Chantix Success Story

I attempted to quit smoking AGAIN in July of 2007 after at least 15 attempts at a day here a week there. 5 weeks once and 5 months once. I smoked a pack a day and more on the weekends. I was such a stupid habit. One to wake up with and one to go to bed with.

I quit on July 27 2007. COLD TURKEY. I was determined that everything else was ok except for smoking. I was a miserable b****y basket case for days. I had cut my finger deeply trying to catch my glass of iced tea on Aug 11th. It cut an artery and I needed stitches to stop the blood from pumping out. I made an appt with my reg Dr. to have the stitches removed a week later. I told him that I had quit smoking but was miserable. That I needed some aid to help me get thru the withdrawals. He wrote me a script for Chantix that my ins. co would not cover. I figured it the $130 a month for the chantix was less that a month of cigarettes. I took it as prescribed for the 1st month. My only major side effect was the wild bizarre unusual dreams. I dreamed about stuff that I could never even think up whil eawake.I had a hard time dealing with that so when I got the 2nd refill I only took the morning pill for the next 2 months. I made it to Oct 31 and then I lost it. I was so sad I just cried and thought that no one was supporting me. Well they really were but I guess I just needed to hear it from my husband and 2 older kids. After making it thru the meltdown and still not smoking it finally started to get a little easier. Remember that quitting smoking and you feel like you are in hell and being punnished for months. I actually thought I was getting depressed also. I just kept a positive attitude. I chose one girlfriend at my work to be my support person. Someone I could vent and talk to when feeling weak and vunerable to the urges that were always ever so present. She really helped me. I made it to 2008 and my husband decided it was time for him to quit also since I was now calmer and he could stand to be around me again. Remember I was a mess. Chantix is not a magic pill. It is an aid to help you get past the bad withdrawals. After 8 months and on the beach in Cozumel I was finally confident in my chances to succeed at this 15th quit attempt. None of the when is this f*#*#ng plane gonna land already.

It is now over 5 years since I quit smoking. I still weigh the same and can breath great. I don't cough anymore. I don't have a sore throat, and the nicotene headaches are a thing of the past. My new car smells great too.

I did the online support program for the full year and the week I first quit I put the money that would have spent on smokes in an envelope. I still do that to this day. I've gone on vacation twice on the envelope money and any time I want something I always have the money to buy it.

Good luck to all that try to quit. You will need it. Quitting was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I am a chantix and willpower success story.

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Hi Barbie,

Thank you so much for sharing your story, and congratulations to you for quitting! It's good to see someone post about a positive experience and try to give others hope! It is true that Chantix is not a magic pill, and will not keep someone from quitting all on their own. You must want to do it for yourself and have the will power to persevere through the withdrawals and deal with possible side effects of the medication. Of course, if the side effects are serious- you wouldn't want to continue.

For anyone seeking information, Chantix contains Varenicline, which is a nicotinic receptor partial agonist. It stimulates nicotine receptors more weakly than nicotine itself does. In this respect it is similar to cytisine and different from the nicotinic antagonist, bupropion, and nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) like nicotine patches and nicotine gum. As a partial agonist it both reduces cravings for and decreases the pleasurable effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Through these mechanisms it can assist some patients to quit smoking.

Some of the side effects include (but are not limited to): nausea, weight changes, abdominal pain and severe constipation, and bizarre dreams.

On June 16, 2011, the FDA issued a safety announcement that Chantix may be associated with "a small, increased risk of certain cardiovascular adverse events in patients who have cardiovascular disease." Therefore, if you have any cardiovascular issues and are thinking about starting Chantix, be sure to let your doctor know right away.

You can learn more about this drug on the page for Chantix Details

Please post back if you have any questions or information to add!

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