Hi all, I'm new

[nsd_user663_62861]

Hi to you all, I started my quit journey on 24th September with the aid of Champix after deciding again that I have to give the fags up before I end up depriving my kids of their mother, the getting out of breath whilst playing with them really did it for me but I also knew that this time if I was to really succeed I would need a little help.

The Dr gave me Champix and I was excited to start using it after reading so many positive success stories, I was also aware of the possible side effects and so told the Dr I would keep a close eye on myself, anyway all was ok on days 1 - 3 then the dose went up and I noticed that I felt a bit down and overly grumpy but put this down to my time of the month, these feelings that I was having didn't ease off as they usually would do, infact they got worse and then on day 8 after the dose doubled again I felt really sick, I carried on with the tablets but was getting more and more down and more and more paranoid until last Friday which was day 10, had a complete emotional breakdown and spent the afternoon and evening in tears, convinced that no one cared for me, that my husband wanted to be with someone else and my kids would be better off if I wasn't in their lives, that night I had a really bad nightmare where all my family had disowned me for no reason and when I woke myself up I was convinced the dream was a reality. On Saturday morning I had to go and get a few bits from the supermarket, my husband (who was really worried about me) came with me, within 5 minutes of being in the shop I broke down and had to leave, my husband asked me what had happened to cause me such distress and I just told him that I didn't know.

After a long talk and telling him how paranoid I felt about everything and especially about him leaving me, he said that I needed to stop the tablets; but the thing is that I really want to quit smoking

I spent the rest of Saturday in tears as well. Yesterday I decided to lower the dose and instead of taking a blue pill twice in a day I cut one in half and had just half (0.5 mg in the day) I felt a bit better in myself but I was with all my family (that kind of reassured me my previous dream was ridiculous!)

I have tried in vain to get to see the Dr today but as is always the case, there are never any appointments when you need one despite me telling them of the negative/depressing thoughts I am currently having and I have to ring back tomorrow :confused: !!

I have never felt as low as I do right now and so have not taken any Champix at all today as I don't know that I should, has anyone else ever had this type of problem with Champix and if so how did you progress, what did you do? did you carry on taking the tablets or stop them? I could really use some advice from other Champix users that have had similar issues or know someone that has, I really don't want to fail in my quit attempt but at the moment feel like I am getting no-where fast, I am still smoking but not quite as much as before unless I get myself into a state and then I seem to hit the fag's! this is not what I hoped for when I started this route to quitting

I wish I could have been one of the lucky ones that Champix worked for and didn't give any side effects to but it doesn't seem to be the case for me.

If anyone has any useful advice for me then I am all ears, thank you for reading and I'm sorry it is so long.

[nsd_user663_62294]

Hi Kitty. I have no experience of Champix either but like Titch didn't want to read and run. I hope the doctor helps and that you continue with your quit. Good luck x

[nsd_user663_62861]

Update

Thank you for all your replies, I have not yet managed to see a Dr but have spoken to my GP on the telephone, she has told me to stop taking the tablets straight away and I have to now see her tomorrow and try and find a way out of this darkness that I find myself in.

She has said that I should get myself feeling like my old self and then we will look at ways in which I can move forward with my quit without the use of Champix.

I feel sad that I have to stop using this when so many others have had great success with it but at the same time, I am a shadow of my former self and that has only happened in a short space of time, my GP is worried that if I continue with these tablets I could drift further and further into this depression and I can't allow that to happen, not just for my sake but for that of my family.

I usually am such a happy person and to look into the mirror and see a stranger glaring back at me with these awful negative thoughts is not nice, I have become so clingy to my husband and so needy, again this is not me at all, I am the most independent, strong willed person know, or so I thought! I can't believe that this has happened to me. I really wish I could be more positive but at the moment feel like I am in a black hole and there is no way out, I curse the day I ever started smoking!

Clearly Champix is not a good idea for me and I am very jealous of those that have used it with no side effects at all, am not sure how I shall progress with my quit now, I had thought about cold turkey but I have tried that before and only lasted a couple of days, perhaps nicotine patches may be the way forward, I don't know, the only thing do know for sure is that I WILL quit these terrible, addictive, disgusting cigarettes!!

Thank you again for all your comments and I shall carry on reading about everyone elses success stories and how they quit in the hope I can find a way to quit for good myself

[nsd_user663_60964]

Hi Kitty,

A big welcome to the forum from me too.

So sorry you're having such a hard time with the Champix. I didn't use it myself but I know that it just doesn't agree with some people at all and it seems you may be one of them. The priority at present is to get you back on an even keel and as has been said, there are plenty of other ways of quitting (and things that can be done to help). Tea is quite right in that one size doesn't fit all in this quitting malarkey and the method that works for you is out there- you just haven't found it quite yet.

We're here and we won't go away so please keep posting, let us know how things go with your GP tomorrow, and we'll give you all the advice and support we can.

[nsd_user663_2681]

Hi kitty so glad GP told you to stop the tablets sounds like they really were sending you on a downward spiral, if I was in your position I would forget the quit for a minute get back to your normal happy self and in the meantime maybe set a date for a week or 2, do lots of research there are so many quit aids out there,I'm using patches and they are working great for me but again they don't suit everyone.

Do you have a smoking cessation nurse at your health centre? Might be an idea to book in with them, they offer support and you can try lots of different methods for the cost of a prescription if one doesn't work for you can try another.

Currently you can get 2 types of NRT through this method so it's definitely worth a call.

I completely feel for you, it's scary when you don't feel like yourself and you are down and anxious but try not to worry, once the champix have left your system you should feel a bit brighter again.

As skiddaw said we are all here for you, there's always someone on day and night if you need to chat, take care sweet xxx x

[nsd_user663_62360]

Hello kitty and welcome to the forum!

So sorry to hear you've had a horrid time on champix! They can be very successful but there is a few that have had a hard time with them!

I had a blah experience with them last year where I suffered more physical effects on them ( heart palpitations, sickness and chest pain) and had to stop when I was admitted to hospital :eek:. Though I was warned more about the mental side of things. So it can happen, your certainly not alone there!

It's lovely to see you are still so keen as I know how this can chip at your mindset when you feel so ready to quit and then something like this happens! Concentrate on getting your lovely self back to being you we are all here to support you in your journey, there is a planning and preparation section that might be useful to you! Post often we do love a natter

Best of luck with your quit and I hope you feel better soon! I'm sure we'll see you joining us on the boards regularly in no time x

[nsd_user663_61881]

Hi Kittykat,

I have never tried Champix so can't help on that score but I can recommend nicotine gum. Don't know if you have ever considered it but I found it really helpful with taking the edge off if you know what I mean. Also you only use it when you need it which appealed to me.

Hope you are soon feeling better.

[nsd_user663_62861]

Thanks to everyone for the really warm welcome and all the really helpful words of advice, I'm having a really tough time right now, very emotional but hoping to get some sleep if I can switch my brain off.

Will update after seeing the Dr tomorrow.

Thanks again for all your support, you have no idea how much it means to me.

[nsd_user663_2681]

Thanks to everyone for the really warm welcome and all the really helpful words of advice, I'm having a really tough time right now, very emotional but hoping to get some sleep if I can switch my brain off.

Will update after seeing the Dr tomorrow.

Thanks again for all your support, you have no idea how much it means to me.

A good nights sleep will definitely help, and please do let us know how it goes tomorrow hun, take care xx

[nsd_user663_60964]

How are things dear Kitty?

I do hope you feel better today and that your GP was helpful.

[nsd_user663_62861]

Hi, seeing GP later this afternoon so should know more then. Having a really bad day today not just mentally but physically too, heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Had to take yet another day off work which hasn't gone down too well really with my employer but I can't do much about it as spent the whole morning sobbing, I really hope the champix will leave my system soon and that the GP can help me as I can't bare feeling so low when it is just not like me, I had to ask my husband to come home from work at lunchtime as I dare not be on my own..it gives me too much time to think and then I feel worse. Anyway will update after seeing the GP, on the plus side though I haven't smoked much today due to feeling so out of sorts and the fact it makes my chest hurt which is new!

[nsd_user663_62861]

Just back from seeing my GP, I have been put on a low dose anti-depressant as well as Diazepam (which is only for use in the short term as and when needed) so I have some relief whilst the anti-depressant is kicking in, this is only a short term measure whilst I get over this, the Dr said I had a reaction to the Champix and a note has been put on my records saying I am allergic to Champix. I guess I am one of the unlucky ones

I shall get myself well and then find another approach to quitting

[nsd_user663_60964]

It's a shame Champix wasn't for you, Kitty, but thank goodness it wasn't any worse (though it was bad enough by the sound of it). Big hugs from me and hope you start to feel properly better soon.

Once you're over this I second the suggestion to approach your nearest NHS smoking cessation clinic. I found my one an absolute godsend and they certainly gave me all the help I needed to start the journey (then I discovered the forum :)).

[nsd_user663_2681]

I'm so glad your GP was helpful and gave you something to help in the short term, as Karri said anti depressants can take up to a month to kick in so just take it easy for a while and when you are ready to try quitting again we will all be here for you and we are now too if you need us xxx

[nsd_user663_62861]

Thank you so much for all your concern and kind words, yes I know that the anti depressants can take a while to kick in hence the Diazepam which works straight away to make me think more rationally, I took my first dose of that at 6.30pm and can honestly, hand on heart say that they are doing something as I really feel a little more positive and no where near as bad as earlier today when i thought I was dying due to the physical issues i was experiencing, I have got a way to go by all accounts until I am back to the old me but I am sure that I shall get there in time but I will carry on with my quit as this stupid depressive episode has not taken that bit of fight away from me, I really, really want to quit and I will, first things first though, I have to get back to being me!! I shall try again in a few weeks or so, or however long it takes it for me to feel better, in the meantime, I shall be around, reading about everyone else success stories and taking hope from those that I shall be successful the next time I try.

Thank you all once again for your support and kind comments, you don't know just how much it means to me, to know that I have your support as well as that of my nearest and dearest xx

[nsd_user663_2681]

Hi kitty

So glad you are feeling a bit more positive, what you are doing sounds like a plan Stan hope you feel better really soon.

D x

[nsd_user663_60964]

We'll be here, Kitty, as soon as you reach the stage when you're ready to try again by a different method (and before, come to that). Don't go away will you?

You're going to do this thing. I promise.

[nsd_user663_54559]

Hi Kitty,

I am so sorry to be late here but I wanted to chime in since I am taking Champix myself. It does make me feel ill physically every day but I am still taking it and trying to muddle through because it is working very well with respect to keeping me relatively crave free.

However, if I were having the side effects you are experiencing then I would come off of it straight away. I tried it last spring and whilst I was going through some serious turmoil in my life at the time I felt I was becoming "unusually" depressed and had to keep telling myself daily that it wasn't really me it was the drug (Champix" making me feel so depressed. Anyway long story short I stopped taking it. I am not experiencing any of those effects this time around which is odd....

Perhaps there is something in it that reacts with our brains if we are going through unusual stress or chaos in our lives or something, I'm not sure. I decided to give it a second try and am doing ok.

Besides quitting smoking, is everything else calm in your life? Maybe you could try it at some point in the future with a different result, your GP would know best.

Please know that there are many other methods to quitting smoking that you will find here on this forum so if you can't take Champix then there is another way for you if you are still ready to give up now. I don't know what the statistics are on here for CT, NRT etc. but I would guess that quitting with Champix is probably not the most used method. Again just a guess.... :confused:

Take heart, there will be a way that will work for you and there are lots of great people here that will help you along, hour by hour if need be.

All the best and welcome!!

Sherri

[nsd_user663_62861]

We'll be here, Kitty, as soon as you reach the stage when you're ready to try again by a different method (and before, come to that). Don't go away will you?

You're going to do this thing. I promise.

Hi, no I won't go away, I am determined that I shall do this and with the help of family and friends and this forum I know I will

For those that asked, I had a much better day yesterday, have been given the rest of the week off work and hope to go back to work Monday.

Sherri B Smoke, thank you for your reply, having had a long talk about everything with my family, we think that the Champix has brought to the forefront the fact that for ten years out of the last 15 I have been under a huge amount of stress in my life where I was the one being strong for everyone and putting my own feelings on the back burner, my Dad thinks that this has meant that recent events have just meant, that all this stress I have had, has just come flooding out of me in the form of a depression which I have to deal with correctly to get well, so in a way maybe this was lurking all the time, just waiting for a time to come out and bite me! The more I think about this, the more I think he could be right, I also had very mild postnatal depression 15 years ago which I just swept under the carpet and never dealt with, maybe this is all linked and the way the Champix works on our brains has brought this all back, I don't know, the only thing I know is that I am determined to get well and get back to being well and carry on with my quit, I have thought alot about it and I may try cold turkey again, it may be easier now that I have found this forum and have a place to talk to people going through the same quitting experiences, not sure yet but we will see. Thank you again x

[nsd_user663_59644]

Hello from me been off the forum so have not seen your post prior to today.

What a horrid time you are having, maybe look back in time, and you will realise that what you are having to endure is indeed a few moments in time.

I know you will look back at your posts in a few weeks from now, and think was that me!!!!.

You are so strong in sharing your emotions, now that does take huge strength, so I know you will get through this horrid time.

When the the time is right, you will quit, many on here have been serial quitters, but have gone on to be long SOS, (sod off smoking) people.

I do hope you are starting to pull out of the darkness, it may take a little while but hang tight, you will feel better soon