Champix user looking for tips

[nsd_user663_35834]

Hi all,

Firstly let me say what a wonderful forum this is...

I'm a smoker of 25 years (ish) and have been smoking 20+ per day for most of that time however, like most of us smokers I've been promising myself I'll stop.....next week, next year....blaa blaa The thing is I REALLY LIKE SMOKING !! but following a spell of unemployment and money being tight...I think it's CRAZY to wasting £50 per week on the weed. Obviously the health risk etc.... but I've been very fortunate (so far) and never really suffer from any unhealthy effects.

Anyway, following a close friend's succesful attempt with the Champix I found myself feeling really jealous that he has stopped and have decided to kick the habit. I have tried a few times in the past and my most succesful attempt was with patches approx 12 months ago... I lasted approx 3 weeks !! and then just randomly bought 10 fags whilst I was in a newsagents buying a paper :confused: No reason why..... no major catastrophy or anything just decided to buy some ???

So onto my current situation, I've been taking Champix for nearly 3 weeks and noticed almost zero effect for the first 10 days or so but I have recently noticed that I don't seem to crave for a ciggy ? but I am still smoking around 10 per day ?

What I mean is I'm not crawling the walls if I don't have a cigg but I can't seem to 'NOT' have one when I make a coffee, after dinner etc...

My doctor told me to carry on smoking if the urge is still strong but to set a date this current week and 'try' to stop... I set a date 10th Oct ... but only lasted about 4 hours. I can honestly say that even when I had one I felt it wasn't a 'crave' it just felt really strange 'not having one' if that makes sense.

I've probably had about 5 or 6 today but it's more because it feels like something is missing if I don't have one, rather than craving for one ?

Am I weird........ or is this normal ?

Regarding side effects, I was a bit cautious after reading lots of negative stuff about champix but apart from the passing sickness feeling now and then, I don't seem to be experiencing any other side effects.....so far !

I'm planning to go smoke free tomorrow 13th Oct and just wondered if anyone else can relate to the not craving but still wanting a cigg ??

[nsd_user663_34855]

Hi Dragon

My OH has had a very similar ride with Champix. Firstly, the Doc said Champix can take longer to work on the brain if you're a longer term heavier smoker. OH got down to about 6 fags a day by the time he was 15 days into the tablet. I think he felt he would have carried on with those 6 so he still had to use an element of willpower to bin the last few. I'm sure I have read similar experiences on here where people have still had to excercise some willpower to quit those last few. I don't think Champix is a wonderdrug, it takes away a lot of the craving but you still have to put a little effort in yourself to succeed.

As for the after meals and coffee, this is purely your habit of smoking, and again you will have to excercise some willpower during these times.

I would suggest you reading a little more on the net regarding the habit and the nicotine addiction, it will help you understand why you want/need cigarettes and strategies for coping. Lots of us have found the Allen Carr book useful, it helps you understand what you are gaining rather than losing.

Good luck and see if you can beat those last few ciggies tomorrow!

Pip

[nsd_user663_32615]

Hi Dragon - welcome to the forum, and yes - everything that you have described makes sense. Sometimes, I think that non-smoking doctors and the nice people at Pfizer overstate this idea that Champix will simply stop you smoking with no effort or thought on your part.

I have been on it for nearly three months now, and haven't smoked for over eleven weeks. For me Champix has been a miracle, but it hasn't absolved me of taking responsibility for not smoking. You will still need to control this situation, and you will still need some willpower - but it will reduce the most agonising withdrawal symptoms. I don't think there is any escape from the sense of loss and feeling generally bereft - smoking is a very ingrained habit, and it will take quite a while to break all of those associations that you have created over the years.

My advice is to make a firm decision on a quit date - whether that is tomorrow or not, and then stick to it. I promise you that the Champix will help, but it will never numb everything no matter how long you take it for. Don't expect your first week or two to be particularly peachy, then you won't be disappointed! But use this site - there is a mass of good information on here and it really helps to understand other people's experience. And feel free to use us to rant at if you need to - we have all been there, and are very good at dealing with it!

All the best, and let us know how you are getting on.

[nsd_user663_33441]

Well,my doctor is a smoker, so he never overstated that Champix would work - just said there has been a lot of success with it but didn't state his real opinion.

Sometimes, I think that non-smoking doctors and the nice people at Pfizer overstate this idea that Champix will simply stop you smoking with no effort or thought on your part.

Mrs T, I will be the first to agree with you that we have to put a lot of effort and thought into this, and work at it. I never expected Champix to be a wonder-drug, well, no actually I did cos someone I know who couldn't quit did it with Champix. But it isn't a wonder drug, I guess it just takes the edge off things. Am a bit rambly here (so tired) but I guess the point I am trying to make is that I wouldn't have got through the essential first 72 hours of nicotine withdrawal without a pill that I thought would help me. Does that make any sense? I thought the pill would help me so it did. LOL I am so exhausted after today I don't think I make sense. But still smoke-free. And glad

Zoe

[Cyprien]

Hi Dragon

Welcome aboard.

I was in exactly the same position as you two years ago. It's not easy but you've got to make a conscious decision *not* to smoke - even if you *don't* want one. Sounds odd, but Champix will take away that craving (you know the one I mean, like, get out of my way I've got to get off this plane and have a cigarette - type craving).

But, what Champix won't do is break the habit for you. So it's down to you to think 'just because I'm having a coffee, I don't have to put a cigarette in my mouth'. It's a hard habit to break, but you can do it. I remember that I was living abroad when I stopped smoking and months after i was back home and went to walk to the station for the first time - I went out of my house, locked the door and opened my bag to get a cigarette out - because I *always* had a cigarette on my walk to the tube. Odd to think my mind worked like that even though I'd not smoked for months.

Get over each 'first' and be strong about breaking the habit. Don't *force* yourself to smoke when you don't crave one.

Sue

[nsd_user663_35834]

Thanks guys (or lovley ladies...) for your replies

Pip - glad to know I'm not weird and that your hubby had a similar experience :confused: and I must thank you for your tip to do a bit more reading on t'internet cause I found a great article:

whyquit.com/joel/Joel_01_13...

Reading this really trashed my 'justification' that I was doing really well 'only' smoking 8-10 per day...... it made me realise that it doesn't matter if you smoke 2 or 52 per day, it's the last ciggy that you smoke that re-enforces your addiction back to square one :eek:

Mrs T - Yeah .... I see where you are coming from, my best mate (who ironically I blame for starting/encouraging me to start smoking when we were just 14/15 years old) is the guy who I refer to in my original post who is currently and successfully using Champix to kick the weed (he's not smoked for approx 2 months) and he told me after taking Champix for about a week he just 'didn't want to smoke ??' and has not done since ? He said he just lost the desire with hardly any cravings or difficulty at all...

So I guess I was expecting something 'miracle like' ah ah ah

Zoe - thanks for your reply too..... and I must say you had me in stitches when I read your post yesterday....'Day 20 meltdown' lol.. have you knitted the 'f*ing cat' yet....... Mum's eh .... luv it !!

Cyprien - thanks for your support, again it's good to know that someone knows what I mean about the not 'craving' but feeling like I 'should' smoke...

I was wondering if the Champix where sending me a bit nuts ... (they probably are ? or maybe I was bit nuts pre champix)

Seriously though people, thanks for replying... my wife (beautiful & gorgeous wife..) just in case she ever reads this post has never smoked so when I try to explain how I'm feeling I can tell she's thinking ........ cuckoo, medication time ! so it's good to communicate with people who really know how I feel.

Well I set my quit date as today (or yesterday lokking at the time... 13th Oct) and I am EXTREMELY PROUD to say that not a single puff of a dirty, smelly, poisonous, waste of money, white little stick of sh*te has passed my lips !!

so .... DAY 1 MISSION COMPLETED !

I want to tell the world... ah ah so I think I'll go and write a new post on the Day 1 quit thread

[nsd_user663_37391]

Hi Marlena, what time are you taking the tabs? I'm on Day 13 of the Champix and been quit for 5, I had a few nights where I just couldn't get to sleep drove me crazy as I love my sleep !!!

Then I started to take the second tablet earlier and it seems to work, well getting to sleep earlier that's for sure!! I take my second tablet between 3-4pm, maybe give that a try if your not already.

Same as you that is so far the only side effect, I make sure I'm not in the least bit hungry when I take the tablet so zero nausea, will be the size of a whale by Christmas but hey as long as I'm not smoking that can be tackled later!!

Good luck with your quit date, keep positive.