Champix aka Chantix/Varenicline

alimo

love the green touch in honour of us irish :cool:

alimo

donnieL ..... harder to return the compliment lol

Poutbutton

Hey Guys hello to everyone & all the Heinz 57's out there, hope you're all still off the fags. I've just had another day with NO cravings I am a bit stunned at this but delighted all the same. If my calculations are correct, I'm at day 43 off cigs now while only taking one tablet a day since the start of pack 2, I think I will have a mild celebration when I reach day 50!

Welcome on board Alimo thanks for the text number you're the first Irish person to come up with that, we've been hoping one was there for us. I'm going to try it tomorrow. Best of luck as you start the champix journey, you will have your own unique experience of it, each individual seems to have a different story to tell, we'll be glad to hear how you get on.

I found {and still find} this forum so helpful to come back to over the past 6 weeks. You can ask questions, tell of your experience or simply rant and rave or just chat if you want.

Kahlan must have her head studied off at this point, come back to us & tell us if you lasted the week without a smoke!

Wonder how Dragona is...

Oh Oh almost forgot, finally went to see Benjamin Button what a lovely quirky brilliant story!

DonnieL

I just returned from my Hematologist and my blood count is still normal thanks to the absense of nicotine! He doesn't want to see me until next month. If it's still normal then he'll switch me to every 3 months.:D
Yeah Poutbutton, I loved that Movie!! It had a little bit of everything!:)

Poutbutton

Thats great news Donnie now all your refusals of temptation to smoke have given you a result! Excellent.
Thank God it's Friday, I'm sitting in tonight as I have an exam workshop tomorrow, cant believe I'm at the end of the course. :eek:
So, had our annual conference today with work, I'm usually amongst the guys & girls out having a smoke at every oppportunity, not this year though No cravings today. This is great!

Poutbutton

Hi Pout! You quit 1 month, 2 weeks, 6 days, 3 hours, 9 minutes & 12 seconds ago. You have *not* smoked 962 cigs, saved EUR 409 and added 3.34 days to your life.

Want one of these? http://www.stopsmoking.ie/index.php

Nice to put figures to the effort

pinnyoshea

Hope everyone having a good weekend. Im having a quiet one. Workn last 2 nights. Off tonight so went to see watchmen. Juries out on whether its worth seeing or not. Parts were excellent, others not so much so. Shuda taken advice and gone to see Benjamin Button. You definately deserve a celebration Poutbutton and DonnieL congrats on the blood count. Ye are both great models for giving up smoking. Anyway not much else to say so ill sign off. Oh and welcome to the group Alimo. I know it has been a great help for me and I hope it is for you aswell. Laters

pinnyoshea

You quit 1 week, 4 days, 44 minutes & 51 seconds ago. You have *not* smoked 220 cigs, saved EUR 89.9 and added 18.33 hours to your life.

DonnieL

You quit 1 month, 3 weeks, 6 days, 8 hours, 3 minutes & 56 seconds ago. You have *not* smoked 1,106 cigs, saved EUR 415 and added 3.84 days to your life.
Your right Poutbutton this is good. Chantix quit sending the emails after a couple of weeks.
Alimo, thanks for this! =^)

Poutbutton

LOL good is'nt it? Well it's sunday & just past my 7th week mark yee ha! I have to admit, after 4 or 5 days of no cravings, today I got a few. Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday, Unstructured yet I so needed a restful day or perhaps it was when I felt those "stop world, I want to get off" moments. I'm over it nowthough & looking forward to the week ahead & Paddies festival next weekend.
I have a mountain of Law lectures to read over the next 19 days so there wont be too much partying for this non smoker. I booked the last week in March off work to spend cramming, cant believe I signed up to this voluntarily! I must have been outta my mind!

DonnieL

Look at it this way! Better to be thinkin' about crammin' than thinking about smokin'

SMK

Poutbutton wrote: »

LOL good is'nt it? Well it's sunday & just past my 7th week mark yee ha! I have to admit, after 4 or 5 days of no cravings, today I got a few. Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday, Unstructured yet I so needed a restful day or perhaps it was when I felt those "stop world, I want to get off" moments. I'm over it nowthough & looking forward to the week ahead & Paddies festival next weekend.
I have a mountain of Law lectures to read over the next 19 days so there wont be too much partying for this non smoker. I booked the last week in March off work to spend cramming, cant believe I signed up to this voluntarily! I must have been outta my mind!

Hi Poutbutton,

I'm off cigarettes nearly two years thank to Champix but I just wanted to say that I can still get the odd craving. I found I got cravings on a regular basis for about 9 months and then they grew less frequent. I find now I only get cravings if I'm bored or waiting, surprisingly cigarettes are the last thing I think about if I'm stressed!! But I think of them as annoying or irritating moments rather than a craving - just trying to fool my mind, but it works!! But the main thing is to be prepared to continue experiencing cravings and don't think you are not doing well just because you get cravings. And just because you have a craving doesn't mean you have to have a cigarette!!!

DonnieL

Hi SMK,
Thanks for the heads-up. It's great to know what lays ahead so that we can prepare in advance. This is the kind of input we all need. Keep the info coming! Have a great St. Paddy's Day!!:D

Poutbutton

Hi Guys Thanks SMK I too am rarely in need of a fag if strssed it's always when I'm bored/waiting! Thankfully I'm rarely bored! You described the cravings perfectly they are not cravings they are irritants! If I smell a cigarette nearby I cant stand the aroma, my tolerance is getting less as I noticed today. I walked through a tunnel to get to the shops near my office today & there were several people smoking either walking through it or standing around either end, I wanted to run through holding my nose like a 4 year old. I thought I would be more tolerant of the smell having been a smoker.
A friend of mine gave up for a year a few years ago, she used to love the smell & followed people who smoked!
It must be the champix working it's magic.
I should be on my 3rd pack now but I'm still only half way through the second pack as I halved the dose.
I have a sensation the past week or so almost as if I can "taste" the champix in my system, if I cough I can taste it - metallic like taste? Is anyone else getting this? I have been a little wheezy the past 4-5 days & have a tickly cough at night & a dry bronchial one during the day that I did'nt have before. I am wondering is it connected to the whole giving up process or is it something entirely removed from Champix.....
So how is everybody else doing? Any newbies got tales to tell us?

DonnieL

Yeah Poutbutton, I've been getting that cough also, non productive, dry tickle, that's just irritating even though I'm still drinking a lot of water.
I don't know if you call it cravings or not. But I do think about the smokes sometimes. But then I think how far I've come and I don't want to slide backwards at this point especially since my health has improved somewhat since I quit..
Let's keep up the battle!!

Poutbutton

Comiserations but at least one person has the cough, I was so used to my smokers cough it never concerned me, since I stopped smoking the cough disappeared, this non productive cough is new. I'll keep an eye on it and I need to drink way more water thank you Donnie.

celt262

Im due to start the 3rd pack today but have enough to keep me going until tomorrow due to missing the morning one a few times. Im thinking about going on one a day from now on. I am not getting cravings as such and i think it was Pout said its when im waiting/bored it would enter my head.

alimo

hi everyone , it's great that you are all doing well . I am on day 5 of champix , not finding any problems with them at the moment , just have to make the decision on what day to stop !!! Trying to see into the future to figure out which would be the most stress free day lol.

Poutbutton

Hey guys I had a night of temptation last night. I went out with 2 friends who are both smokers, they were in & out of the venue several times for a fag & I am proud to say I was never even a teeny bit tempted to join in. It did'nt bother me one bit. They both offered me a smoke at different times when they were heading outside. I did'nt succumb.
Then today after a meeting at work, one of my close friends takes a cigarette out of his pack and practically puts it in my hand, I had to remind him I've given up.
No cravings today at all & guess what? I forgot to take my champix this morning :rolleyes:
Will wait til tomorrow now as I dont want to upset my stomach this late in the night, yep it's that bad for me now, I get instant heartburn when I take the tabs now & it seems to last all day. Cant wait to be off them for good.

pinnyoshea

Hi All, Hope ye doin well. I still have a productive cough, still clearing that stuff outa my lungs every day but at least not puttin more back in.

Had a night of temptation myself last night. Went clubbing and got quite drunk. Wont say i didnt want to smoke at times but I didnt so thats ok. Lots of cravings again today but my fitness has improved so much that there is not a hope of me going back on them. I in the gym almost every day sometimes for over 2 hrs. Two weeks ago i cud barely manage 45 mins. Wish I could put that much effort in my studies. I turning into a space cadet. Every time I pick up a book my mind wanders these days. My friend and I were just relaxing on an hour break between lectures and she said I spaced out staring out the window for at least a half an hour, felt like a coupla minutes to me. I musta been some company

alimo

hi everyone , i am dreading the temptation , thats what let me down the last time i stopped , i gave in a few times and ended up back on them . Still haven't made a decision on a quit day , taking kids away this weekend to see lazy town on stage so i'd say i won't be stopping until i have endured this weekend full of screaming kids ..... keep up the good work everyone

DonnieL

Well here it is Friday again for you working people!:D Thought I'd better check in. I guess I've been a bit neglectful in the last week. I'm still doing well and have no desire to light up.

Yeah, I've been missing my evening dose. I remember in the morning, but when I'm fixing my dinner and having a couple of drinks, then start watching T.V. I sometimes forget my evening dose. So maybe I'll TRY the one a day thing and see how it goes.

Have a Great Weekend you all and remember what Tuesday is.. I'll be going to City Hall Tuesday to file for a Passport. We're having a big family cruise in September to the Bahamas.:D

Poutbutton

Hey it's friday almost 8 weeks off the smokes now cravings mostly gone 1 tablet a day working fine sometimes wonder if I'll bother buying the last pack....cough still present...getting slightly productive but very slowly! Still ducking exhaled smoke from people I pass on the street, still hating the smell of it. Never want to smoke again!
The Bahamas sounds lovely Donnie. I've to wait until July to go to the Med for a fortnight, I'm counting down the weeks already.
Alimo, come on! The kids are even more reason to give up! I work with kids everyday & they are all delighted I've given up. I'm looking forward to hearing how your first day off them goes. It's suprisingly easy believe me. Best of luck!

pinnyoshea

Guess I was getting a bit too cocky. My two best friends came down to visit last night and we had a major session. The two of them are realy heavy chainsmokers. We were in the room after the pub listning to music and there was a constant cloud of smoke. I had a major slipup and smoked about 5 cigs. So pissed off today. I shuda been aware that the major challenge would be socialising with them. anyway njoy rest of weekend.

DonnieL

Hey Pinnyohea.. Get right up, dust your self off, and get right back on that horse like you never fell off.. No one's looking!!

evs

I started taking Champix last Monday and am onto the 1mg twice a day dose for the first day today. I plan on quitting on day 15, which is next Monday (23rd).

Last week was a tough week although I have a lot going on in my life at the moment so it's hard to know if my mood was due to that or the Champix! I took my evening one right before bed last night and had a really bad night's sleep so will take it earlier this evening. Today I feel tired and a little bit "floaty" (IYKWIM). I've read about people feeling de-motivated and that's definitely how I've been feeling for the last week or so.

I still believe that every bit of it will be worth it if I manage to get off the ciggies for good this time.

DonnieL

Welcome aboard EVS! I'm surpised that your going 15 days.

I normally take my meds around mid morning with food and again late afternoon/early evening with supper and drink a lot of water in between and I've never had a problem except for dreams and most of them "rock".:D Hey, good luck and keep us posted.:)

HAVE A GREAT ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!

DonnieL

Hello again.. EVS, I've been thinking since my last post. Normally, from what I understand, when you start the 1mg twice a day your supposed to be off the smokes. Maybe that's part of your problem. Our friend Alimo turned us on to this link there in Ireland maybe they can help.. Good Luck..
http://www.stopsmoking.ie/index.php

pinnyoshea

Hi Evs,

I can only speak from personal experience but I was wondering the same thing and still dont know. Was goin thru some stuff when started taking it and felt realy like you sayn. I not quite as bad anymore. Saw my two best mates for first time in a month and they recon I very moody but I dont know, might have something to do with the fact that they the most inconsiderate people ever when it comes to smoking around me and literally putting cigarettes in my hand. One thing I do know is that I keepn an eye on it and if I feel things are going bad I'll stop taking them immediately and go into my doctor. I definately enjoyn the benefits of not smoking. I know thats not much help but all I can say is be aware some people do experience side effects and if things start to get bad stop taking them and consult your doctor.

DonnieL