the thought of possible mental issues is too risky for me. Good luck to the rest of you.

I was a smoker for 11 years at 1 pack a day. Not the heaviest smoker of all time. So i try cold turkey.....No Luck. Wait a couple months and try again...again no luck. So i go to my doctor to talk options. Something you should know is that i don't even like to take Tylenol for a headache.I HATE Pills. He immediately writes me a prescription for chantix tells me side effects like nightmares, Sleeplessness, Loose stool and upset stomach. And tells me how to get it free.

So i sign up prepare and start my program Aug 2nd 2008. The first few weeks were O.K but i could definitely feel the difference with my brain. But i was determined so i kept up with it. Until it actually started to become noticeable to the people around me. I just wasn't myself. Around week 8 i just couldn't take it anymore, my relationships were falling apart at every corner. I became distant and started feeling like i had to lie to people because i felt cornered and paranoid.

Now i knew that when i quit smoking my brain would start operating differently. But i didn't think i would become a completely new person. I don't even recognize myself anymore most of the time. The thoughts of suicide are there but its because of the paranoia and i know it. Unfortunately I just cant seem to rewire my brain with positivity. All i know is that if this doesn't pass i don't know what i'm going to do. And there was NO mention of this in my doctors office. Obviously chantix wasn't for me.

I quit smoking with chantix 12/31/07. Because of the vivid dreams I stopped using chantix after 30 days. I have not had a puff since I quit and I thank the makers of chantix for that.
Over the past several months I have experienced severe signs of depression. My doctor and I are not sure if it is related to the chantix.
I trust that the depression will end at some point and I will be happier because I'm nicotine free.

After coming down with bronchitis three times in six months, I decided it was probably time to quit smoking, and my doctor prescribed me Chantix. I have been on Chantix for a little less than a month and have not had a cigarette in that time. It's not that I don't occasionally feel like having a cigarette, but I can fairly easily control the urge (it's more a want than a need).

I haven't experienced the same cold sweats or increased irritability that I went through the last time I tried quitting smoking (cold turkey that time). I have, however, experienced a few side effects. The strange and vivid dreams, while not truly nightmares, are a marked departure from my normal sleep cycle (I almost never remembered my dreams prior to starting Chantix). I also find that it is harder to fall asleep at night and harder to wake up in the morning (I tend to sleep through my alarm much more frequently).

Perhaps the most distressing side effect I have experienced has been a decrease in my sex drive; it hasn't rendered me impotent but sex is something I don't think about too often (which, for a young man like myself, is probably not normal). However, so far the benefits far outweigh the negatives, and I feel fairly confident that once I go off the Chantix I will continue to be smoke free. Just bear in mind there are some risks involved.

I took Chantix in 2007 for a total of 4 months. Did not ever quit completely. I experienced all of the side effects listed at that time. Since then I have had problems with acute vertigo, fallen twice, experienced heart palpitations, headaches, had visual disturbances accompanied by numbness and tingling in hand and arm, had a marked increase in blood glucose although not diagnosed with diabetes, and have progressively become more reclusive. Based on what I have read, I feel these symptoms could very possibly be associated with the Chantix. I am just wondering how long these side effects last. Are they permanent? Thank you.

I have used chantix twice. First time, several years ago. No problems, no vivid dreams--no more so than usual. Was on it for 3 months and actually felt great. Was not taking any other meds that I am aware of. Started smoking about three months after I stopped Chantix. Have always had mild to moderate issues with depression. Was diagnosed this year with ADHD and Bipolar II (not to mention menopause issues--yeah me!) And this time on Chantix my experience was horrific--noticed the sadness almost immediately but discounted it as I was pre-menstrual.

Dreams were much more vivid and weird and each day the manic/depressive behavior became steadily worse until by day 14 I was in full blown rapid cycle manic depression. Stopped taking Chantix--1/2 pil last night, none today. So, my question is--is my reaction different this time because of the meds that I am on--versus no meds last time? I asked my Pharmacist when i filled the script and he said--"no drug interactions."

But I have to wonder if that is only because of lack of information: I take Lamictal 200mg, prempro .625, Lyrica 125 mg 3 x per day, hydracodone 500 mg x 2, soma 350 x 3. Would love to hear feedback--will also tell my Dr.'s, so that they may do what they will with the info.
JDF

I started taking chantix and on day 8 I quit smoking after 25 years of a pack a day. Today is day 14, 6 days of no smoking I feel fantastic, the only side effect I have is some rough gas. If I smell a cigarette I get a instant headache, other than that I feel better than I have in years!

I have tried Chantix twice and it looks like it has just about freed me of 17 years of nicotine addiction. I was smoking about a pack a day on weekends, and on weekdays I would use a 21 mg nicotine patch during the 10-12 hours that I was at work + smoke a few cigarettes before and after work.

The first time I tried Chantix (March 2008) was horrible, my anxiety shot through the roof immediately the first day. I was still smoking at this time, but not using the nicotine patch at work. During the time that I was at work, I couldn't concentrate on anything and couldn't get anything done. It was a busy time at work, so I just couldn't go through with it. Stopped taking Chantix after 3 days, went back on the patch, and went back to normal.

The second time has been much better. I quit the patch immediately again, but I chose a time to start the program that was less busy at work, and made sure I could get away from work a couple of times a day to smoke. During the first week, I cut back on the smoking without even trying. The second week, I was smoking 2-3 a day. After two weeks, I smoked my last cigarette, and I have now gone 27 days without smoking.

I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW EASY THIS HAS BEEN. I've had very few side effects this time, just the dreams and some gas issues. I barely even notice the dreams any more. I still get the occasional urge, but they're mild and brief. I can be around smokers and be in situations where I used to smoke without wanting a cigarette. It's been a breeze.

I'm kind of scared of going off it though, because whenever I forget to take it, I get VERY irritable, angry, and depressed.

Chantix has different side effects for everyone.. as expressed on the page above. I tried chantix right when it came out..at first i thought it was great... i did not want a cigarette at all.. after taking it always gave me nausea, however, as the first week went on; i had trouble sleeping.

In fact could not go to sleep. I was irritable, aggressive, almost impossible to be around, had sensitivity to light, severe depression, night tremors, the list goes on. For me the facts are this. chantix does work for quitting... but is it really worth the smokes? I was so depressed and realized that the drug was making me unbearable to be around, i did not even like myself, who is normally the center of the party!... i just want people to be fully aware of what could happen to you.

I used it for two months.. and it took me four months to get back to normal (in the head). Just be careful and make sure your doctor gives you the full information on it, instead of just writing the prescription.

I started taking Chantix 3 weeks ago but did not have any adverce side affects untill 2&1/2 weeks in. I am a very positive and upbeat person who always looks at the bright side of things, that is until the side affects... I have never felt so out of control. The tears, the woes me, the sadness. I have cried more in the last week than I have in the last 3 years but what really bothered me most were the irrational thoughts.

I have no history of mental illness so I feel very lucky to have caught on to what was going on right away. I stopped taking Chantix right away and immediately felt better. I know that medication does not affect people the same way just be vigilant.

I took Chantix for 2 months, stopping the medication about 3 weeks ago. I quit smoking during the first month and didn't feel like I needed the 3rd month of the medicine. I no longer have any desire to smoke. Chantix worked very well for me. I was terribly addicted to nicotine. I have noticed that I am losing a lot of hair. Even though hair loss is not listed as a side effect, I see that others have had this problem on the medication. My question is, will it come back and how long will it take?

I smoked for 30 years and I took Chantix in Oct of 2006 for 30 days. I did not have any of the side effects. I am a year old 45 Police Officer and I have been smoke free since. I feel great and since then 3 of my Family member have Quit with Chantix also.