Chantix - Drug Information And Side Effects (Page 8)
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How long does chantix stay in your system? Could it still be affecting me after 9 months?

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I am happy I came acros this thread. I took chantix twice. Once in 2008 and I was smoke free until JUne 2009. Took Chantix again in October 2009 to quit again. Once in a while I will still have a chantix dream. I never had the nightmares just really Vivid memorable dreams. It has changed my overall mood. Once in a while I will still have a crazy suicidal thoughts. I shake them off. BUT they still do occur. I went and did a google search to see if I was not alone and came across this thread. I dont know if it because I tok t twice that I have things happen once in a while. Every so often I just break down and cry and feel depressed but no reason for it. I worry now about stupid stuff. I never NEVER worried about anything before. I always wonder if I am alone with still having side effects.

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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 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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...I would credit any side effects after stopping for 9 months to other causes, unless you believe that taking chantix has permanently altered your brain chemistry.....

I'm responding to the above commentator statement - - ....IS THAT SUCH A STRETCH ??

I took two scrips of Chantix in '07...endured two, long, hospital stays PLUS psyche unit in '08. The first hospital stay was for possible heart attack and the second for sincere suicide attempt followed up w/psych unit. MY EXPERIENCE W/CHANTIX SHOOK ME TO THE VERY CORE!!!! I never even KNEW a little, blue pill could have such POWER to totally turn my life upside down!!!

It's a sneaky, yet THOROUGH process...and could be deadly. IF I hadn't taken this pill myself...I'm SURE I would've had my doubts as to the validity of some of the horror stories...but, I DID...and can ASSURE you...most are true!! I'll be the first to admit that YES, it DID touch on my smoking receptors...and DID take away the pleasure...and had it STOPPED there, I, TOO, would be singing Chantix' praises....but, it DIDN'T and I CAN'T.

Once in your system it grows feet....and travels on throughout your brain affecting/DISTORTING/twisting... your dreams, thoughts and reflexes!! It literally CHANGES your way of THINKING!!! This is a very, VERY scary drug and needs to be removed IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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MY HUSBAND TOOK CHANTIX TO QUIT SMOKING AND THE NIGHTMARES WERE SO BAD HE STOPED TAKING IT, AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS HE WAS TOLD TO TRY IT AGAIN AND DID. JAN 2012 WAS HIS THREE YEAR SMOKE FREE, NOW HERE ARE MY CONCERNS, HE IS A CHANGED PERSON, VERY MOODY, YELLS AND SCREEMS, SAYS VERY HURTFULL THINGS, HAS NO ENERGY, THIS IS NOT WHO MY HUSBAND WAS BEFORE THE CHANTIX.

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I took Chantix for 10 weeks last year, quit smoking for 10 months. Relapsed over the summer, and then went back on Chantix for 8 weeks. I have quit again and remain smoke free after 4 months. I experienced the side effects too...nausea in the morning, the dreams, the strange thoughts during the day. I smoked for 25 years and NOTHING else had ever worked for me. It took away the desire to smoke and helped me get to a point where I could work on killing that desire to smoke with the meds. Whatever it does, for me the side-effects were 100% worth it. I would wake up in the morning and remind myself I had nothing to feel s***ty about...

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I smoked for years. I took Chantix for 4 months and quit smoking after 3 months of treatment. I now cannot even stand the smell or thought of smoking. I have always had vivid dreams and Chantix did not make them any different. I am not do pressed or anxious. Most Chantix users have results like mine. My heart goes out to those of you having panic and anxiety attacks. I lived with that condition for 30 years until a doctor friend of mine suggested Paxil. I haven't had a panic attack in 27 years since beginning Paxil treatment. It did have the side effect of prolonging sexual endurance because it took longer for male orgasm. My wife loved that side effect. However now in my 60's sometes I lost the ability to orgasm due to the side effect. But it's still better than feeling like I couldn't breathe or like I had impending doom sweaty tingling hands and pounding fluttering heart, thinking I was about to die. Paxil gave me back my life. Chantix helped me quit smoking. I recommend both.

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DO NOT TAKE CHANTIX!!!!!
I was on it back in august 2011 and stopped taking it in October because I was severly depressed and now its MARCH 2012 I started smoking again. I just want these symptoms to go away so I can be normal again.

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I was on chantix for five months and successfully quit smoking after 39 years of 3 packs a day. Its been five months since I stooped using Chatix, but the dreams are still happening every night. I'm lucky to get 3 solid sleep hours, but still get woken up from the dream.

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I took two scrips of Chantix between Oct. '06 - Oct. '07. Endured two, long, hospital stays in '08. Feared drugs as a teen...can describe first hand, in VIVID detail an hallucination at 55.

This pill is POWERFUL...SNEAKY...and THOROUGH. Once in your system, only God knows how/where you'll land. You have know that people don't go to the trouble and expense of getting this prescription filled...w/hopes of having horrendous side effects. This drug is for real. A recall is OVERDUE.

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I started taken Chantix 06/28/2011 and I stop on 07/15/11.
When I started to take the medicine on the 3rd night I started to talking in my sleep about hurting my daughter, sister and her boyfriend. So far it has not change since I stopped taking it and last night I was kicking and punching my wife in my sleep. I have never had anything like this before. I am not a violent person I do take many medications I don't know if it is just from Chantix or a combination of Chantix and another medication. I just want these problems to stop before I really hurt someone. When I am awake I so far have no issues but I don't want these nighttime problem to move to days. I scare enough to move my two handguns to my mom house. Do any one knows how long these issues last.

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I quit smoking December 6th, 2010 only taking half the dose of Chantix for 6 weeks instead of the recommended 3 months. I was successful in my attempt to quit smoking for 6 months.

During the time I was taking Chantix, I did experience most of the side affects. Extreme agitation, anger, constant anxiety, bad dreams etc. so I decided quit taking the medication.

It has been 5 months since I've last taken Chantix and yet my side affects have not gone away. Although I no longer have bad dreams probably because I only sleep ~2 hours pre night for the past 5 months. I'm in a constant state of panic and I am extremely worried about this. My heart is fluttering all the time and I'm always very agitated. I thought that if I stopped taking the meds, the side affects would go away. Instead I'm in a panic and don't sleep anymore.

Yikes!! This is a very scary feeling to have day in and day out. I can't breathe and my heart is fluttering.

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I took Chantix for 3 weeks, within those 3 weeks I developed swelling of my lips and severe panic attacks. I was told to stop Chantix immediately, that was 3 weeks ago. The swelling has gone away, but the panic and anxiety is still present. I am on Prozac and Xanax, which I have NEVER had to take before. I have never had anxiety or this uneasy feeling in my spirit.
How much longer before I can be ME again???????

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If you haven't tried a parsley supplement while taking chantix, give it a try! I almost gave up on chantix because the nausea was soo bad. Now I take 860mg parsley capsules along with chantix and No more nausea. I originally bought the parsley to aid with water weight gain and just happen to take both the capsules and the chantix at the same time one morning. This is a miracle to me and I'm so happy I found this. Good Luck!

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Previous commenter,

I appreciate your knowledge of the lasting effects of LSD on people, and you are completely right. It has been proven that many years later there can be side effects and it is possible for LSD to permanently effect mental well being.

However, all drugs affect the brain. It is not the LSD itself that is causing the long lasting side effects. During the usage the brain chemistry was changed. There is a huge difference between the way LSD effects your brain and the way that chantix does.

Chantix will not stay in your system for 9 months. It's half life is nowhere near long enough to allow the chemicals to remain that long in your brain.

Are the symptoms for withdraw really so overlooked when people are drawing their conclusions about chantix? Of course it is true that a small percentage of people may experience serious problems, but this is true of all medications.

I would credit any side effects after stopping for 9 months to other causes, unless you believe that taking chantix has permanently altered your brain chemistry.

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You say that no medication can stay in your system that long. Hmmn, interesting concept. So no medicine/drug can stay in your system that long. So people who took a medicine/drug that affected their brain lets say back in the 60's or even possibly now of any said drug/ medicine could not have a flash back a day a week, month, year,5-10- or even 30 years later. Interestingly spinal taps and many doctors to include psychiatrist will disagree with your answer. Chantix also attaches itself in the brain to certain sensory mechanisms that seem to more than just affect the euphoric high that nicotine produces.

The studies were rushed and the true side effects are just now being reported, studied, and warned about. Let me introduce you to another drug/ medicine that has interestingly had some if not many of the same symptoms described by chantix users that has had a lasting effect on its users for decades. LSD also known as Dextro lysergic acid diethylamide tartarate. It affects the central nervous system primaly. It works, therefore, in the BRAIN. It creates, in its action, changes in the user's mood and behavior, perception and sensation. An LSD user cannot stop the LSD action. He may fear he is losing his mind, especially if the LSD effect is a bad trip. When this happens, he may panic, cause injury or death to himself. Paranoia. The LSD user may feel someone wants to control his mind, harm or kill him. He becomes increasingly suspicious. He may hurt or kill the object of his LSD-made fear. This feeling lasts 72 hours after the LSD has worn off. Mental Unbalance. As a result of panic and paranoia, the LSD user may get mentally unbalanced. This lasts weeks, months, even years. It requires psychiatric care to cure. Flashback. When a flashback occurs, the LSD victim may become insane or driven to suicide. (See What Is a Flash- back? above).

Heart Failure. LSD has led to fatal convulsions. His heart couldn't take it, as a doctor diagnosed an LSD death. It was: heart failure. Cause: LSD. Accidental Death or Injury. When the LSD user is on a trip, he may feel he can fly or float, leap out of a high window or tree, fall to his death. Or he may think that he/she is invincible, walk in front of a car and suffer injuries or even get killed. So how many of the symptoms above has been reported by Chantix users. To name a few nausea, vomiting, and vivid dreams oh thats right, that's what pfizer wants us to believe are the common side effects. It seems more common by the reports on line are the following reports of uncontrollable anger, flash anger, aggressiveness, moody,violent,suicidal, suicidal ideation,hallucinations, blackouts,memory loss, behavioral changes, vivid to extremely scary dreams, disaccociation, uncontrollable suicidal behavior, severe depression to name a few. Many of these symptoms occured during use, immediately following treatment, or even months to a year afterwards. The years of information on LSD proves that it can last years after the last dose. Where are the years of studies on Chantix? thats right there are none!!!!!! WE ARE THE GUINEA PIGS. Mind you I have never taken acid but many of the above symptoms I suffered while on, and after treatment.

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No! There are no medications that stay in your system for that long.

The only way you would still be feeling effects was if it had caused some type of permanent body/organ damage, which I am sure would have been detected long ago.

Chantix contains the active ingredient Varenicline,it is a stop smoking aid.

Common side effects during use can include: nausea, drowsiness, headache and abnormal dreams.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Chantix/­

Did you have any other questions?

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