Topic I've Avoided

[Zen]

Those are not side effects of Chantix.
Something else is going on there.

[Crankin]

Actually, there are documented side effects of Chantix, similar as described above. They usually occur in people who have already been battling depression or anxiety. It is not prescribed in some cases, to people with that history.
A doc from MGH came to my clinic to pitch participation in a stop smoking study to the clients. They are trying to figure out why so many people with mental illness, especially schizophrenia, smoke. The study uses Chantix, and she addressed this issue. She said that were a bunch of cases of these side effects when the drug first came out, but now, not so much.
But still, it's a caution.
I still remember when my mom quit cold turkey, when I was in 6th grade. It was ugly. She started smoking again, about ten years later, but she did quit, cold turkey, again eventually. My dad, on the other hand, is about to turn 85, and has smoked for like 60 years. He hides it now, though. He had one mild heart attack, 2 years ago, but other than that, his lungs are fine.

[Norse]

I smoked for 11 years and it took several, repeated efforts at quitting before it finally stuck. A neighbor, a nurse who knew of my repeated failed efforts, said "I have one word for you: toothpicks." That oral fixation thing is so real! Also, when the time came, rather than going cold turkey I gradually decreased the intake over a one month period. So, day one, I had a pack, day two, one less ... until I had one on the last day and that was it. The first couple of weeks, the inside of my mouth was actually sort of cut up because, having a nicotine fit, I would end up chewing the crap out of the toothpicks, but they really did help. To this day, almost 15 years later, I still carry toothpicks in the car and use them around the house. Quitting was harder than hell but soooooooooooo worth it. I just watched my dad die a painful death at a relatively young age due to lung cancer last summer.

Good luck to you!

[Catrin]

Good luck to you on this good effort. I smoked, heavily, for about 20 years and I "quit" many times before I was actually ready to quit. Basically my asthma gave me a choice - smoke or breath.... It is sad that I had to get so bad to be able to quit, but I finally succeeded back in the early 90's. Every time I wanted a smoke I forced myself to think of things that I could do better/easier if I wasn't smoking...it did help.

Hang in there. It is your choice about the medication, I don't know much about that. It seems that everything has so many side-effects that I make it my practice to avoid such things as much as possible but sometimes they are necessary.