The People's Pharmacy® with Joe and Terry Graedon

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?