Anyone here taken champix?

lil_bird

Hi, I have been trying to give up smoking for the last few months. I had the gum but I hated the taste of it, the patches gave me seriously strange nightmares so I stopped using them and of course started smoking once again.

The problem is I dont have much will power at the moment. I do want to stop but with everything going on in my life right now I am finding it hard.

I went to see my nurse the other day and she has given me champix. I have to get the perscription next week when I get home from England, so I have not started taking them yet. She also gave them to my boyfriend as we are trying to quit together for a bit of moral support.

I have been reading up online about champix and I have found some horror stories about the side effects. My family are trying to warn me off taking it, on the other hand a friend of mine took them last year, didnt get any of the side effects and still is not smoking.

Anyone here taken champix? Any side effects? Are they as bad as some people are making out?

Triangle

Both my DH and a close friend had an absolutely awful time on Champix - but I have known 3 or 4 people to have used it very successfully with no problems. I got on great with the patches but my best friend had the most awful nightmares and had to stop using them. It can affect people in very different ways.

My only advixe would be to be aware of the potential side effects, listen to others if they have concerns about you and feel free to chat to the NHS smoke free advisors: I found them to be so helpful.

Good luck!

mrsBagpuss

Hi
not taken it myself (tried everything else) friend of mine took it and stopped smoking coulpe of years ago - still stopped.

good luck with it, I know how hard it can be

Any

Hi,
My OH stopped smoking thanks to them. However they did have a side effects, nightmares and generally bad sleep and grumpiness for few weeks. He didn't finish the course, he stopped after 6 or 8 weeks.

However, he is a non smoker for 18 mths (from 20-30 a day) and he doesn't even want one apparently. While he did try other methods before, and once even stopped smoking for 6 mths but for the full 6 mths he wanted a ciggy and didn't manage to hold his want back.

So I suppose it is worth a try. If you really want to stop.

Fritillary

My OH took it and it nearly sent him loopy! He was having 'out of body' experiences! Having said that I do know some people who have took it and it worked brilliantly. Like all drugs some people will have side effects and other won't.

Fritillary

Not to sound alarmist, I should add, when OH spoke to the doctor about the effects the doctor was amazed, he'd never heard of anyone having those sort of side effects.

Good Luck with whatever you decide

System

I succeeded in giving up with Champix. No side effects whatsoever. Although my doctor did warn me not to cut down my very high coffee intake at the same time!

Uniscots97

OH took it and had night terrors, extreme mood swings (to the point of being violent), sleep walking, nose bleeds, blinding headaches, and food cravings (sweet things and would keep eating till he felt sick). I flushed them down the loo. I quite happily told his consultant this when OH went in for an unrelated op a few months later. The consultant told me they agree with very few people.

Polmop

Both me and Hubby have stopped smoking with Champix for 2 years now, and we had tried absolutely everything else before that.
You can always just give them a try and see how you get on but i thought they were fantastic.

MrsExcited

I work as a stop smoking advisor.

I have had many clients use champix to successfully quit.

I have only ever had one client have to come off because of the side effects and I have been doing this job for 3 years.

There are some side effects but the most common one is mild nausea. This is usually remedied by taking the pill with meals or on a empty stomach (different methods work for different people)

I don't want to give medical advice on here but please feel free to PM me for more info.

Finally I would say that champix is not a magic pill. You still need to have will power because the physical habit is still there.

There are horror stories out there but in my experience they are few and far between.

Good luck with your quit attempt. You will feel fantastic when you are living a smoke free life.

Loanranger

I'm taking it at the moment and apart from not sleeping very well, it's great. I can put up with a few restless nights and a bit of sleeplessness to be free of the addiction.
I have cut my fag intake down by half over the three weeks I've been taking it. Every day or so I try to smoke a bit less.
Go for it and don't forget that the horrors stories are a tiny percentage of the millions who have taken it successfully.

Good luck and please come back and tell me how you are doing with it.