nsd_user663_22968

Didn't want to read and run but I have no experience of champix at all but it sounds awful. Good that you don't want to smoke though. I am sure someone will be along with some good advice.

nsd_user663_23350

champix!!

Hi Mike,

I am currently on my 22nd day of champix and my 9th day of quit which I am also very proud of.

I have been having disturbed sleep also and I find they are very strange with my wine at the weekends so I decided that because I was having a drink on Sunday that I wouldnt take the pills. I often miss the night time pill anyway as I seem to forget to take it after dinner. Yesterday morning I took my pill as normal but I seemed to crave ciggies all bloody day and I believe it is because I missed Sunday.

My plan is to keep up the champix and finish the course but I will start to decrease the pills to just one a day as they are very strong. This obviously means it will take longer for me to finish the tablets but that doesnt bother me. I have read alot of stories that people find this helpful!!

Good luck and I hope you start sleeping better

xx

nsd_user663_24347

I skipped my champix last night, and slept very well. I remember having dreams, but I don't remember what they were - so normal.

Took 1 Champix this morning with a good breakfast and only had mild nausea.

Best thing - after skipping a pill, I still don't have an urge to smoke today.

Going to tray only one pill a day from now on - unless I feel a strong urge to smoke; then I'll go back to two a day. Nightmares are better than the reality of lung cancer

And on to week three...:cool:

nsd_user663_7235

Hi Mike, I originally started on Champix I can't remember but I think I got to when you start to take two a days. I know I was only on them maybe 3-4 days and stopped taking them. I think I had the attitude I had been taking a drug for 52 years and did not intend to take any more. I was not going to replace it with another drug, I then went cold turkey.

I suggest if Champix is helping you to stop keep on going with them. Look at what you have acheived so far.

Well done

Jack

nsd_user663_23725

Mike, once I tried to quit with Champix and as I felt as you describe... nauseus, insomnia... I just cut it down to half a pill first, then only half a pill a day and finally no pill at all. It worked fine.. Good luck!!

nsd_user663_10013

Hi Mike

To be honest you've been nicotine free for 10 days so if you feel strong enough to go it alone then stop the champix or drop to one tablet.

Plenty on here have stopped taking it for one reason or another and have gone on to have strong quits.

I weaned myself off it after 11 weeks by dropping down to one tab and then to half a tab and didn't notice any real difference in cravings and certainly never felt the need to smoke

You're doing great by the way

nsd_user663_5369

Im on zyban, have used champix before and managed 4 months. With the champix I think it was the third week and I just stopped taking them as I was feeling weird. After stopping I felt really good and proud that I was non smoker and off champix too (and sleeping better), breathing and taste was great and I just felt proud of myself for once. But, 4 months later I c**ked up, massive regret. Total weakness, now I'm back to square one. Just stick with how YOU feel on the champix, once u have stopped the smoking giving up champix seemed easy.

Keep going bud, lungs look s**t if u smoke.

nsd_user663_13507

I ended up off work I was so sick with the Champex. I took them for 5 days then just binned them, a few days later I stopped cold turkey, this has been the one time I know for sure Im not going to smoke again, I think for me personally it means more to me this way.

However if you do or dont continue with the tabs, please continue with the no cigs, its soooo worth it.

I had previously used them and stopped no problem, started again cos I thought I was smarter than everyone else and I could be a social smoker, how dumb. :eek:

Good luck in your quit.

nsd_user663_24124

So the Champix worked great, quit on my quit date. Tried smoking once afterwards, it was revolting. Like sucking on a burning twig; all bad taste and no nicotine pay-off.

Now I'm 13 days smoke free, and feel no desire to smoke at all.

Here's the rub - the pill in the morning makes me nauseous for 2-3 hours; even taken with food, water, lots of milk.

The pill at night made me dehydrated for the first two weeks. I would wake up to drink water several times per night. Now I'm not dehydrated, but I sleep badly. I slept 4 1/2 hours last night. Less, really, because I woke up 4 times due to intense, vivid and somewhat disturbing dreams. And I haven't really felt like making love for two weeks :eek:

When can I get off this drug? I can't take the nausea, headaches and lack of sleep but I don't want to smoke again either.

What happens if I cut back to one pill a day? or stop completely? Is it dangerous? Does the urge to smoke return?

How did others successfully quit smoking and champix?

Thanks!

Hi Mike

Done alot of research on Champix before taking it myself, alot of people were advised to cut back if symptons were intolerable, but obviously you need to speak to your counsellor, Nurse or GP first.

A habit usually takes about 28 days on average to form, more time with some and less with others, Champix is designed to stop or reduce your cravings, sticking with it for 12 week programme will enforce a new habit, and that would be NOT smoking.

When you come off the Champix, you are still going to have a little will power, like you will for the rest of your life, once a drug addict always a drug addict, even if it is just nicotine, you can never just have 1 either! But your habit of NOT smoking will now be in full play, and say..having a meal you no longer automatically reach for your so called friends.

Good luck

Ruth

nsd_user663_24347

Just to update this thread - I'm on day 23 of NOT smoking, and everything is good. I cut back to half of a Champix twice a day, with food. I'm not craving smokes, I don't have nausea, and I have only mild sleep disruption.

I've got another 2 weeks worth of Champix at the rate of 1/2 pill 2x/day. After that, I'm going to try going without.

nsd_user663_16968

Hi Mike

Like you i took the Champix this time around and on day 4 or 5 taking them i stopped smoking, i stayed on the .5mg twice per day then rather than go onto the higher dose of 1mg twice per day. I then stopped taking them on day 11 (day 7 quit) as i felt rather strange, ill and unable to cope infact i felt suicidal and if it had not been for my OH saying i had come this far i dont know what i would have done. The feelings i had I dont know if it was the tablets or if it was nicotine and other chemicals leaving my body but since i took my last tablet a week after i stopped smoking i have stayed stopped, i went then CT if you like and only had my knitting and this site to help me i was almost on my own and today i celebrated 5 months, so what i am saying is it is possible to carry on without them and stay free from Mr Nic. Good luck my friend cos you can do this.

lol

NN

nsd_user663_24590

Chump mix

Hi Mike

My stats are on my sig. Like you, I'm dreaming a lot, probs with sleeping, feeling weird, sometimes, but not a sniff of a ciggie. Remind me what 'sex' is? Forgotten! Coming up to 30 days 'sans ciggies' tonight. I DO want to smoke every day. Some days, not too bad. Some days are almost purgatory. Gimmeeee a Faaaaaaag! Booked the dentist for a clean and polish in a fortnight - ANOTHER reason not to light up again - clean choppers!

I take 13 pills daily anyway, so another couple are neither here nor there. My constitution is so used to all sorts of tabs, that they have got to kick like a mule to work. My arthritis drugs are virtually useless, and I cannot take a higher dose. I am doing the self-psychiatry bit. Telling myself what is bad about smoking, and what is good about not. Trouble is, I stopped as I could not longer afford to buy them without having to stop something more important. Like eating!! Wrong reason! Resent it and feel that all life's little pleasures are being withdrawn. BUT, I'm a stubborn old goat who will NOT quit quitting, not after 30 days, 31, 75, 365.... In my head now is "You are a smoker, who chooses not to, today....(tomorrow, next month....)"

There are no easy routes to do this. Willpower is a major factor. The guys on here are very supportive, especially when someone is wobbling. You need sheer determination NOT to give in. I wish you the same luck I wish myself!

nsd_user663_24691

well done Mike glad to hear you decided to stick with the champix, everyone is different and everyone has a different story or method about stopping. I am again using champix and I will finish my course of 12 weeks with them. When I stopped the first time for 18 months I suffered a few side effects that you have mentioned and cut down to one tablet a day which worked for me. Second time round I stopped the tablets after 5 weeks feeling like I could handle the cold turkey, I couldnt, I turned into a monster grump and went back to the fags after about 4 days CT.

My advice is if your using champix finish the 12 week course, even if its a half tablet twice a day. Its been researched to work better on a 12 week course.

That little blue pill is a wonder drug and I would rather be taking it and suffering side effects than be addicted to a stick that will kill me in one way or another.

nsd_user663_24652

Hi

I too started with Champix and got to 2 weeks in and started feeling dreadful - nausea, vomiting, freezing cold, aching bones. Was told I probably had quitters flu but cut down to 1/2 a tablet morning and night. (This was also due to my GP's hissy fit at me after my cardiologist gave him an earful for putting someone with heart problems on a medication that can cause palpitations!) Within 24hrs of cutting the dose down I felt much much better. I can't speak for the sleep thing - I have insomnia and don't ever sleep more than 2 -3 hours on a good night so hard to tell.

Really pleased to hear you got it sorted - would still recommend Champix to anyone, I don't think I could have quit without it. Just cut it down if it makes you feel ill. Obviously after speaking to your doctor first;0)

Good luck to all out there - Hope you are all doing great

x x x x

Day 18 - going good at the moment

nsd_user663_24347

Day 27 and taking 1/2 pill once a day

nsd_user663_17606

Well done Mike, nice to hear you're doing so well

Lola61

I quit on my 2nd week of champix stopped smoking for 3 weeks then had a night out and started again😥 I have 2 weeks tablets left does anyone know if I can just go back on them and try again please