Chantix - Drug Information And Side Effects (Page 3) (Top voted first)

How long does chantix stay in your system? Could it still be affecting me after 9 months?

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You are correct it is free country still and other people have the right to disagree with you and disagree that Chantix has helped them. You said... "You just have to weigh the benefits against the risks. I quit 5 years ago and I read the package insert but decided it was worth the risk. I'm thankful for the drug and I recommend it". How fortunate for you that your own experience with Chantix was positive. My first experience with Chantix was also postive. I'm sure people who have ended up with permanent brain damage or the family members of suicide victims do not feel so fortunate or have the same outlook on Chantix as you do. A doctor once told me "If 3 out of 4 people quit smoking but one ends up in a psyce ward- the benefits still out weigh the risks". I disagree with that. I strongly disagree with that. My heart pours out to people that have been effected in a negative way by this "wonder" drug. Taking Chantix was one of the scariest things that has happened to me in my life. In my heart I know this is a very dangerous drug regardless of how many people have quit smoking because of it. I feel obligated to warn others of the "risk" they take because there are no commercials with brain damaged non smokers explaining how Chantix helped them quit. Or rather the family member of a suicide victim explaining how their loved one quit...not just smoking but life too. This message has been brought to you by a very thankful Chantix survivor.

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My husband started Chantix last October for 30 days. He whole demeanor changed after the 3rd week of taking it. He became bitter and angry, talked about divorce. Lost all interest in things he once loved, including me and family. Strangely he really didn't think his behavior was off. He finally starting getting back to his old self in March, but there is still something missing from his spirit. We don't talk much about it now....I don't think he knows how he really was and does not remember. Also, although we can not prove it, he developed a weak left sided heart muscle which they diagnosed as cardio myopathy with an injection fraction of 45. He had no heart problems prior to this. I am sure they will blame his years of prior smoking. The only good thing is that he did quit smoking. I went through pure hell for 4 months because of Chantix and always in fear that the evil Chantix twin will come back.

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I had almost forgotten that I had found and messaged this board about my husband's crazy Chantix behavior that began last January. I do, however, still get updates to my email. My husband has been off the Chantix for about 6 months now and he is nicotine free but he has been self- medicating and supplementing with marijuana all along. We have been together for 26 years, married for 25, and his behavior became so ragefull, erratic, unpredictable, and frightening that I moved out 2 months ago and will not let him know where I am living. I have long suspected that he may be Bipolar, as it does run in his family, and he does abuse alcohol, and suffers from anxiety, but the Chantix clearly pushed him over the edge.

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I took chantix in 2007 after all failed attempts to quit in 21 years. Took for 3 mos. Felt great while on chantix.....BUT since that time I suffered depression anxiety panic attacks and been on zoloft and xanax daily since it is now 2013... I did not smoke for 5 yrs, started back in 2011 thought would stop anxiety. It did not ! I was never on medication prior to chantix my whole life.. I have to see a psychaitrist regularly since 2007... I would say it does change brain chemistry permanently........... I will never feel normal again it seems.

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My husband and I have been separated now for 4 months, after 25 years of marriage. He started with the Chantix last January 2013 and has been off of it for several months and HAD been nicotine free but just began smoking cigarettes again.....this whole thing was so destructive and pointless.

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i took Chantix from 9/08 - 01/09 and the side effects have never left me. just yesterday i had another panic attack / outburst at work. some days i get so depressed, i feel like a 2 ton wet blanket is covering me. i NEVER used to get panic attacks & bouts of depression before taking Chantix. i wanted to take part in the lawsuit, but i was told that i had missed out. the statute of limitations should not expire if the side effects are still ruining your life

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it's not necessarily how long it remains in one's system, but rather "how long does the damage that it can do to one's brain last before one 'gets better?'" i stopped taking it five years ago, and it made me a basket case for a long time, with panic attacks, paranoia, depression (things i never had before chantix). since the new year, i am noticing that i have begun to feel better, in that the paranoia has calmed down, i've had no panic attacks & i only got full-on depressed twice. needless to say, though, even with those improvements, i can still notice that i am a very different kind of person now, one that prefers being a recluse.

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I quit taking it 2 months ago. Side effects didn't start until I quit taking chantix. Mainly aggression and moody. I go from mad to crying. Hoping it wears off soon. But I have read some that are still dealing with it years later

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I had the first grand mal seizure of my life and was taken off Chantix 15 months ago. I'm still having complex partial seizures leading to memory loss and states of general confusion that can last for days. I'm afraid and I don't know what to do.

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Took full course of Champix for 3 months, now in 17th month not smoking. However, the drug did cause a fair bit of concern and to be honest it was at it's worse for about 3 - 4 months after last dosage. Remember one night around a week after last dose where i woke at 2 am feeling like I'd fallen off a cliff the withdrawl effect was so strong. I then spent around 2 days with the most incessant earworms of any tracks that would pop into my head, these are still bothering me now.
anger is also still a major problem, swearing at computers at work, at road users, neighbours etc.

To anyone else suffering post dosing just know that the people around you that mattered still matter now after dosing and want you to feel better and i hope you all do too.

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My husband started taking chantix in late November he took his final.dose in January of 2014. I noticed that his mood swings were really bad, he drinks alot as well mostly beer. He has not been the same he left me today stating he wasn't happy and he's been having high and low mood swings. His anger is out of control can this be possible from side affects.

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The latest Chantix insert admits that symptoms may persist for up to 52 weeks; for me it's been over two years. This survey is from the People's Pharmacy...you do the math!

How helpful was Chantix for quitting smoking?

- 52.5% found it very helpful
- 9.5% found it somewhat helpful
- 19% found it not very helpful
- 19% said it didn’t work
- 54.5% said they experienced serious side effects while taking Chantix.
- 42.9% said they had to stop taking Chantix because of side effects.
- 59.1% said they would recommend Chantix to another smoker and 40.9% said they would not recommend this drug.

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There is obviously more than one Janice in this conversation. As for me, it's going on 3 years and I am still finding it difficult to concentrate and the mental fogginess has not lifted. I tried to complete my doctoral dissertation but I am not able to focus anymore. I have to read directions over and over before they become clear or refer back to them often to complete the activity. My seizures are controlled with medication, although they have left me with amnesia for periods of my life. I am not the same person I was before Chantix and it is becoming difficult to remember who that person was. (P.S. I finally quit smoking, but only because I was diagnosed with lung cancer.)

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I am experiencing the same problems with the man I love. He has become a stranger to me since taking chantix. Very angry at the littlest thing and says hurtful things. I sometimes notice he doesn't even remember saying them and tells me I imagined it or am making it up. He doesn't realize that this started with the drug even though I have told him.

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I took Chantix for 2-3 months and have been smoke free for 2 1/2 years. BUT............. about a month after stopping the Chantix, I began having a burning sensation like somebody slapped me really hard on a sunburn. The pain radiated from my back around to my front. At first suspected shingles but no. I have had every test imaginable but all ok. I have been on pain killers now for 2 1/2 years with no end in sight. The burning pain, by the way, sometimes is all over my body at one time; I have anxiety attacks, and my personality has changed. Drs. might say it is not because of Chantix, but I would argue that.

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EVEN SADER MY HUSBAND (AGE 45) JUST HAD MASSIVE HEART ATTACK 4/13/12, I KNOW IN MY HEART CHANTIX IS THE BLAME. MY HUSBAND WAS HEALTHY AND EASY GOING UNTIL CHANTIX, NOW LIFE IS A DAILY SCARY ORDEAL

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I pray God will help us all. We should be saying prayers for healing from the Chantix. Doctors and other drugs cannot cure us of the long lasting side effects of Chantix. Like I said before, I haven't taken it for 2 1/2 years and have had chronic pain and on pain pills since then. The only help is God and prayer.

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paxil was only put on the market in 1992

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Paxil is the MOST indicated SSRI for panic attacks. It gave me my life back.

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same here..no lawyer is interested unlessyou try suicide!! total bs!!

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