Chantix - Drug Information And Side Effects (Page 2) (Top voted first)

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

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It's been 1 and ahal weeks OFF chantix. Nausea is gone, not smoking, feeling a lot better. Mood is greatly improved but I've also been working more. I don't crave a cig...I'm actually happy. My thinking has improved, excess gas is gone. Last week at my drs. I told him this was horrid stuff, he kept saying I'd be ok. I see sunshine on the horizon. Hang in there folks, but be sure to check in with your dr.

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I took Chantix 4yrs ago and sucessfully quit smoking for 3yrs. I had only some minor side effects at that time ie; vivid dreams, insomnia, nausea....This past year I started smoking occassionaly again. Four months ago I started back on Chantix and the side effects this time have been crippling. Not only have I had the vivid dreams, insomnia and nausea but have also been severly depressed, withdrawn, angry, anxious, thoughts of hurting others and myself. I've never had any sort of depression. I had a great life, I'm a working proffesional, have a great daughter & boyfriend, I travel a lot and used to enjoy each day. I have nothing to be depressed about, but yet can't shake this awful feeling of doom and despair...I stopped taking the Chantix 2 weeks ago and still feel as miserable as I did while taking it. It was tough talking to my Dr., I didn't want the stigma of having mental health problems in my medical record. I was hoping for a miracle drug to help me through this but I will have to wait. I was sent to a mental health specialist who I will have to talk with at least twice before they can prescribe any kind of anit-depressant meds. Im going to hold out hope until then. The kicker is I'm a closet smoker this time around and feel worse for having to hide it. This s*** is ruining my life and I'm praying I will eventually feel better. Its reassuring to know that I'm not the only one suffering from this evil drug and its not just me. Good luck to us all.

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I have taken Chantix 2 times in the past to quit smoking--but started smoking again after 3 months of taking the medication. There were no side effects from these instances. I took Chantix again in September 2013 and stopped smoking but my personality has changed. Now, I'm depressed, I need 8-9 hours of sleep a night plus a nap 1-1/2 hrs. each day, no energy and I have to force myself to do everyday tasks. I do not have suicidal thoughts, but this is a complete change from how I was personality wise. Before, I was always upbeat and looking forward to the start of each new day. My doctor prescribed an antidepressant but it hasn't helped. I believe that Chantix has altered my brain chemistry. It has been 7 months since I took Chantix and I can only pray that these effects will soon disappear.

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I posted this on FB over a year ago....I'm still having seizures and periods of what the doctors call "altered consciousness".

I took Chantix in an effort to quit smoking. During the second week strange things started to happen: I'd wake up somewhere other than in bed; I had flashbacks of dreams that were so vidid they made me sick; my heartbeat became irregular; I started hearing things that weren't there, and; I started to view sleep as the perfect opportunity to practice death. Doctor said I had stress and anxiety over my mom and needed to talk to somebody.

OK, so over the next few days I lost my taste buds, my appetite and five pounds. Worse for me, I was becoming incontinent. I had strange head and body aches and started to break out in nasty bruises around my pelvic bones and large joints. I told my husband that my skeleton was fighting to get out and my skull was was trying to squeeze my brain down my throat. Early in my third week I had a seizure. The first seizure of my life. The ER Doctor knew what it was and immediately took me off the Chantix. It's been almost a week and I still have Chantix in my head. My vision is still blurry and new bruises come up when they want. I came home, went online and I am shocked:

NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THAT HALF THE PEOPLE WHO TAKE CHANTIX SUFFER ADVERSE EFFECTS....THAT AIRLINE PILOTS AND BUS DRIVERS ARE FORBIDDEN FROM TAKING IT BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF SUDDEN BLACKOUT...THAT SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ARE COMMON ON CHANTIX...THAT CHANTIX INTERFERES WITH THE CHEMICAL AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS OF THE BRAIN...THAT THE DOPAMINE THE CHANTIX PREVENTS IS ESSENTIAL FOR BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH.

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OKAY...THIS CAME FROM THE CHANTIX INSERT...YOU BE THE JUDGE.

All patients being treated with CHANTIX should be observed for neuropsychiatric symptoms including changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicide-related events, including ideation, behavior, and attempted suicide. These symptoms, as well as worsening of pre-existing psychiatric illness and completed suicide, have been reported in some patients attempting to quit smoking while taking CHANTIX in the postmarketing experience. When symptoms were reported, most were during CHANTIX treatment, but some were following discontinuation of CHANTIX therapy.

These events have occurred in patients with and without preexisting psychiatric disease. Patients with serious psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder did not participate in the premarketing studies of CHANTIX.

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Absolutely, I have been experiencing the side effects for 2 years now, I only used it for a week and it's destroyed my life.

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You are SO wrong!! Chantix absolutely changed my brain chemistry. I couldn't stop thinking about how to kill myself and my entire family. Should I start a fire and burn down the house?? Should I get everyone in the car and get hit by a train?? How am I going to kill the dogs?? I started taking drugs to try to stop the insanity, which of course only magnified my symptoms. I am an RN and had my license suspended due to my drug use and inability to function. I was on Chantix for three months and was close to quitting smoking, and I thought, well; if I'm dead, then the Chantix helped. It has been FIVE years and I was given Straterra by my doctor and am just now feeling "normal" again. Through a twelve step program, a counselor, my doctor and loving support from family and friends; I feel like I might get a life back. This poison changed my brain and I've had to work very hard to get it back.

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I'm seriously wondering how you are doing? My loved one had a bad experience with Chantix within the first week and had to stop. Symptoms from brain fog, spacing out, no memory, & completely not knowing what is going on... Even unaware of own actions. Major confusion! Has been unable to work, keep in mind my loved one has a high up supervisor job and has always worked and taken care of things at home. Very independent and now is not able to even accomplish the simplest task due to the brain fog, & confusion. When ask to hand u an item... May come back with something completely out of context and not sure why they have it when they reach u. I'm very worried, as I said only took the medication a short time. Have appointments with a neurologist next week and I am hoping someone can give me a time frame of how long these symptoms will last. My loved one is the only income for this family and hasn't been able to work in a month and now after reading other survivor stories in afraid to leave them alone worried about other dangers. Has anyone had any relief of symptoms?

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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 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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Ditto to the above. I want to get back to me. I could handle some depression and anxiety before taking Chantix. I took Chantix for three weeks February 2012 and was forced to stop due to excessive gas, stomach discomfort and overall nasty feeling. Stopped smoking, but overall panic attacks and anxiety have made my life miserable to this day. Making simple decisions seems overwhelming and I now get very little joy out of life. During this period, my therapist has prescribed various psch meds, but due to my sensitivity to medications, I am unable to take anything to alleviate these demons. Prozac does nothing for the panic attacks. It breaks my heart to read about all the people who feel like I do.
Anyone out there have any suggestions?

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I took Chantix for almost 2 weeks, then my panic/anxiety level shot through the roof. 2 years later and I still have a hard time leaving my home. I lost my job, have no medical insurance and now have to take 3 other medications to counteract the way Chantix affected my system. I am fighting now for SSDI, because I can't leave my house without tricking myself out the door and if for any reason I have to go back into the house, I can't go back out. I live my life in fear that something/anything bad is going to happen. Chantix did affect my brain chemistry. Notice how the ad has changed on TV after all these side effects presented themselves. No lawyer wants to touch my case because I didn't try to kill myself, although I thought about it daily. But because I didn't try to kill myself I have no case. I don't have a life either.... CHANTIX SUCKED the life right out of me.

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The half life may be 9 months, the permanent alteration of the pleasure receptors continues maybe forever. The side effects of losing a livelihood, a wife and friends due to aggressive behavior is permanent.Your brain has been rewired. Anxiety, though treatable is a long term condition of lack of endorphin response of dopamine. Sex will never be the same. It take years to learn to do fine motor tasks without abnormal reflex interruption.

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I am a professional, 35-year old woman who had to quit smoking because my doctor would no longer prescribe the birth control pill if I smoked. I realize there are alternative birth control methods for smokers but I've been on the pill since I was 13 and knew a medical trigger would ultimately be the reason for me to quit a 24-year, pack-a-day habit anyway....

I had seriously considered Chantix for a few years but never filled the script until about 2 months ago. I had never taken anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication until my 30s and even then it was only temporary. I had a bad reaction with Lexapro and Paxil and left those cold turkey and never looked back long before I decided to try Chantix.

Within 2 weeks of starting it, I had to halve the dose because of the extreme side effects. After I stopped smoking the first week I started smelling & tasting things differently....I wasn't hungry at all....I didn't want to smoke....all really positive things in my book especially because I was worried about known lower metabolism & weight gain not smokng. My side effects ran the entire range of what's been reported; severe nausea, headaches, insomnia, vivid/dark/crazy dreams, anxiety attacks, etc. but I didn't trust myself to not smoke without "better living through chemistry" and I REALLY didn't want to give up. I was not going to start over after making the commitment to stop after so many years.

The lesser dose was more tolerable but the cravings were more noticeable. I tried to go back to the full dose and literally felt like I was losing my mind. I was seeing things out of my peripheral vision...I was hearing music that wasn't there....I couldn't calm down if I got worked up....I had the worst panic attacks of my entire life without provocation...Now let's be honest, I've been around the block when it comes to recreational chemical "enhancements" but the fact that I could handle those and not Chantix is one of the reasons I'm writing this entry.

My doctor (who's treated me since I was 9 yrs old) didn't tell me ANYTHING about these side effects. I work in the medical device industry and know better than to just trust what's on the label so I did a little homework beforehand, but honestly was so ready & willing to stop smoking permanently for the first time that I was excited to have some help and ignored what I read.

The half-life of Chantix is 24 hrs according to my pharmacist - it should be out of your system within 5 days of your last full dose. Everyone's metabolism is different but I have been suffering through the same or worse side effects that nearly drove my husband to take me to the hospital to be sedated on more than one occassion since I stopped taking it.

I'm on week 2.5 off the meds and I'm starting to feel more like myself but my short-term memory is terrible. Adult beverages make things even worse - don't drink too much while you're on this medication! I can't emphasize that enough. I felt like I was a pretty educated consumer before I started this drug but in hindsight, I would NEVER recommend this to anyone who has ANY history of anxiety or adverse reactions to medications that impact seratonin or dopamine levels like anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications.

I'll say that I have not had a smoke in almost 7 weeks. I am proud of that but let's be honest...it's not 7 months or 7 years and frankly, if I had them in the house I would be tempted. All of the things I've seen online re: long term effects and potential permanent brain chemistry changes has to mean something - even my education tells me otherwise.

If you choose to take this drug, please educate yourself and prepare your spouse/family/roommates/co-workers. I may not have made the same choice if I had known how my body chemistry and predispositions were going to react. It did get me past the first step of not smoking but there are some days after night terrors and confusing what's real and what's not real that I seriously believe smoking is less damaging that taking Chantix (although I think I know better).

It's your responsibility to make the best choice for you - own that. Do your research, ask questions, do what is right for your situation. If you take it, I wish you all the best....good luck....reach out to someone if you need help, even just to vent.

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This forum helped me back in May. My quit date was Feb 29 of 2012. By April I thought I lost it. Could not even finish sentences or remember why I got in the car. The depression and anxiety was unbelievable. Did not realize that it could be "a bottomless pit". I thank the good Lord that Wellbuterin has helped me and I am back to enjoying being alive again. Do not give up hope and keep trying new remedies until you find a way out of the chantix hell. the people on the other non smoking support site could not relate and I did not find help because their heads had not been turned inside out from chantix. It almost seemed like a lot of people on soberdotcom were like" don't bash chantix just bcuz you had a bad trip." And then having to hear the cliches like "hang in there...oh it will pass once you get past the cravings" while I was slowly but surely losing my mind only helped me feel more isolated on the island of chantix. I have to say I am grateful for stumbling across this site after searching for links on chantix survivors and life after chantix. Just want to thank all of the survivors on this site for sharing their experience and strength And hope.

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I would be more concerned with the possible long lasting effects once it gets out of his system (depression, memory loss, etc). I think for some people chantix is like bad LSD and can have effects even after. I would get to a doctor that can treat him for depression and monitor his psychiatric status. People can die on this. Please seek help until you find it. The best article I ever read on chantix was called This Is My Brain On Chantix. Described the effects perfectly. Don't give up!

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My last day of work was 4/21/10, I had been taking Chantix for about a week, but I was also taking an anti-depressant. I have severe anxiety/panic attacks still. And worst of all, I am still smoking. There are thousands of us out here but you have no legal recourse against the makers of Chantix unless you attempted or committed suicide. Just thinking about it all the time isn't enough. I know I can add to my list of problems :Anxiety/panic Disorder, Depression (on 2 separate meds), Fibromyalgia, COPD, GERD, IBS, migraines, and agoraphobia, can no longer focus long enough to read books and I was an avid reader at least 1 book every 2 days, I'm easily distracted and my memory is horrible. I can go into a room 3 or more times for something and end coming back without it and I remember why I went into that room. Have been denied SSDI and is now in the appeal office in Virginia. Mind you, I filed this claim in October of 2010, no income at all. I get $200 in food stamps but that is just for food not toilet paper, paper towels, cleaners. I owe so many people that I think when they see it's my number they either send it to voicemail or just not answer the landline and let it go to the answering machine...

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I wasn't aware immediately. In fact, others began pointing out to me that I was behaving strangely. At first, I was hostile and rather aggresive. I remember coming back from the gym one day and telling my husband that I got angry at another driver and thought I should force him off the road. My husband said that my behavior at home was increasingly angry and cruel. That phase lasted for a couple weeks, then I went off Chantix because I knew my behavior was all wrong. But as soon as I went off the Chantix, the anger quickly diminished and I went headlong into a paralyzing depression. It was like being on that drug revved my brain in damaging ways, but when I went off it it did a reverse and just shut me down.

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I am sorry you are going through this Kim. It tooks months for some side effects to leave me. It has been years now and I still have the worry and anxiety ( I NEVER had this prior to Chantix) I noticed I was behaving different and having visuals of heading into the median and going sailing while driving down the highway with my fiancee at the time.(ex now) I had my ex calling me white trash one day for an episode that happened at Dunkin Donuts drive through. That was about a month and a half of taking the "miracle" drug. Have you bluntly said to him it is the Chantix that is ruining us?

Ann Marie it does get better. You just never get back to the way you were before taking Chantix.

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I was on Chantix 2 different times.While on taking it I would wake up every morning around 3am and horrible nightmares.This is still happening to me 5 years after I have been off of it.I took an overdose of pills(not CHANTIX) while on Chantix ended up in I.C.U. for 3 days then off to a Mental Hospital for 9 days.I have high blood pressure since that happened,never had it before...started out on 1 medicine for it now today I'm on 4 medicines for my high blood pressure and also have heart problems too...on a beta blocker and calicum channel blocker.I also have a bipolar disorder.I talked to a lawyer about my attempted sucide and basicly it's like this if I was dead..someone could collect on behalf.I WOULD NOT SUGGEST TO ANYONE TRYING TO QUIT SMOKING TO TAKE CHANTIX.I'm not the person I once was. F*** Pzifer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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