has anyone had side effects from stopping chantix

After 22 years of smoking 1 pack/day & several failed attempts to quit cold turkey or using an OTC aid, I took the Chantix plunge. I did plenty of reading & research regarding the product and basically deduced that it takes a tough product to kick a nasty habit and everyone is going to react differently. Here is my experience:

I took Chantix for eight weeks. I did not quit smoking until the end of the third week. My sense of smell & the taste of cigarettes were altered for the first week or so and then went back to normal. Smoking stopped giving me a buzz. I would jones for a smoke, succumb and then get nothing from it which kept me pretty pissed for the second and third weeks of treatment. Somewhere in the third week my conscience started kicking in, I really want this cigarette but what's the point? It won't do anything, I'll smell like smoke and feel bad for having had it. A few more days of that mental dialogue and I emptied my car and house of cigarettes. My boyfriend was wonderful and had my car detailed to alleviate the nicotine smell during my commute.

I took all doses with food. Taking my dose after a meal or during a meal worked best to curb nausea. Eating afterward taking a pill did not help at all. Complex carb rich food seemed to ease nausea the most and I could eat less with out getting an upset stomach. Salad and/or meat did not seem to count as a meal: I would experience more nausea after taking Chantix with a filet and salad then I would with a few soda crackers and a small glass of milk.

I supplemented daily Chantix intake with vitamin C, E, Fish Oil, Cranberry (both capsule & juice), Biotin, B-12, Papaya Enzyme & Bean-o. I also drank A LOT of water. 

I kept a detailed the log the first two weeks of treatment of pretty much everything: meals, supplements, bathroom trips, side effects, etc. Moment Diary (free) app on iphone helped with this tremendously as it automatically time stamped entries but allowed free input. It also let me export my journal to email where I sifted out cigarette breaks and threw them in a graph. 

Unusual and/or vivid dreams occurred when taking twice a day. These seemed more intense the closer to bed time I took the Chantix so the evening dose was taken around 4:00 PM. I was lucky and do not recall having any nightmares but my boyfriend reaped the benefits of a few super steamy dreams.

This was unfortunately short lived. Somewhere between two-four weeks into treatment my libido went MIA. At first it became work to get my head in the game, then I couldn't score, finally I threw in the towel. 

A few beers or a glass of wine in the evening often induced a headache the next morning that would sometimes hang on for hours. 

I had spotting between normal menstruation so upped my dietary iron intake, which seemed to help.

I gained between 5-10 pounds but I do not blame this on the drug. If anything, Chantix seemed to deterred my appetite but munching helped replace cigarettes so munch I did!

Moods were all over the place: happy, sad, angry, you name it I could hit it within a few blinks.  My disposition seemed to even out until....

I quit Chantix. Yes, I quit Chantix early, cutting dose amount in half for a few days and then dropping down to one half pill in the am for a few more.  I have been smoke free for six weeks and Chantix free for one & I have been as moody and miserable as ever ...but it is nothing compared to trying to kick cigarettes cold turkey. I have withdrawal headaches and my interest in the game has not improved but I have faith things will settle back to normal within a month or so (maybe sooner with a little extra sauna time).

Chantix is bad but it worked for me and I figure sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. The withdrawal from the drug is irritating since it was unexpected but things could be worse. Cannot thank everyone enough for sharing their smoking & Chantix experiences. I think every person's story helped me prepare, avoid, appreciate and celebrate every bump and pothole encountered and overcame in this long road to becoming smoke free. Good luck out there!

 Kimmy Jo

 

I have been taking Chantix for about 7 weeks now and have not smoked in the last 6 weeks.  I, too, have had the weird dreams so not much sleep, but small price to pay to quit smoking! My gums have recently become swollen and started bleeding and I just found out that that can be a side effect as well.  For the person who said she has become depressed since starting to take it, I say STOP taking it!!! This is a well known fact that if you experience any type of depression you should not be taking Chantix. To the person who said they are still smoking but only taking one pill a day, then start taking both! Follow directions! I was smoking a pack a day for almost 20 years and this pill is a God send.  My shortness of breath has gone away, I have a lot more energy and I am saving about $7/day! This pill has paid for itself (expensive when you don't have insurance) so it was well worth the hundreds of dollars out of pocket!

 

I have been on Chantix for about 6 weeks. I stopped smoking for about 9 days then started taking 2 - 3 puffs a day. The worst side effect for me is my lack of tolerance for other people. I have been the most hateful person and can feel myself going into a rage. This is NOT who I was before I started taking Chantix. I called my Dr. yesterday after I was very rude to 2 of my coworkers. No return call from Dr. yet. I love my job and up until now I've had the patience of JOB my mother said but now...no paitence at all. I can't stand myself. I get up in the morning and the bit$%h is in! What a horrible feeling. What worries me the most is it sounds like the symptoms do not go away once you stop taking Chantix! I get there will be withdrawal symptoms from stop smoking but really? Is this from the lack of nicotine or is it the Chantix?

Hi quittoday,
Same thing here. Stopped chantix in april this year and am still suffering from rage. Seeing a therapist has only decreased my anxiety so far, not the rage

Jusy curious. Did the mouth trouble ( gums) come with what felt like swollen glands ? I have the easy bleeding gums and was on anti biotics for what was thought to be an infection. 5th week into Chantix and 11 days after anti biotics is where I am now. Oh yeah, as a single father, my daughter now thinks im always mad at her... Good news is that im down from 2 packs a day to 1/2 pack..

I am having the same symptoms. I stopped 4 days ago. Tired all the time, weird dreams, feel feverish even though I have no fever, low grade headache and wake up from sleep with mild nausea and the skin on my back hurts.

I took Chantix for about 5 months before getting positive results: I simply no longer had any desire to smoke. It appears however, that I traded smoking for really poor lung function. Within a week after quitting  cigarettes, I was tied to oxygen 24/7.

I did  smoke for 55 years, but I recall no warning with the Chantix about making things worse...

I'd really like to hear from any Chantix user who had a result similar to mine.

I was on Chantix for 5 weeks and it worked great! Kicked the habit and had little to no side effects until I stopped taking it. Now I have been off of it for 5 days and I feel depressed and a little paranoid. I hope these withdraw side effects go away soon. I know how you feel. Hang in there fatfrog!

I am on my last week of taking chantix. When I smoked it was a pack a day. The 1st week I started chantix I went down to 3 a day, 2nd week 1 a day and last Sunday was my last 1. Now, on to side effects. When you are taking any kind of medicine it effects everyone differently and when you take a medicine like chantix you must take it like you are supposed to or it won't work. Also when you listen to everyone that has taken it and given you a negative response about it that's their opinion, like I said everyone is different so you have to go in saying I am different and don't think about the crazy dreams or restless nights, you are your own person. I smoked for 20 yrs and yes even tho I haven't had 1 I think about it all the time, its mind over matter. I think if my son and it helps me not smoke so please let medicine do what it's supposed to do and stop listening to what everyone else has to say or how it effects them. And take it like your supposed to. Right when you get done eating breakfast take it because if you don't eat you will feel nauseous and then take it after you get done eating dinner so if you take it with food like it says you won't feel sick. It does work:)

I didn't notice the swollen glands. I quit taking the Chantix and within a week my mouth felt sooo much better. Congrats on the progress and keep it up!!

I successfully quit smoking with Chantix in 2009. Since then I have experienced disabling anxiety attacks. They can last for days if they are triggered by a stress such as moving, or hours in it pops up for no reason. I have been taking proxac which obviously isn't doing the job, and also lorazepam when the attack starts. Only half dose during the day. This seems to knock it off. But I don't want to become a addicted to lorazepam so I am very careful. I'll head back to the doc I guess.

I tried Chantix twice to stop smoking. The first time I took it I was hospitalized for heart problems. I suffered the vivid dreams. I would get up in the middle of the and wander through the house. One night I got the car keys and took off in the car. My husband had to disconnect the battery to the car so I couldn't leave at night. I would make phone calls and have no memory of it. I finally quit taking it. A year later I decided to try it again. I became so hostile and aggressive I almost lost my job. I couldn't understand what was wrong with me and contemplated suicide. I then read the fine print on the Chantix paperwork and realized the chantix was making me crazy. I stopped taking Chantix in 2010. I am still suffering anxiety and major depressive disorder. I have been hospitalized 4 times due to the depression. I have been unable to work for a year because of the depression. Has anyone else suffered effects lasting this long? Please let me know

Similar problem, and I'm not sure who to talk to about it. I took Chantix twice in 2010 and 2011 in an attempt to quit smokeless tobacco. It worked for a short time the first go around. When I tried it the second time, I started to feel different. Stress was impacting me more than ever before and with physical symptoms. I would feel an intense pressure in my head, like a lot of blood flushing to my face. My mood was all over the place. The smallest thing with one of my children could set me off on a tirade. I quit Chantix becase of these issues. They have not gone away in over 2 years. I was a happy, laid-back guy with no depression issues. I love my job, love my family, but too often I feel run-down and exhausted in spite of having no real reason. I'm generally healthy other than my lack of ability to handle stress on any scale. I've been keeping this to myself for a long time. Finally told my wife about it last night. I have an appointment with my GP to talk about this and get his advice. Are there any special medical fields that may be best suited to seek advice from? Any more experiences of long term effects like this? I'm glad to hear that there may be a reason for my personality changes rather, but I would really like to hear if anybody has found a fix outside of depression meds.

Dear fatfrog (and nau and others),

 

My personal situation is very similar to yours. I started taking champix in February/ March of last year and quit smoking 4 weeks later. I started getting anxiety attacks and started experiencing intense rage, mostly directed at my girlfriend and my children. The state I was in was terrible, both for myself and for my familiy. I had never in my life experienced such intense anger, nor had I previously suffered from anxiety or panic attacks.  I stopped taking champix immediately but unfortunately, these symptoms persisted. To get some grip on myself and my health problems I started seeing an psychologist in May of last year and I have had weekly therapy sessions ever since then. During most of last year I was away from home for weeks at a time because I could not sufficiently control my temper. All this time my gf was left behind with three children and a partime job - but this was still better than me being around. Psychotherapy really worked for me. I'm still seeing my therapist twice a month but I'm back home again since christmas. Also, the anxiety has gone (most of it anyway) and I no longer burst out in rage. I did not take any meds to achieve this by the way, but my family physician has a prescription ready for me in case things start getting worse again. Also, I started smoking again in November of last year...

Anyway, what I want to tell you is that I believe that Champix can really screw with your brain and that it can seriously affect your emotional state with (intense) anxiety, depression or aggression as a consequence. On a side-note I have a PhD in clinical psychology. So I know what I'm talking about, even though I couldn't help myself. Obviously, not everybody suffers these symptoms. It seems that we're a small minority, but the effects it has on this minority are very severe. These symptoms, imo, will not subside by themselves. You probably need help from a psychiatrist or psychologist. But if you do get help, there IS hope. Things can get better. Believe me.

I wish you all the best of luck and hope things will work out for you as well.

Thanks for that information.