Stop Smoking Help

This would have been my fourth day on Chantix but I decided to stop taking it already. I did not like the side effects from it. Today would have been the day that I started taking two pills (you start out on one and work up to two). I figured if I hated the way it made me feel on one pill then there is no way I could handle two. Then by next week, it works you up to an even higher dose per pill! Nope, not for me.

By the evening of the first day I took it, I had a rather strange lower backache. My back never hurts so that was very unusual. The backache stayed with me all three days that I took the Chantix. My whole body felt very heavy and sore. My legs were achy and tired. I was also rather lethargic and felt very tired mentally as well. I have also been in a rather pissy mood.

Of course, many people might say that the symptoms above had nothing to do with the Chantix. I know myself and what is normal and what is not normal. These things were NOT normal for me. I made the decision to stop before it got too out of hand. Since I did not take my pill today, I already feel a touch better. My mind is not as cloudy although I do not feel as sharp as usual yet.

I Googled back pain and Chantix and was very surprised (and relieved) to find out that A LOT of people complain about this when using Chantix. In fact, everything I mentioned seems to be fairly common to the drug. Then I read about a lot of people having more extreme symptoms once they STOPPED using Chantix due to withdrawal from the drug itself. I know I am better to stop using it now rather than stopping from a higher dosage.

This is just my experience. A lot of people love it and seem to have no ill effects. On the other hand, my Google search came up with thread after thread of negative discussions about Chantix. Everybody is different and it makes sense that the same drug can cause different reactions in different people.

If you have used Chantix, please relate your experience. Good or bad, I would love to hear what you think about it.<="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/QuitSmokingTogether/~4/246981411" height="1" width="1"/>

Good food for thought:

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Being the hypochondriac that I am, I sure would not like the side effects of that med. And I talked to two people about smoking or not smoking actually, one is the guy that brings our shop towels , he had been a non smoker for 5 years now, and he did it the same as I did, just put them down and not let himself pick one up again, he said he thinks the only way to quit is not using the patches, gums and all the rest,, you just have to be able to tell yourself NO,,, and mean it, and stick to it .. I know that is hard to do but I kind of tend to agree with him.
Then the UPS lady was there today and she is wanting her hubby to stop smoking as he already has some copd. She mentioned the med you are taking and she said she has hear some bad things about it,, and from what you just said, I kind of think it has some unpleasant side effects. In some cases the cure is worse than the ailment..
I wish what ever frame of mind I got into that night I decided to quit would happen to you and everyone else that is trying so hard to stop smoking,, I already said this before but as much as I smoked and for as long as I smoked it was really not that difficult,, I pretty much just told myself , enough was enough and in a way I even kind of dared myself by leaving my cigarettes on top of the frig, so every time I opened the door to get a soda or anything,, there they were,, right at eye level. As a matter of fact, they are still there,, way too stale and strong to smoke now anyway.. but as I said,, I am stubborn and once I make up my mind on something I intend for it to be just that way .
I don’t know, maybe slap yourself on the cheek every time you want a smoke.. lol.. well better not.. might look like you were in a prize fight after the day was done.. lol.
I think I said I didn’t use any substitute but I think in a way I did.. I like peanuts in the shell, so I got lots of those and when I would be here at the computer I would crack and eat them, that is something that takes two hands pretty much so that kept my hands busy, if I ate canned peanuts I would still have one hand free to smoke with… I now one guy that is now hooked on sunflower seeds since he started chewing on them when he stopped smoking.
I know it seems like I am writing a book but if I and help anyone in any way to stop smoking I would love to do that, and it is rewarding to me to get to say , I don’t smoke anymore,, that isn’t to say I look down on smokers, and I never will, I feel they don’t have many rights anymore and I don’t feel that is fair at all .
Well, good luck to all . Vernon<="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/QuitSmokingTogether/~4/245751833" height="1" width="1"/>

Here is a quick update on my Chantix journey. Today is my second day taking it. Here are some things I have noticed so far:

Side effects:

• I feel kind of “out of it” or a little loopy
• definite indigestion (burpy). In fact, I woke up twice in the middle of the night from sudden hiccups! That has never happened before.
• Very flat emotions. Not happy, not sad but very…. flat.

I guess I can deal okay with these side effects. None of them are dramatic and I will just keep monitoring how this pill makes me feel.

Now, for the effect it has had on smoking:

• Already by day 2 on Chantix, the cigarettes taste yuckier
• I find myself not wanting to smoke the whole thing

I was planning on giving the Chantix a full week before quitting again. I have a feeling I won’t wait that long. If there is no enjoyment in smoking at all, why bother? That must be the whole point of Chantix. I will keep you updated!

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Kelly, don’t beat your self up about giving in to having that first smoke after 6 days, I don’t know how many times I tried to stop in the past but never got through more than a day. The main thing is to be persistant, and with that new med I bet it will help a lot, my foreman at work took some kind of med, I don’t know what it was but he said it cost over 100 dollars or a Rx. It might have been the same thing and he did quit by using it, he went through the lolly pops for a while though but no smokes, and his wife was going to stop too but she couldn’t make it so he has the same thing you do. the spouse smoking, I am sure it would make it a lot harder to quit.
LOL. I bet your hubby thinks you won’t quit and that way he won’t have to either.. but you will show him and then you can see how much trouble he has in stopping. lol..
I went back to the Dr. Friday , maybe it wan’t the stopping smoking that caused me some trouble like I first though, the dr. said I had infection in my lungs, at least that is what he told me but with the antibiotics and the second round of steroids which I am not keen about, I think I am about back to the way I used to be, he told me too, that a smoker gets a little shorter of breath for a while after stopping as the tars etc. are coming loose from the lungs.. Anyway I never heard or though of anything happening from stopping but it is all supposed to be temporary so that isn’t bad,,
Ok, keep at it and I think this med will help and I know you have the drive to stop , and that is very important in success.
I hope the others on here are having success as well and I know if they keep trying they will stop smoking too even though it might take some time and a few set backs.
Good luck to all.
Vernon<="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/QuitSmokingTogether/~4/245192260" height="1" width="1"/>

I am hanging my head down in shame when I tell you that I broke my quit. On day 6, I just couldn’t shake the all day crave and I gave in to a smoke like the addict I am. I went 6 days…… 6 days!!! How could I go back to it after that long?

My doctor wants me to try Chantix. I got the prescription filled today. I was thrilled that my insurance company did pay for most of it. I took my first pill today and I will see how it goes.

I have heard of a lot of success stories with Chantix. In fact, a few people have left comments on this blog about their success with Chantix. On the other hand, I have also heard some bad things about it too. Interestingly enough, two of my closest friends are using it right now to quit smoking too. I didn’t know that and found it funny that we are all trying to quit at the same time. I asked them if they have had any bad side effects from Chantix but neither one of them has. They both feel that it is really helping them. Sooooooo, if they are liking it then I am going to give it a try.

I will tell you how my Chantix journey goes. I hate to point fingers but I am going to point one at my husband anyway! If only he would try to quit with me at the same time, I think it would be so much easier. While I risk soundy whiny, I must say it is hard to quit smoking when your spouse continues to do it. At least I was able to get a time frame from him. He said that he would quit once I have stopped smoking for three months. I see it as him buying himself some more time but I am going to hold him to it!

The way it works with Chantix is that you take it for a week and let it build up in your system. You can still smoke during that week. Then, you can either start cutting back or stop altogether. I will probably pick a day for early next week and stop. Cutting back has never worked for me before. Of course, it is painfully obvious that stopping altogether has not worked out the way I wanted either! There is one thing that I can guarantee: I will never stop quitting until I really quit. It will be done!

If you have a Chantix story, please share it here with everyone. Also, where are all of my quitting buddies?<="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/QuitSmokingTogether/~4/245180680" height="1" width="1"/>