Anyone use Chantix to quit smoking? Update #39

[midjd]

DH has been down to ~1 pack a month for a few years now, but last week expressed an interest in quitting for good. He stopped on Thursday and relapsed today, so tomorrow is making an appointment with his GP to see if he can get a prescription for Chantix. He's tried just about everything - patch, gum, electronic cigarette, cold turkey - and hasn't been able to quit for more than a few days over the past 12 years. I know that he truly wants to quit, he just doesn't seem to be able to overcome the cravings.

Both of his parents and his younger sister are currently taking Chantix. His mom says it's a miracle drug and she hasn't smoked in more than a month, but his dad and sister are both having some moderate side effects.

Interested to hear whether any of you have taken it, or have had loved ones take it, and how well it worked.

[weltschmerz]

He smokes less than one cigarette a day??
I wouldn't recommend Chantix. It's an antidepressant with some pretty heavy-duty side effects.

[midjd]

Yes, he's cut back pretty significantly (was a pack a day smoker from age 16-22 and has gone steadily down since then - has been at ~1 a day for 3-4 years) but he can't completely quit. He has tried at least a dozen times. His parents are the same way, although they've each managed to quit for 2-3 years at a time and then inexplicably start back up. I suppose time will tell whether it works for them.

The side effects do concern me, although he has no physical or mental health problems so I'm hoping they wouldn't be too severe.

[weltschmerz]

It seems rather risky in light of the fact that he barely smokes, but good luck.

[Deleted]

A coworker of mine was just talking about his experience with Chantix a few days ago. He said he tells everybody that the side effects are way too risky. 

He was forced to take some time off work and get some help after another coworker talked to a manager about the changes in his behavior. The coworker reported that he'd become aggressive and hostile. The guy says his wife was saying the same thing, and that he felt like he was depressed. He had to get medical help to sort out what was going on.

I didn't know him when all that happened, but knowing him now I can imagine that that kind of behavior would have been a drastic change and very alarming coming from him. He's an upbeat, friendly person, always seems to be in a good mood. Even though he did stop smoking, everything else that happened has him very anti-Chantix.

[Malarky]

I used Chantix to quit 5 years ago. 

If I had it to do over again, I might not take it, even though it was the only thing that ever worked and I had tried to quit unsuccessfully many times.

I had horrific nightmares and depression that lasted for over a year.  I was only on it for a little over 5 weeks.  I think I gave up smoking just so I could stop taking the pills.

It's a wonderful deterrent for me.  I would never smoke again because I never would want to take it again, and it's the only thing that ever worked for me.

Wellbutrin made me extremely crabby.  I was managing a staff that bought me cigarettes and asked me to stop trying to quit.   

[weltschmerz]

I thought wellbutrin worked excellent and cheaper than chantix. So just get RX'ed wellbutrin.
----------------

Listen, folks...this isn't M&Ms we're talking about. These are major pharmaceuticals with major side-effects. A pill isn't always the answer, and should be avoided if at all possible.

[Happy prose]

I never tried Chantix, but did try everything else. Nicotine lozenges worked for me. I wasn't successful with the patch or gum.

[tcu2003]

The fiancé of one of my BFFs took Chantrix and she wasn't a fan of how it changed his behavior while on it. He was very moody and depressed (in all fairness, he already had some mild depression before, but was much more depressed, moody and crabby while on Chantrix than off of it).

[ediva]

I used it to stop about 4 or 5 years ago, and I haven't smoked since. I think it's a miracle drug. I was smoking a pack a day for 12 years and hadn't gone one day without a cigarette in those 12 years

The only side effect I had was very vivid dreams at night. I thought it was cool. It did not affect my mood or behavior at all. However, I have friends who have taken it and reported some of the side effects mentioned above.

I don't know that I would take it to drop a one cigarette a day habit

[muttleynfelix]

Hubby tried Chantix and HATED it.  Not only that, but he didn't even come close to quitting.  The side effects were pretty awful too.

He sort of quit after having back surgery. www.becomeanex.org/ That website helped him the most. He also used the nicatrol inhaler and that was somewhat successful. But he felt the inhaler was "tearing up" his mouth and then after overdoing a couple days he went back to smoking, but a lot less than he was.  I'm pretty pissed at him for still smoking because now I feel he will never quit. And I have to hear our son say "Oh no, I can't find my daddy" when he goes outside to smoke.  It tears me up.  

[kimber45]

Hubby tried Chantix and HATED it.  Not only that, but he didn't even come close to quitting.  The side effects were pretty awful too.


X10 on the side effects. AT least for my DH to say he was irritable would be an understatement. He was downright nasty.

[Deleted]

I smoked for 28 years (pack and half a day)

quit 8 years ago

nothing worked for me....i tried patch, gum, hypnosis, etc

what finally worked was fear

I was diagnosed with diabetes....and they thought i would have to use insulin

I HATE needles

There was a new aerosol insulin being developed....but you couldnt use if you smoked within the last 6-12 months

I quit cold turkey....never looked back....i thought i had wanted to quit before....but this was the proverbial straw that made me quit

Your DH needs to find his straw.....that final reason that makes him absolutely want to quit

Without it....the physical and mental dependence is very hard to kill

[Deleted]

I take wellbutrin, which is one of the ingredients in chantrix.  Wellbutrin seems to help with a lot of addictive behaviors: overeating, alcoholism, and nicotine. It is a bit of a stimulant so it can put you more on edge, especially if you are already a bit anxious. Anxiety and irritability are also nicotine withdrawal side effects so it could be a chicken and egg situation.

For me the side effects (nausea, headache) were very intense the first week and almost completely gone by a month.  The long term side effect has been that I can no longer drink like a rock star on date night.   I have to stick to a glass or two or risk a massive headache.

[midjd]

Your DH needs to find his straw.....that final reason that makes him absolutely want to quit

I know. When he mentioned it last week, it was something like "I want to be a non-smoker by the time we have kids, and I know if I don't quit now it's going to be that much harder," but since we don't have kids and I'm not pregnant (although we are trying) there's not really any sense of urgency.

Although he only smokes one cig a day, the addiction is just as strong as it ever was. It was very easy for him to cut from a pack to 10 a day, then to 5, then to one - but giving up that single cigarette seems to be as difficult as it would be to quit a pack-a-day habit. He's tried to go down to one every couple of days, but that seems to just trigger the nicotine-withdrawal cycle and makes him cranky.

He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I guess we'll see what he says... thanks for all the input!

[emma1420]

I used Chantix about 5 years ago.  I quit for 7 weeks before I started again.  I had tried everything before Chantix.

I quit 2 years ago cold turkey.  For me, I was only successful with the cold turkey because I was really ready to be a non smoker.  The first few weeks/months were miserable, but once I got past that I was okay. 

[muttleynfelix]

I know. When he mentioned it last week, it was something like "I want to be a non-smoker by the time we have kids, and I know if I don't quit now it's going to be that much harder," but since we don't have kids and I'm not pregnant (although we are trying) there's not really any sense of urgency.

He should feel urgency. My DH said he would quit when we had kids. DS is now 3.  The ONLY reason DH nearly quit was because the surgeon would not do his back surgery unless he quit smoking.  DH ended up lying to the surgeon and saying that he quit so that the surgery would get done. Then he quit for like 3 days and when the craving finally hit again he didn't fight it. Now there is always an excuse why he had a cigarette. "well, it is only 1 a day and that is fine", "I overdid it yesterday", "I slipped and fell on the ice on Saturday", etc.  Basically, from my perspective at some point you have to just quit. When DS was born, it was the stress of having a newborn in the house. Anyway, I hope your dh has better luck than mine did. Of course mine didn't really want to quit. 

[Deleted]

DH smoked from the time he was 12 to 25. And one day he woke up and quit cold turkey.  He was hacking out his lungs, coughed up something green, and decided it was enough.  He was an absolute jerk for weeks.

[Deleted]

That was kinda like me.  I never was a heavy smoker, at the most 4 per day.  But for some reason, I had a very hard time kicking the habit for good.  I think the thought of NEVER smoking again was tough.

If he is in the same boat, I'd try the e-cigs one more time.  I'd definitely stay away from any kind of prescriptions, but that's just me.  

I buy these Logic e-cigs that they sell in 7/11's.  They are tobacco flavor and seem to mimic the taste of a real cig the best, plus they produce a lot of vapor.  I had tried a few others and I would've agreed with your husband that they aren't that appealing, but these are actually pretty good.

I literally was able to quit without much any effort at all and haven't even though about smoking for the last year.  

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

I wouldn't recommend Chantix for only 1 cig a day.  

There are 2 parts to the addiction-the physical and the psychological.  It sounds like the psych part may be the stronger of the two for him.  Is there  certain time of day or activity he smokes with?  Can he pinpoint times/situations that encourage him to smoke?  If so, he should work on changing the situation or avoiding it (Like if he smokes with his morning coffee, change the routine up and don't have the coffee.  Or have tea.  Or have the coffee on the go, where he doesn't have time to stop and smoke with it).

There are lots of great resources for quitting and it's commendable that he wants to smoke.  I recommend calling 1800 quitnow or go to smokefree.gov.  They will have trained professionals that can help him figure out successful techniques on quitting.

[midjd]

I wouldn't recommend Chantix for only 1 cig a day.

There are 2 parts to the addiction-the physical and the psychological. It sounds like the psych part may be the stronger of the two for him.

Why wouldn't you recommend it for 1 cig a day? I agree that the psychological addiction is much stronger for DH, and my impression was that Chantix helped treat the psychological cravings. If it was just a nicotine addiction, the patch/gum would be an easy solution. But I'm not a doctor, so I really don't know. 

Thanks for the e-cig recommendation, Dave - I think the one he was using was N-Joy, I'm sure it was the cheapest brand available. Even so, it was probably the most effective thing he tried - or at least he stuck with it the longest.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

I wouldn't recommend the Chantix for 1 cig a day because there are a lot of side effects and it is expensive.  It just doesn't seem worth the side effect risk if he has already shown he can cut down successfully and just needs to get over the last hurdle (granted, it's a big hurdle but he's done the other ones).

Is he smoking the 1 cig at the same time everyday?  Or does it vary?  How does he decide when "smoke time" is? 

[Chocolate Lover]

Feb 25, 2013 12:03:10 GMT -5 @davebo said:

That was kinda like me.  I never was a heavy smoker, at the most 4 per day.  But for some reason, I had a very hard time kicking the habit for good.  I think the thought of NEVER smoking again was tough.

If he is in the same boat, I'd try the e-cigs one more time.  I'd definitely stay away from any kind of prescriptions, but that's just me.  

I buy these Logic e-cigs that they sell in 7/11's.  They are tobacco flavor and seem to mimic the taste of a real cig the best, plus they produce a lot of vapor.  I had tried a few others and I would've agreed with your husband that they aren't that appealing, but these are actually pretty good.

I literally was able to quit without much any effort at all and haven't even though about smoking for the last year.  

You're still using the e-cigs a year later or did I read that wrong? 

[midjd]

Is he smoking the 1 cig at the same time everyday? Or does it vary? How does he decide when "smoke time" is?

It varies - he usually smokes it 1-2 puffs at a time to make it last all day.[/span]

I don't pretend to understand the addiction - all I know is that it took him less than a month to go from a pack a day to one a day, but despite multiple efforts to quit, he's been at one a day for almost seven years. I'd say he's had a real desire to quit for 3 of those years (around the time I stopped nagging )

The side effects of Chantix are a worry for me.  The cost shouldn't be an issue, though (MIL says her RX was free, and we work for the same employer with the same health care plan).

[Deleted]

Feb 25, 2013 12:22:17 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Feb 25, 2013 12:03:10 GMT -5 @davebo said:

That was kinda like me.  I never was a heavy smoker, at the most 4 per day.  But for some reason, I had a very hard time kicking the habit for good.  I think the thought of NEVER smoking again was tough.

If he is in the same boat, I'd try the e-cigs one more time.  I'd definitely stay away from any kind of prescriptions, but that's just me.  

I buy these Logic e-cigs that they sell in 7/11's.  They are tobacco flavor and seem to mimic the taste of a real cig the best, plus they produce a lot of vapor.  I had tried a few others and I would've agreed with your husband that they aren't that appealing, but these are actually pretty good.

I literally was able to quit without much any effort at all and haven't even though about smoking for the last year.  

You're still using the e-cigs a year later or did I read that wrong? 

I don't use them regularly, just if I ever get the urge. When I first stopped, I guess I was probably smoking an e-cig a similar amount to regular cigs.  And that gradually came down over time to where I am now.  I can have one e-cig (equivalent of 2 packs) last me several months.  

I'm not under the illusion that they are healthy since you're still putting nicotine in your system.  Docs are apprehensive about recommending anything that hasn't been approved by the FDA, but from what I've seen, everyone agrees that it shows the promise of things like the nicotine-patch.  

[Pants]

Mid - I was smoker who quit, never took chantix though. But I think everyone is saying that the side effects are too much to risk for 1 cigarette a day.
Could you tell your DH the two of you are done trying until he quits his 1 per day? He needs to find a reason. Once you have a reason, it's "easy" to quit.

[Pants]

Mutt - I'm sorry your DH is smoking again. And that he fell.

[goldensam]

Feb 25, 2013 11:48:39 GMT -5 emma1420 said:

I used Chantix about 5 years ago.  I quit for 7 weeks before I started again.  I had tried everything before Chantix.

I quit 2 years ago cold turkey.  For me, I was only successful with the cold turkey because I was really ready to be a non smoker.  The first few weeks/months were miserable, but once I got past that I was okay. 

Same here.  I tried Chantix for a few weeks three years ago and it made me so sick, I couldn't smoke if I wanted to.  Before that, I tried the patch and gum.  One day I finally decided I was really done and decided to take it day by day, cold turkey.  I've now been smoke free for two years and the smell of it makes me sick.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

Just as an FYI, Chantix (varenicline) and Wellbutrin (bupropion) are not the same medication.  They don't even act in the same way (one is an antagonist and the other is an agonist of the Nicotinic receptor(The part of the brain that gets pleasure from nicotine)).  

Because these are different medications, there are different considerations for both.  Wellbutrin (bupropion) is used for the treatment of depression and some anxiety disorders but can cause agitation in some people.  Wellbutrin also lowers the seizure threshold, making it easier to have a seizure.  

Both of these medications can have unwanted psychiatric side effects due to what they are hitting in the brain.



 

[Deleted]

Mid, I hate to be the one who points out the elephant in the room, but what makes you sure that your DH is smoking one cigarette per day?  That doesn't sound like any smoker I've ever known (including me).  Smokers never tell the truth about how much they smoke . . . until they no longer are smokers.

I'm not suggesting you accuse him.  I happen to believe adults make their own decisions.  But be aware that he is probably asking for help in breaking a cigarette habit that is much larger than a single cigarette.  That's why everyone is saying don't use drugs to curtail a single cigarette habit.  It's less harmful than the drugs.

Encourage him talk to the doctor about it.  I think he's trying to tell you that he really needs help to really quit smoking.