Chantix and Quitting Smoking

Hello fellow PFA'ers,
I would really like to quit smoking tobacco. I am getting a little older now and the thought of all the serious consequences that can affect my health are starting to weigh on my conscience. I talked to someone that said he smoked two packs a day for thirty years, and after taking Chantix for five weeks he was able to quit. I have heard there are some pretty serious side effects that can affect mood so I am a little worried this medication may be a risk for me to take since I have a mental health diagnosis. I asked my psychiatrist if she could prescribe it, but she said I would have to ask my primary care physician. Does anyone have any suggestions or knowledge about Chantix?

I’ve heard more bad than good with it. I know you’ve straightened your life out, but I’ve known people who are mentally chill get a bit volatile or depressed on Chantix. I’ve heard a few others who had success, but more bad than good in general. I don’t know that I’d fuck with my brain chemistry if things are going otherwise well for you. I’d go with the patch or whatever else. I quit with the patch.

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Originally Posted by BCR

I’ve heard more bad than good with it. I know you’ve straightened your life out, but I’ve known people who are mentally chill get a bit volatile or depressed on Chantix. I’ve heard a few others who had success, but more bad than good in general. I don’t know that I’d fuck with my brain chemistry if things are going otherwise well for you. I’d go with the patch or whatever else. I quit with the patch.

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Ah - Thanks. That is good to know. I really do not want to gamble with this medication. I just heard it could work miracles. I have quit with the patch before too, but I have also been unsuccessful with it as well :/ The gum does not work either. Congrats on quitting. I may try the patch again.

If things are going well for you Heeb, why deviate from what's working?

If you take out smoking you may go back to worse vices?

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Originally Posted by simpdog

If things are going well for you Heeb, why deviate from what's working?

If you take out smoking you may go back to worse vices?

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I think I’d rather smoke meth than smoke buts.

Have you considered vaping?

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Originally Posted by Neverheeb

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Originally Posted by BCR

I’ve heard more bad than good with it. I know you’ve straightened your life out, but I’ve known people who are mentally chill get a bit volatile or depressed on Chantix. I’ve heard a few others who had success, but more bad than good in general. I don’t know that I’d fuck with my brain chemistry if things are going otherwise well for you. I’d go with the patch or whatever else. I quit with the patch.

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Ah - Thanks. That is good to know. I really do not want to gamble with this medication. I just heard it could work miracles. I have quit with the patch before too, but I have also been unsuccessful with it as well :/ The gum does not work either. Congrats on quitting. I may try the patch again.

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you pretty much nailed it right there, IMO. Chantix is a very big gamble, considering the stakes are your mental health in its entirety, as opposed to just the addiction. When people try to commit suicide on chantix, a lot of them just have the idea one day and think its just what they should do the same as taking a shower or making a meal. Like, suicide appears as a rational thought and action, just a thing to do right now, as opposed to a long term solution to all your problems at the end of a long depression or anything like that. The most evil of side effects, and you'll never see it coming if it comes. You just have to hope you aren't very good at killing yourself.

The success rate for Chantix after a year is only slightly better than the patch btw, both under 25% success rates. There ain't no miracle cure, and anyone who has quit smoking has probably done it a few times, so don;t have unrealistic expectations, and if after a few weeks or whatever without a butt, if you do break and have one, just don't throw away the weeks before and start back like it never happened, go right back to quitting again.

The shit works. Probably don’t use it though.

I quit smoking after 10 years and havnt had a single haul in the 10 years since I took chantix.

My brother had gotten a script for it and took it for a week. He said it gave him crazy dreams and he couldn’t continue with it... he still smokes on and off. He gave me the remainder 2 weeks of his script.

I finished the 2 weeks worth and have never smoked a cigarette since. However, those 2 weeks were 2 of the craziest of my life... I got some of the weird dreams, was in a ‘crazy’ mood the whole time. I ended up getting fired from a job I had for a couple years at the time. Told my boss and her boss to go fuck themselves etc... They were like, you’re behavior and attitude has really changed the last couple weeks. Is everything ok? Are you having problems at home? I couldn’t even use it as excuse because of the unauthorized use of script.

I was always afraid there would be other longer term side effects to come... fortunately there havnt been any that i know of...

So, if you have a strong mind and a few weeks to spare it may be worth it. But the way it fucked with my brain has irked me to this day.

Odd side note, it didn’t make me quit smoking joints or even enjoying the occasional cigar. But I’ve never even contemplated smoking a cigarette since.

Good luck.

vapes are way easier to quit than cigs, so if you can switch to vaping (not the same at all so you have to get used to it) you have an easier path to success

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Originally Posted by LegalizeMeth

vapes are way easier to quit than cigs, so if you can switch to vaping (not the same at all so you have to get used to it) you have an easier path to success

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I was a 2-3 pack smoker from age 18 through age 44. I tried the patch, laser, hypnosis, and everything in between. I requested Chantix and my physician happily wrote me the script. It was easy to use and more importantly it worked. I have been off tobacco for almost 2 ½ years. Smokers near me are no bother and I have no physical cravings. I had no real side effects and recommend it highly

https://vapordna.com/collections/sta...nd-starter-kit

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuW_DTuj849/

Quitting a habit may seem overwhelming but don't underestimate yourself
You have infinite resources as a human
No fucking advertisement or someone telling you how addictive tobacco may be
comes close to determination

After weighing in on the pros and cons of this medication, and talking with my mom about it, I am going to pass. I am glad I made this post and thank all the posters who provided useful information. You may have saved my life! This medication would just be way to dangerous for me to take. I think I can warm up to the patch again. It is true - I succeeded once with it and can succeed again regardless of the fact that it did not work a different time. The thing that is just so off putting about the patch is that it leaves this sticky residue on your skin that takes about ten minutes to scrape off. Because of the residue, I had to change where I put the patch to different parts of my body, and by week two I had irritated skin all over.

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Originally Posted by Neverheeb

After weighing in on the pros and cons of this medication, and talking with my mom about it, I am going to pass. I am glad I made this post and thank all the posters who provided useful information. You may have saved my life! This medication would just be way to dangerous for me to take. I think I can warm up to the patch again. It is true - I succeeded once with it and can succeed again regardless of the fact that it did not work a different time. The thing that is just so off putting about the patch is that it leaves this sticky residue on your skin that takes about ten minutes to scrape off. Because of the residue, I had to change where I put the patch to different parts of my body, and by week two I had irritated skin all over.

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Only the 3 first days are bad, jesus fucking christ show some god damn character

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Originally Posted by Neverheeb

After weighing in on the pros and cons of this medication, and talking with my mom about it, I am going to pass. I am glad I made this post and thank all the posters who provided useful information. You may have saved my life! This medication would just be way to dangerous for me to take. I think I can warm up to the patch again. It is true - I succeeded once with it and can succeed again regardless of the fact that it did not work a different time. The thing that is just so off putting about the patch is that it leaves this sticky residue on your skin that takes about ten minutes to scrape off. Because of the residue, I had to change where I put the patch to different parts of my body, and by week two I had irritated skin all over.

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I always went with that just beneath hip area. Little hair, under a few layers of clothing, and when I did shit, it wouldn’t sweat off. Anywhere else and if I went to the gym or even golf it would slide off. I wore those fuckers a long time. They are set up for like a 2 month stepdown, but research shows wearing them six months is more successful. Stay away from smokers. That’s the key. Almost impossible to quit if it’s around you much. Your lungs will feel better quickly. Go deadlift or do heavy one arm rows and enjoy your new oxygen rather than lungs burning.

Just quit, its not that bad.

Fuck chantix tho

Speaking of Chantix, what the hell happened to Ray Liotta?!





I was pretty caught off guard the first time I saw that commercial with him. What the hell happened to him? Is that too much plastic surgery gone wrong or him doing some shit IRL catching up with him? Holy Christ.





I did however find a better Chantix commercial with him though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgM0OMTiVOw

Heeb, I started smoking in my mid teens and after 30 years quit last April/May with Chantix. After a week or two your brain simply changes and the taste of cigarettes if fucking awful. I did trip balls on some seriously vivid dreams for a while, but my head was in a good place so actually it was kind of enjoyable.

In rare instances use can lead to suicidal thoughts so please keep your eyes open and alert if you begin taking it. Basically tell your doc everything and make the decision together would be my advice.

Patches gave me vivid dreams as well. I fell asleep during a lion's game and I swear to god I was on that field playing quarterback. Wild shit. But I did quit smoking.

edit: I was too scared to try chantix, from all the rumors.

I have been off smoking for approximately one month now. I have been using the nicotine patch. I am almost done with step 2. I stayed on step one for almost a full month. I am looking forward to having a body completely free of nicotine. It should be that way in about two weeks :)

Thank you all who gave their advice/input :)

Nice! Congrats. Have you had any insanely vivid dreams on the patch? One of the greatest side effects of anything ever.

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Originally Posted by Crowe Diddly

Nice! Congrats. Have you had any insanely vivid dreams on the patch? One of the greatest side effects of anything ever.

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This time around, I DID opt to sleep with the patch on. This has been key in my success as I do not wake up with a drought of nicotine in my body, helplessly in need. With this decision came some consequences - really vivid dreams. *Knock on wood - my dreams have not been bad the last month and a half or so, except for one night where i had some very unsettling dreams. Anyway, I am very happy to not be wreaking of the repulsive odor of tobacco. I am onto step 3 and should be clear of nicotine within the next 13 days. I cannot praise the patch enough - if you are on the fence about trying it, GIVE IT A SHOT! As advised by a fellow in this thread, it is a good idea to use step 1 for longer than just 2 weeks. The patches come in two week kits. I opted to use the step 1 kit twice, so i was on step one for an entire month. Stepping down was painless, and i was smoking the equivalent of 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day in the form of cigarillos. It was a death wish, and now I have the tools to stay off tobacco for life.

=)

Also, if you smoke a few cigarettes the first 2-3 days, do not become discouraged. I smoked 3 cigarettes for each of the first three days, and on the last cigarette of the pack, I told myself, "OK. Last one." So far that has stuck.