Nearly the end of day 2. Some advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.

[nsd_user663_9789]

Hi,

This is my first post on these forums - please don't flame me!

The strangest thing has just happened: I spent about 30 minutes typing out my first post and the forum logged me out and my entire post was deleted. I've just (please god) stopped a 22 year smoking addiciton and something really irrataing like that has happened and I just laughted about it. Did'nt even swear or lose my temper. I don't understand why this is so easy.

I'm taking champix - just started the 3rd week of the course today, on the 1mg tablets now. They make me feel a bit sick in the mornings, I get the occasional headache and my highly supportive colleagues tell me I'm flatulent. The champix had'nt made me stop but has made me cut down a fair ammount. Yesterday I went for a morning cigarette (my second of the day) had one drag and it was simply the most disgutsing thing I have ever tasted. Since then I have'nt smoked - so nearly at the end of the second day. I don't want to smoke, I feel a little edgy but really a very very small ammount and I also feel like I'm cheating and its wonderful!

Every time i've tried to give up before has been horrific and painful - filled with outburts of temper and depression and lots and lots of pacing up and down. This is just - well - surreal. I'm perfectly normal, having my usual banter with my colleagues but just not smoking. It feels like I should be suffering but I'm not.

Is this normal for champix? I've read a bit about it - I've got some of the side effects but the opnes that are reported as very common. Will I get some of the others are the course continues? Or are the headaches, the feeling of sickness and the some alleged flatulence as bad as it gets?

Thanks in advance to any replies I get - I'm very much a mixed bag of emotions at the moment: I'm extremely proud of myself for not having had a fag for nearly 2 days even if I feel I've cheated by aking champix. I'm slighlty worried by the side effects of champix but my god I can't wait for the next few days to (hopefully) fly by and in a week or 2 or 3 I can take a deep lung filling breath. I'm also very curious to know any tips that people have to get through what I imagined would be hell but is in fact quite easy - how do i stay off the fags once I stop taking champix? And if it suddenly gets worse ( i really don't want to take anything for granted) please give me some tips to keep going?

Many many thanks.

[nsd_user663_4625]

Hi Scribble & welcome to the forum.

I have not used champix but many here have

I wish you well with your quit, this is a great place to be for support, you're never alone

Gaynor x

[nsd_user663_8676]

Hi Scribble

Well done for getting to the end of day 2.

I am taking Champix and have very few side effects now. Remember Champix is not NRT so you will be experiencing nicotine withdrawal. They say it only takes 72 hours to get rid of the nicotine so you are almost nicotine free

By day 4 I felt great.

Keep reading and posting – it really helps.

[nsd_user663_9789]

Thank you very much for the advice, its very helpful.

[nsd_user663_9740]

For me Champix didn't work but I'm I think the person they write those side effect lists about as beyond mental stuff I had almost all of the side effects. I am now on patches and after a slip ending day 2. It 'would' be more days but I slipped up in a moment of weakness - determined now and starting to feel much better after my champix side effects. Ultimately if you feel the side effects are too bad go and chat with your Dr also make sure that you are drinking enough / taking care of yourself.

I will say though if you do come off Champix make sure you have a back up plan. I did and didn't apply the patches so had a moment of weakness - now back on patches and smoke free.

[Cyprien]

Hi Scribble

Wecome and well done. I'm six months 'quit' using Champix at the start. I found it brilliant. You've described it exactly as I experienced, including the feelings of 'cheating', it was almost like 'this is too easy'.

it helps to know what Champix is doing to you, there's lots on the web, but basically it removes the 'desire/craving to smoke - the nicotine receptors in your brain shouting 'give me a fix' don't get heard. Then if you do have a cigarette, the hit is zilch.

I expected Champix to hit me like a ton of bricks but it didn't. It didn't make me stop smoking - nothing will stop you putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting it expect yourself. I was a bit fed up that Champix wasn't working, so one day I thought I wouldn't have a cigarette until I reallly wanted one, rather than having one out of habit. That was over six months ago.

Few pointers:

1. Eating before taking it reduces feeling of nausea;

2. I started cutting down the tablets about six weeks in - I felt I could manage without the full dose

3. Watch out for mood swings - some people can have downers>full blown depression on Champix.

4. Watch out for the 'habit' cigarettes. It's not that you want one, just feel that in certain circumstances you should be having one, eg long car drives, walk to the Tube (in my case - exactly the duration of a cigarette). Don't 'force'; yourself to have a cigarette just because you think you want one. You don't

5. You'll still get some thoughts of smoking but these reduce over time

6. Feel proud of yourself.

7. Use these forums to get support and to give support to others.

Do a search on the forums for Champix, a few of us have written blogs which you might find useful

Well done and good luck

Sue