anyone using champix?

[nsd_user663_2960]

About to start the "champix" method is there anyone there with advice?

[nsd_user663_2554]

sorry never used Champix, However I'm pretty sure every method takes willpower and support.

You will definately (Can never spell that word) get the support here.

Cheers

Daz

[nsd_user663_2944]

I was considering champix, but after my brother tried that and his wife i stayed well away, but different methods work differently for everyone so worth a try and see how you get on, im currently using patches and seem to be ok so far

[nsd_user663_2847]

Hi Maria. I'm on the Champix and I'm now just coming up to the 2 week mark so it works!!!! You still need a bit of willpower but it's not nearly as hard as I thought. I think I've been lucky too as haven't had any of the side-effects, apart from the strange dreams which I am enjoying!

My main advice would be do not stop until you are ready. When you get your first packet is says to pick a day (between 8 and 12 I think) to stop and keep smoking 'til then. Well, although the pills made me cut down by about half, I was still smoking 15 cigs on the day before I quit. I've read of other people who were down to only 2 or could hardly bear the taste before they quit so in a way I wish I'd left it until then - but I felt committed in my mind and at least it worked!

Before you start the pills, keep coming on this board as it is brilliant, also use the official Champix web-site (which sends you emails and nags you and advises you) at myliferewards.co.uk (this seems to be a well-kept secret!).

Best of luck - I was a 30-a-dayer and have smoked for 15 years so if I can do it anybody can!

Two weeks, six days, 17 hours, 44 minutes and 27 seconds. 622 cigarettes not smoked, saving £155.54. Life saved: 2 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes.

[nsd_user663_2743]

hiya, im also on champix, and they are brill for me , quit now 6 weeks.

the tips i can give you are .....make sure you take them with food, helps with the sickness feeling some people have had and dont take them to late at night because some people have had dreams, i take mine 6 - 7pm .

[nsd_user663_2960]

Thanks to all of you for your replies, it does help to know there is someone else out there going through or gone through the same as me. Will keep in touch as often as I can!

[nsd_user663_2136]

Hi Maria, you've got all the advice I could have given and more so I just wanted to wish you well with your quit. Champix did it for me after ye4ars of all kind of every kind of 'aid' so here's hoping it'll help you too! It's been said but it's worth repeating that you still need some willpower - magic it ain't!

Good luck and keep strong.

[nsd_user663_2892]

Hi Marie,

I'm on my 3rd week without cigarettes, having taken Champix for 4 weeks in all.

I think they're great - it's been relatively easy to stay smokefree so far, and I've tried every other method there is!

No side effects (ok, a little flatulance - but not sure if that is the tablets or all this fruit I'm eating and I get away with blaming that in the dog! :eek: )

Good luck!

[nsd_user663_2960]

Good to know you are all still going strong! Hope I can be as successful as you lot. Feel a bit of a fraude coming on to the site at the moment as I am still smoking! I have yet to get the feeling that I do not want to smoke, but Im only on day 2 of my champix. lets hope by day 8 - 12 that will change.

[nsd_user663_2811]

I have been stopped for almost 7 weeks with Champix. I found the first week brought some nasty side effects (nausea / headache) but these went quickly and no problems since. I found after a few weeks that I started cutting down on the dose from two pills a day to one a day (half in morning half in evening) and then to half a pill a day - each time I reduced for about a week before moving on to the next stage, been off them altogether for a few days now and no desire to smoke at all (in fact don't even think about it much now) - after about 26 years smoking I can only say this drug is amazing and has worked very well for me.

[nsd_user663_2892]

Im only on day 2 of my champix. lets hope by day 8 - 12 that will change.

I stopped smoking on Day 10 - and the previous two days I felt really sick every time I lit a cigarette

[nsd_user663_2666]

Hiya all, bit of advice needed, i am on day 13of champix and i am feeling really rough with them.

Within 10 minutes of taking the pill i am vomiting.. i have tried before food with food and after food but its not working.

I have cut down, but don't know if this is due to the constant sickness or the pills.

It's a kind of catch 22 situation, i feel sick so not eating properly, then take pill and feel even worse.

Any advice i really want to pack in and i don't want to have to stop taking them.

i bought 40 cigarettes on Thursday lunch time gone and still have 14 left, this is a 20a day person so i do think are working.

[nsd_user663_2743]

hiya and welcome.

champix is known to cause sickness, but each person will react different, i dont really get sickness now, but i always take it with food.

if you have tried a lower dose and are still being sick , i can only suggest that go back to your doc and discuss his with him.

it does sound like the pills are starting to work if your not smoking but i do think you need to speak to your gp about it.

[nsd_user663_2666]

what do you mean lower dose???

take one pill instead of two?? sorry i sound a right thicko here !!

I rang docs this morning and they said to keep taking until i see my nurse on the 18th.. i will be 2 stone lighter by then lol

[nsd_user663_2743]

depending how far in the course your on.

are you taking 1 in the morning and 1 at night yet

[nsd_user663_2666]

yeah am on day 13 ...

[nsd_user663_2743]

i think you should either to see your nurse or your doc, i might have said cut down to 1 a day if you had been further on in your quit but you havent stopped smoking yet so cutting down on the pills would be pointless, you dont want to mess up your quit.

if your not happy, just go to your doc, dont wait till the 18th, i would!

[nsd_user663_2666]

Doc wont see me got to wait for nurse.

I will put up with it until i see her on the 18th and see what she suggests.

Can't see her before then as shes on holiday.

Thanks for the advice.

[nsd_user663_2743]

ok hun, look after yourself tho, im still a bit concerned about you puking tho.

let me know what nurse or doc says

[nsd_user663_2826]

Mrs Jones - Please don't wait if you are throwing up all the time. The Doctor SHOULD see you as it may not even be Champix related.

At least ring NHS direct line and see what they have to say about things....

[nsd_user663_2666]

just looked on internet... googled them, does advise after food with a full glass of water, ive not been taking with a full glass just a mouthful, will try that and fingers crossed might ease it. :confused:

[nsd_user663_2743]

i spoke to gp on friday, for the last 2 weeks of my course im getting the starter pack and taking them in reverse so to wean off them, im already cutting them down myself tho

gp was unsure about any withdrawals and couldnt find any info either

gp rang chemist who suggests a weaning off method.

but i too would be interested in hearing from someone who has finished the course.

[nsd_user663_2488]

Hi Maria,

just started month 5 off cigs, used Champi for over 12 weeks. All the tips given pretty much cover it, I would also say I had a few moods swings 9 a bit down now and then) and definetly a few more tears than normal. But hang on in there is doessn't last! the good bit is that it freaked hunbby and I got a few more bunches of flowers!!!

Plan comming off then, don't just stop.

Good Luck, i love Champix!!!!!!!!

[nsd_user663_2666]

Mrs Jones - Please don't wait if you are throwing up all the time. The Doctor SHOULD see you as it may not even be Champix related.

At least ring NHS direct line and see what they have to say about things....

I will ring them later when i finish work.. thanks

[nsd_user663_2826]

i too would be interested in hearing from someone who has finished the course.

Well, as I said earlier, although I didn't finish the three month course (I quit 49 days ago) I had slowly lowered my dose till I was taking 1 tablet every other day. Then last saturday (so 51 days after starting Champix 40 days quit) I had to come off them as I had gone on holiday and forgot to pack them.

I am happy to say I had no withdrawal side effect at all - but I would still advise anyone else to follow doctors orders and just use other forum members experiences as a knowledge base.

[nsd_user663_2743]

sorry hun, what i meant was that has anyone done the 3 month course and just stopped the pills

are there any withdrawals or can we start craving cigs again

[nsd_user663_2826]

sorry hun,

Ha ha no need to be sorry - I wasn't meaning to sound arsey. I just realised I had posted my experiences to you in the Team 10 thread earlier today and it might be better here!

[nsd_user663_2722]

when I was initially reading about the champix it did say that it was a 12 week course and also that the GP could prescribe another 12 week course if he felt it were benificial - I know our doctors will not do that - 17

My GP will prescribe a further course depending on how I feel at the end. I have been asking also about coming off and weaning as I had a bad experience of coming off Zyban too soon. It has been difficult getting any type of information as the drug is so new.

Mrs Jones:

On the nausea front, I have not suffered much from it but I have always taken with a small amount of water (ie not a full glass) after food (have you tried with dry toast?)

x

[nsd_user663_2743]

i spoke to gp on friday, for the last 2 weeks of my course im getting the starter pack and taking them in reverse so to wean off them, im already cutting them down myself tho

gp was unsure about any withdrawals and couldnt find any info either

gp rang chemist who suggests a weaning off method.

this is what my gp said last week.

there is no way my gp would fund another course

[nsd_user663_2743]

i was lucky! my gp is not keen on giving out patches!!

she said people are selling them in the pubs!!

whatever happened to cheap tabs lol

[nsd_user663_2931]

As for Dr's giving out patches, well, the nurses that run the stop smoking thingy where I live positively tries to throw them at you! I had to tell the nurse no less than THREE times that I wanted to carry on going CT before she gave up trying to push NRT products at me!

[nsd_user663_2743]

thats crap Maddy, its your choice how you want to quit.

its one extreme to another

trying to get some people on patches .....

people having to almost bloody beg for champix

it really annoys me :mad:

[nsd_user663_2666]

Hiya, just quick update.

Firstly thanks for the advice, i wasn't asking for medical advice, basically just to see if anyone had any similar experiences and if so if managed to sort

I have stopped taking the Champix, have not taken any for 3 days, last one was Wednesday Morning.

I am going cold turkey until see the nurse on the 18th, its hard and i am eating everything in my path, but i am going ''one day at a time''

Good luck all and keep up the good work .

[nsd_user663_1882]

I'm on day 6 of Champix, and thought I'd share my experience and thoughts...so far! I think everyone on this drug will have different symptoms, but here goes with mine.........

I have noticed a kind of metallic taste in my mouth all week.

A distinct unpleasant taste during and immediately after smoking.

A slight nauseous feeling.

I certainly have been smoking less. No doubt about that. I don't think I've actually smoked an entire cig all week. Half way through it, the taste is downright unpleasant! Goodness knows why I persist in lighting up!

Anyway. tomorrow is day 7 of the treatment. The double dose part...and it's double strength. It's a kind of 'double whammy' I suppose! From what I gather, it's at this point that the drug starts to really kick in, although, I have to remind myself that it's not magic...there is a degree of will power required as well!

Monday is my proposed stop day. Fingers crossed!

Anyway...well done to everyone. Keep up the great work.

[nsd_user663_2666]

Hiya all, just to let you know i am still off the ciggys, i am not taking anything at all, just plenty lollies to help me through and i feel great.

I get the odd cravings but i get up and do something and it passes within 5-10 minutes.

Although Champix wasn't right for me , it sure did make me feel so sick i couldn't smoke, and for days after stopping them too. So much so i was too scared to light up in case got the horrible sickness you get after not having one for a while.

Anyway so far been nearly a month now since 12th March, and am really proud of myself i didn't think i could do it. I have taken one day at a time and i still am..

My house my clothes smell so nice, and i can smell it on others when out and think oh no!! i used to stink like that.

I don't intend to be one of them awful ex smokers but the smell has put me off wanting to start again.

With the money ive saved i have got a new desk and had had my spare room painted and made into an office !! This is great

Good Luck everyone ..:):)