[SMK]

Well done, Odysseus. I was taking Champix for three months before I stopped smoking and like you, I knew if I stopped the Champix it would be months or years before I tried again! The longest I had been off them before was 5 days so I didn't feel like I was succeeding until I passed day 6! When day 6 came, I told myself I'm never starting at day 1 again! And now I haven't smoked for .......

One year, one month, two weeks, three days, 13 hours, 1 minute and 8 seconds. 10338 cigarettes not smoked, saving £3,644.34. Life saved: 5 weeks, 21 hours, 30 minutes.

And in the same period of time I've lost 2 stone in weight!!

Keep going!

[Odysseus]

Cheers thank SMK. It was a month yesterday. What I hoping for it too get a full 3 months off them then go on half dose for a month then finish. I'm now in the great position that everyday is without a smoke is the longest I ever had and that feels good.

[allybhoy]

I started Champix nearly 2weeks ago and have been off the smokes 10days and counting. I am experiencing some side affects that some other users have mentioned, especially when I moved onto the stronger tablets (1mg) stomach cramps when taking them, migraine type headaches and really really wierd ass dreams. But they ARE working and IMO they are definately worth trying if all other avenues have failed. For example, I was out drinking saturday night and went to the dublin game yesterday and was in the beer garden etc, all my mates were smoking but it didnt bother me one bit, didnt even slightly want a smoke. I dont think this is possible if you try and go cold turkey or use the nicotene replacements. I only got 1 months supply of champix and I think after a month I might try and give the tablets a miss and see how im feeling.

[SMK]

Hi Allybhoy. I would strongly recommend sticking with Champix for the suggested three months. Give yourself the best possible chance of staying off the cigarettes. The side effects will ease up and I found I didn't really get the side effects if I took the tablet with food.

[allybhoy]

hmm, thanks SMK, not too sure though.
Took a tablet lastnite b4 i went to bed, had a bowl of cereal with it aswell, couldnt sleep for about 2hours because of stomach cramps and headaches. Had to get up at about half2 and take a motilium and 2 aspirin, god knows what my liver is like at the moment because of all the aspirin im taking, also had some crazy ass dreams. Took my tablet again this morning, had a bowl of porridge and I still feel a bit quesy(sp?). The funny thing is the side affects seem to be getting worse not better, I thought my body would have got used to the tablets and the side effects would be getting easier to cope with but it seems like the opposite. Im dreading taking my tablet 2nite as I know ill be taking the now obligatory motilium and aspirin about 30mins afterwards, and to think I have at least another month left of this!

[SMK]

I used to take the first tablet with breakfast and the second one with dinner so I had a few hours before going to sleep. I did have more vivid dreams than usual but not nightmares. When I was researching Champix before starting it, I read on a few occasions that some people didn't feel good on the higher dose and stuck with the .5mg tablet twice a day and it worked for them. So, maybe the lower dose will work for you?

[Odysseus]

Originally Posted by SMK

Hi Allybhoy. I would strongly recommend sticking with Champix for the suggested three months. Give yourself the best possible chance of staying off the cigarettes. The side effects will ease up and I found I didn't really get the side effects if I took the tablet with food.

I have to agree with SMK all the evidence suggests that staying on them for three months gives you the time to deal with the psychological cues and that what will get you back smoking., as you are now nicotine free [Congrats] . I found the side effects dissapated over time to. If they get worse or are of a concern to you, talk to your GP about the half strenght tablets which greatly reduce the side effects. Best of luck with it.

Edit: Aspirin can be quite severe on your stomach maybe try paracetamol or better still have a chat with you GP.

[GERRYHANNAN]

There is a lot of absolute nonsense floating around about CHAMPIX and its so called negative effects on users. Firstly, let me tell you that I have been smoking 20+ cigarettes per day non-stop for over thirty-five years and have, from time to time, tried to give up but always to no avail. Cold Turkey, chewing gum, patches, alternative methods, you name it and I have tried it. A friend of mine mentioned CHAMPIX to me and I did a bit of internet digging about it and came up with the most frightening prospects if I were to take the course. Stories of folks in the USA going berserk and shooting people, women wielding axes at their husbands in the dead of night and one report that a gentleman from Oregon was visited by Aliens who force fed him nicotine suppositories. My conclusion is that these people were around long before CHAMPIX came on the scene and will continue to be around for many more years to come. I wonder if the guy in Austria who locked up his family for twenty year!
s was on CHAMPIX? Or how about the German guy who ate his best friend for dinner? Did he have a CHAMPIX fix before the main course?
A little further digging comes up with stories of Nausea, Vomiting, Sleepless Nights, Constipation and....wait for it....Suicidal Ideation. Oh my God, I thought, I will be off the fags but I will be found sleepwalking with a rope dangling in my hand looking for a toilet with a trail of vomit behind me in the dead of night. I have to tell you that such an image does very little for my ego and even less for my love life.
Now. I have to conclude from my desire to proceed anyway that there must be a bit of a 'divil' in all of us and that includes me because I still wanted to have a go. So with all this information stored on my harddrive and uploaded onto my Ipod and downloaded into my mind and backed up on my USB I head for my GP to discuss the possibility of taking this serious 'head trip'.
To cut a long story short, I started the course the next day. Followed the instructions, picked DAY 14 to quit and listened very carefully to my mind, body and spirit for the slightest signal of chaos which would be the justifiable catalyst to me binning the box of wicked tablets and returning full time to the good old fags.
One month later, no bad dreams, no sleepless nights, no nausea, no overeating, no nightmares, no murders, no dangling ropes, no constipation, no hallucinations, no suicidal ideations, in fact, if I were a junkie looking for a serious head trip from these things I would be one very very dissapointed sould indeed.
On day 15 I got out of bed and had no cigarettes because I made sure I had the last two before I went to bed the night before. I anticipated cravings that never came, I anticipated bad mood swings that never came, I anticipated intolerance and impatience with others that never came, I anticipated a desire to kill anybody who said 'Boo! to me that never came (even though many a good Boo! did come), nothing of what I expected would happen actually happened.
Here is what happened to me as a result of taking the CHAMPIX course. I am off the cigarettes. I am a non smoker who sits indoors for his lunch, I have more money in my pocket (I am saving a tenner a day in a large glass bottle and figure there is maybe four hundred bucks so far and rising......Carribean Islands look out, here I come!), no taste of dead rats in my throat when I wake up in the morning, no late night trawling the streets looking for open shops to make sure I wont wake up tomorrow 'fagless', no cravings, no longings and the icing on the cake, no smell off me or my clothes and my partner tells me when they kiss me they dont feel like they are kissing an ashtray. I used to snore and thats gone. I feel great and I am sleeping like a log. Everyone is asking me these days how come I look so well, cheerful and happy and.......Oh delight.....How come I look younger?
Bottom line, forget the bull you are reading and get out there to your GP, bring him/her a print of this posting and get on this course immediately. Don't delay, there is a very painless and happy smoke free world out there and you are invited.
Thats my story. Sorry if I bored you.
Gerry Hannan (Limerick)

[PaddyW]

Gerry, thanks for your post. It's giving me that final push to get them. Can't wait now!

[glenfarne]

On my 14 day on champix, So far no effect. First week smoked more than normal (which is about 20 a day) and the normal amount of nicorette gums (around 6-8 a day when i am working. I have been addicted to nicorette gum since 2000 when I gave up fags for a year, Have tried everything usually lasting a month. Hoping this will work but have my doubts, Wake up every morning hoping I wont reach over for the fag so far NO good.
As I am a guinna pig for 4 smokers who are awaiting the results I feel dissapointed that I havent noticed a single difference. Has anyone whom this has worked for tell me what I am doing wrong

[SMK]

Hi Glenfarne,
Maybe you're thinking about it too much. When I first started Campix, it was all I thought about and how I felt each day. So, why not take the next few days off from thinking!! Continue taking the Champix. Smoke and chew gum as you please - don't go overboard, just don't over analyse. My biggest problem at the start was not trusting Champix or believing that it could possibly work! It works! I have a counter on my computer since the day I stopped and I used to check it every single day, then every week, month and now I only look at it occasionally. But still, to me it's pretty impressive!!! Here it is....

One year, four months, three weeks, five days, 9 minutes and 46 seconds. 12850 cigarettes not smoked, saving €4,529.68. Life saved: 6 weeks, 2 days, 14 hours, 50 minutes.

[sonx]

is there no side effects to the drug??? surely there is???
I heard these are just a few, you really should avoid using another drug to quit a drug if u can.

side effects:
abdominal pain
appetite changes
constipation
dizziness
drowsiness
dry mouth
flatulence (passing gas)
gingivitis
headache
heartburn
nausea and vomiting
rash
sleep disturbance (difficulty sleeping or abnormal dreams)
unusual tiredness or weakness

[glenfarne]

Got a bad cold which went to the chest so stopped taking champex as waste of time. when chest got better stopped fags and started champex again. First Weekend had a few fags, but wont buy them.
Second week off them well have two or three a day from partner always in the eve with a can of beer. I dont feel that much cravings reduced down gum to around 4 a day from 12 to 15. so great improvment No side effects at all. Will keep posting progress and do my best to be clear of nicotine.

[glenfarne]

Thank you for great advice, I am just discovering this for myself. Champix appears to be working so far. Today had a rootcanal and no fags or gum rootcanal did not bother me but when numnness wore off oh dear .feel like s..t because I had to go back to work and got no painkillers Thankfully I had a Bottle of wine and a few beers at home. Just to say you made perfect sense. I wont let Alan Carr's books let me down either.:rolleyes:Thanks a million.

[Camogie Girl]

Hi I have been taking Champix since last Tuesday and just started on the two tablets a few days ago. I have a feeling I am overthinking the whole situation and as my last smoking day is coming near I think I am getting nervous that it won't work.

I have tried everything hypnosis, cold turkey, Alan Carr (twice), inhalers etc and am really relying on this as I hate smoking.

Any advice?