Champix…The choice..!!: Seeing a lot of... - No Smoking Day

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Champix…The choice..!!

Hercu profile image
HercuValued Contributor
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Seeing a lot of Champix quitters on the forum and being one myself I would like to explain what I have learned with the use of Champix:

"Everything is a choice" (Anonymous). We can escape from the tyranny of our bad habits using any method that works. We have free will. The upside down mornings or the orderly routines, the complaints or the compliments, these are all choices we make, and if we want to change our lives, we need to first look at our choices.

Early in my quit on those hellish sleepless nights I learned:

“When you puff on a cigarette, nicotine travels through your lungs, into your bloodstream, and to your brain. It attaches to receptors, which release a brain-reward chemical called dopamine – you get a hit of pleasure .

When you take Champix (varenicline), it attaches to many of these receptors. The result is: you get continual release of that pleasure chemical dopamine. It’s not quite the same intensity as a cigarette but it’s spread out over the whole day

Common side effects include nausea, headaches, abnormal dreams, difficulty sleeping, increased appetite, altered taste sensation, dry mouth, dizziness, tiredness and sleepiness, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, feeling bloated, indigestion and flatulence.”

During my 26 smoke free months I have seen people complaining of the above side effects using other methods than Champix and I would like to say it is the normal quit symptoms because quitting is not easy except when you do it the Mark Twain way: ”Thousands of times”

I have chosen to supplement with herbal supplements and vitamins and followed Zig Zaglar’s words when he said “"A great attitude becomes a great mood, which becomes a great day, which becomes a great year, which becomes a great life" The moral of the story: Focus on the good and it will lead to more goodness.!!!

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Hercu
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youghal profile image
youghal1 Year Smoke Free

Hi Hercu

Hope your are still doing well. What vitamins are you taking? I would be interested to know. I am taking some too, and wondered what you found to be the most effective.

Hercu profile image
HercuValued Contributor in reply to youghal

Youghal...

I am very fine especially after the nice break I had...Thank you so much

I am almost taking them all...In my country we have got a product which took all the essential fats and vitamins A to Z into one capsule for a daily morning supplement.

But surely A B C and D is very important where D in my country is for free (Sunshine)..

Due to forum policy I can not name the products..!

But all over the counter and not habbit forming..

Hope you find the suitable one...The internet is also very informative !!

youghal profile image
youghal1 Year Smoke Free in reply to Hercu

Hi Hercu

Thanks for that. I am taking a bit of a cocktail myself ( in the hope that I find the magic one!!) namely B3, C D and E , along with turmeric , numerous other supplements that I am hoping won't poison me!

As I am on only day 3 and had time on my hands and needed to take my mind off things I also stocked up on obscure teas over the weekend. This is fun..... Perhaps not. But whatever gets you through. LOL 😀

It's heartening that you have got to over 2 years.

Hercu profile image
HercuValued Contributor in reply to youghal

youghal..Thank you...Yes it is a difficult but possible road...at a stage I thouht the supplements is not working and stopped and oh boy..I was knocked to my knees...restarted and survived..!!

Keeping the hands busy is surely one of the most important aspects of this quit thing...anything works ..I sipped on green tea 2 O' clock in the morning...as long as you want it badly...You will get it..

Strongs and please keep us updated...and my best decision was to attack and not defend..Be pro active and surprice the monster before it surprices you...know thy enemy ...

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