"My husband Ken is on blood pressure meds and two years ago I had been hospitalized because of heart palpitations. We told the doctor about our medical conditions and he said not to worry, he didn't even check my heart. He just assured us that Chantix tells your brain not to smoke and doesn't affect your body except maybe some dizziness and nausea.
"We took it last February. The first dose is 0.5 mg and lasts a week; I got really dizzy and nauseous but I was expecting this and it was no big deal if it meant quitting smoking. Then in the second week the dosage doubled to 1 mg. That week was hell.I almost lost my job as a volunteer because of my erratic behavior: I yelled at my boss and she is so kind to me. I was short tempered with everyone and I didn't care—I just started yelling. I attributed my temper to PMS or menopause because it didn't even occur to me that Chantix could be to blame.
One night my husband and I got into this horrific argument about food—he didn't want something for dinner. He threw a pair of scissors at me and I threw an ashtray in his direction. We have been married 27 years and never fight like this. Even if we disagreed, we would simply walk away. And I yelled at our 17-year-old son for no reason.
Thank god we talk at the dinner table. Luckily, my son knew we were on Chantix and we started talking about it. He went to the cupboard and got a list of side effects the pharmacist gave us when we picked up the drug. The side effects were listed on a separate paper, not from the Chantix maker. Anyway, my son read a litany of side effects. 'Ohmigod, why would you take this drug?' he asked. We quit, right then and there.
But we both had these doom and gloom feelings—I had never felt so low. I am healthy, I exercise and have a positive outlook. But to this day I still have nightmares. For the most part, the mood swings have leveled off but something is still not right. I talk about it with my husband but he says 'Whatever'—he'll work with a broken arm. And we are both still smoking. In fact I smoked more when I took Chantix.
You don't even realize mood swings at the time. And you wonder about the long term effects. I got my heart palpitations back. There were so many side effects listed such as suicidal thoughts and behavior—it could lead anywhere. What other harm could this drug cause?
READ MORE CHANTIX LEGAL NEWS
After we stopped taking Chantix my husband was listening to a radio show about people who had actually committed suicide while on this drug. We went online and read more about all these poor people. I guess a lot depends on your frame of mind but neither of us had a history of depression, nor in either family. I emailed Pfizer, the manufacturer, and asked if side effects could be long term or permanent but I didn't get a reply.
I just want to let people know that Chantix is a terrible thing and that people are really suffering. It makes me sick to think that some have committed suicide—if you are already depressed, why take this? Why isn't the manufacturer talking to the medical community about the side effects? I already know the answer: they won't make any money.
READER COMMENTS
Janice Webster
on
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, the day I was supposed to quit, I had a seizure. The first seizure of my life. The ER Doctor knew what it was and immediately took me off the Chantix. I had seizures and periods of altered consciousness for the next three years. During this period I developed a weird kind of cancer that couldn't be staged because it didn't fit any of the diagnostic categories. I had four tumors, each their own individual cancers, I was treated in 2015, but six months later I had 3 more tumors, then a year later I had two more. It's been almost 10 years of medical craziness, strange things like sleepwalking, night terrors, constant dehydration, arrhythmia and amnesia.
I can't say that every medical issue has been Chantix related, but I can say that Chantix changed me and my physiology, and not for the better.
Keith Sluder
on
Kenneth James
on
Jules P V
on
Kathy Hildebrand
on
jennifer smith
on
Mike Dee
on
I was prescribed Chantix as a tobacco-cessation tool. I read and understood all the risks and discussed them with family members prior to consuming the medication, in case any adverse effects were to manifest. In other words, safety net: engaged.
After being an avid smoker and smokeless tobacco user/abuser for 16 of my then 32 years, and after trying patches, cold turkey, hypnosis - well, pretty much everything - the potential benefits outweighed the risks. I was ready to quit, I *wanted* to quit, I wasn't being *told* to quit. In other words: become knowledgeable about the medicine, understand your motivation and set forth a plan.
A couple weeks after beginning the medication and after my official quit date, I began to experience the "vivid dreams." Initially terrifying, I soon grew to enjoy them. With a little forethought, you can prepare for and guide the dreams to your whims. My experience appears to vary from others on this forum, but my dreams were at times enchanting, often captivating and always satisfying.
The only major downside for me was: dreams and true memories, at times, overlapped. A good memory? Well, let's see where this vivid dream can take it... Well, it took months of contemplation (and several awkward phone calls to friends) to figure out which memories were truly memories and which were dreams.
...I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but for the needing to start smoking again. 10 years tobacco-free this March...I'm not going back!
Melon
on
RecoveryDave
on
Went to stop smoking clinic at GP, was given Champix, and told most people feel a bit nauseous on them, but it wears off.
What they should say is Champix is like Russian roulette, if you have diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health issues, god help you.
I wasnt even asked about blood pressure or anything, and they had my medical records there that clearly show I have in the past been prescribed anti depressants and blood pressure tablets.
Things went downhill fast and almost unnoticed by me, I stopped smoking on day eleven, by day twenty eight, was sat there deciding what to put in my suicide note. I am self employed and basically became incapable of work or functioning for nearly six weeks, this has pretty much cost me my business. Horrible depression, panic attacks anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
When I phoned GP to talk to them about it, they put me through to Pharmacist, who was going to get Head Pharmacist to ring me back, they never did, I stopped taking them and within 36 hours noticed a marked improvement, that was three weeks ago, and I still get panic/anxiety attacks, which I never had before.
I can appreciate that from a statistical point of view the minority of serious side effects outweigh the cost of smoking related illness to the NHS. But 1 in 1000 risk of suicide, stroke, heart attack???
These tablets should only be prescribed after a thorough vetting, and you should have a buddy system in place with your partner or close friend.
I cannot even describe what I put my family through short term, and what the long term financial implications relating to my business will be.
Bryce Tarpley
on
I_WANT_REVENGE
on
if you hear of an active shooter at pfiezer offices....
Chris
on
Has anyone else experienced that and think it's Chantix related? Just curious
Barbara
on
Lab monkey
on
This includes illegal and clandestine medical research through Sjmhs or umhhs and included collaborative projects with wsu,MSU, northwestern, case western, and other universities.
As I was trafficked, a military medical lgbtq person with connections to obgyn decided I would make a wonderful superdonor for egg donation and biospecimens donation to be used in assisted reproductive technology/Ivf for those who couldn’t have children naturally. because I grew up on the poor side of Ann Arbor and they justified their exploitation labeling me and others as from “vulnerable populations” - which to them means easily exploitable because they are poor.
The reality is I was not poor nor vulnerable, they picked me and others because we didn’t socialize in their same circles ( ie have parents involved in organized crime ring , attend private school at greenhills, Rudolph Steiner, or community) and they were taught by their parents to continue the exploitation I’m guessing as a right of passage/ to continue the profit - not unlike hazing in fraternities.
Fast forward through decades of clandestine exploitation and medical cover up from sequelae of trafficking - I have not by my consent - like a breeding animal- supplied hundreds of perverts with biospecimens for research and use to make babies. Once you’ve been assaulted and drugged and your eggs or biospecimens stolen and successfully used to create babies or create a stem line for research - you are tagged for death-or mental disability to render you a unreliable witness in federal court- of course they have to make it appear to be a natural death or disability from “natural” illness like a stroke, cancer or mi or brain trauma. They then have every single recipient of donations from this black market egg sperm repository- then contribute to the destruction of their donor because they knew it was wrong but still did it knowing innocent people were victimized to supply eggs and sperm that they hand picked to use - to ensure their secret is never discovered!
They can’t risk their targeted donors running into the illegally created designer offspring! It’s really a perverted ring!
Being a superdonor means- I am learning too late- that they run all sorts of tests on you and your eggs or sperm. Without you even being the wiser bc they use others within their ring who work in pharmacies, lab technicians, nurses, radiology technicians, doctors to perloin specimen. Most often through stealing or swapping blood samples from primary care offices where people get annual blood work done as recommended by primary care skip measures ( gov mandates). This is fraud but we trust our medical providers - that’s why this group is very dangerous!
They ran genetic tests on my biospecimens andmust have found a marker for late onset Parkinson’s disease. Interesting that the school of nursing at the University Of Michigan was visited by Michael j fox himself to solicit and donate expedited research involving Parkinson’s! And that the uofm created a special Parkinson’s research hub soon thereafter. Pfizer has affiliate ties to the u including employees like Heidi Baum and Cahill. And school of nursing researchers.
They found that if you want to expedite the onset of Parkinson’s disease, including Parkinsonism dimentia (sounds like a debilitating disability hmmmmm) you can do so by (1) creating some sort of brain trauma or insult ( ie exposure to voice to skull microwave radiation or excessive exposure to anesthetic agents used for “conscious sedstion” research aka sex trafficking without victim knowing - if done correctly that is , or hypercapnea or blunt force trauma etc). (2) exposing target to excessive organic pesticides (two in particular have been implicated) I have been unknowingly exposed to excessive pesticides for decades by “paid off” neighbors and those involved in this crime - even breaking into my condos and spraying without me knowing except that there were dead insects all of a sudden on floor and all over and my dog getting sick. (3) expose target to a medication that depletes neurotransmitter dopamine — ie Chantix!
To date even my sick perverted new brother in law is being recruited/ bribed to help cause me to get Parkinson’s - he and his family have actually sprayed my bed sheets with pesticides before I stayed over in their spare bedroom ( their cat came into sleep in bed and cried as it sniffed the bedsheets and ran off) and spiked my food with some sort of drug every time I go to his house or his families home!. Yes he will go to jail soon but it takes time.
So that is their game. To harm me, but also bet on when I will get Parkinson’s. For them the sooner the better so I can’t prosecute them but also I would be st their mercy for medical care.
My condo was repeatedly broken into, my food spiked with pesticides or date rape drug - whichever they required at the time. My prescription drug was either spiked or swapped out. My food at work at Sjmhs was spiked. I was given some sort of drug eluding capsule under the guise of iodine pill (I’m learning was a trial by pharmaceutical researchers) that slowly emits drugs and gives biofeedback to researchers. Then as my colleagues in anesthesia knew what they were doing related to Chantix - they started to tell me I had depression or “crazy” behavior. I didn’t. They recorded me at work everyday. Hoping I would have a manic episode from Chantix while at work so they could have it on record. They actually placed surveillance cameras in my home and bathrooms to monitor me. They we watching me to measure the effects of the Chantix and cater their manipulation to how I was doing. They wanted to record me having “dangerous” behavior at work - they participated in doing things that mimicked what they wanted the outcome of Chantix administration to do to me...again they talked all the time about depression, everyday, they talked about paranoia, they talked about psychotic symptoms, excessive crying, withdrawn emotions, cardiac eventsetc. all along they were doing things to influence my environment so they could say it was Chantix. They recruited my neighbors and “friends”. Always saying “they told me to do” whatever.
Some was some wasn’t. They were gaslighting and gangstalking me which causes emotional harm. Squeezing me my manipulating my environment, making me fearful, not safe in my own home but we’re watching it all the time on social media live feeds. Not one person ever tried to help me. I’m sure people watching were lied to about why I was being videotaped in my own home or were perverts and didn’t care as long as they could watch a naked woman not knowing she was being videotaped. My own anesthesia department. I never knew I was being exposed to high doses of Chantix! Until now!
My point is when I was eventually gangstalked out of work by my colleagues and hired tech company - they were worried that what they did would be easily discoverable- it was- the surface injury with trying to induce Parkinson’s but more importantly I wasn’t responding quickly enough to their insults and attempted murder - so I could expose the human trafficking- they sent me to a psychologist who worked at the uofm and was friends with lgbtq anesthetists - she was animate about making sure I was put on an antidepressant or antipsychotic drug by my own volition. I refused because I told her I was a naturalist organic person who didn’t like exposing my body to chemical insults - I bet she thought that was ironic bc she knew what she and others had done to me clandestinely!!! She was told to emphasize psych meds so there could be a reason for why my biochemistry was as messed up from the Chantix and sedation drugs.
I have never done drugs in my life and never will. Her boss used to work as staff psychologist for the justice department! Her other boss’s wife just happened to write a book entitled “radical acceptance” which is a concept I -not her- brought up during my counseling sessions!!! They were exploiting me even then!
End result is I have not worked for one year due to harassment in community and threats from medical residents and former colleagues who have ties to local law enforcement and federal law enforcement (justice department I’m guessing).
I feel 100% better, I don’t feel like I am dying anymore. My brain is healed so I can recall a lot more than I wish to related to trafficking. I did have cardiac events that were unexplainable at the time and felt nauseated and aweful all the time while working at Sjmhs fir the entire ten years!!! Now I know they were trying to hurt me after they had abused me and stole my gametes. A lot of people were working toward same goal. Most people are motivated by one thing , their love of money. Sad really. I guess that is one of the main drivers behind human trafficking rings as well as pharmaceutical companies!
Those who did this are being held accountable- but this time it’s them that don’t realize it!
Dani Gee
on
susan
on
L Nocco
on
Dave
on
viceguy
on
Auntie
on
alina may
on
I took champix for 1 week and stopped due to side effects. Since i stopped ive had sever joint and muscle pains and it is getting worse.
Does anyone know what can be done to fix this and is it permanant? Has anyone spoken to people that have done anything to improve?
Michele
on
Judy
on
Max
on
Michael
on
Tim Nielsen
on
Lynn
on
ken
on
Kevin k
on
Hopefully my new cardiologist can help. But I know no one can fix the changes to my brain chemistry. It's a done deal I fear. I can't even remember what it feels like to walk outside and enjoy a beautiful day. SCREW YIU CHANTIX FOR DESTROYING MY LIFE!!
And don't expect a doctor to even acknowledge chantix could have anything to do with how you feel. They will just deny it.
b
on
I have been off for 3 months and it is not good. Insomnia/Withdrawn/Violence-Idolazation/Random Rage Attacks.
Marit
on
Brandy
on
carmen
on
Andrea
on
Terrence-The Technician-Williams
on
mitzi
on
I found through my experience while on this, is to use a non nicotine e-cig (Not inhaling it) to help ease the habit of putting something into my mouth and had stayed on the anti anxiety until the drowsiness of it was more than I could bear. When my natural anxiety started returning a few months later, (or maybe the ongoing effects of the chantix continued or returned), I became anxious and tempted by friends that smoked and i made it ok to smoke just one cigarette which tasted awful, but eventually cheated a few more puffs here and there, and before I knew it I was hooked once again. After 2 more attempts with Chantix for short periods again, I had quite those 2 times yet again, but only for short periods (1 to 3 months) as long as I used the anti anxiety meds for a certain amount of time while trying. I am also sensitive to those as well (severe drowsiness with even a minimul and occasional dose).
The final attempt, I tried it the same way, using the anti anxieties to get me through the agitation part as best they could (in very small doses) and then found the doctor already told me he would not help with the anti-anxiety meds any more after this. Drs are too lazy to supervise you're medication intake I'm finding!
So shortly after my sisters death, i stopped smoking again the same way (after my first full dose and reduced to .5 for a week or so, i got off the chantax asap and stayed a non smoker for 1.5 years.
Unfortunatly I am not allowed to use any more anti anxiety meds now and went back to smoking after putting myself in an unsure and bad situation that included a one week stay with new found friends in another state for one week and I weakened and felt surrounded by many smokers and no non smokers and ended up back as a full time smoker. The only reason I had lasted so long was due to a good support system of friends who did not smoke that I had in place prior to that situation, but did not think to call them while in this very tempting situation.
I was desperate to continue to try yet again and without something to take to keep me calm through those terrible side effects, i of course failed. And now will not risk the amount of anxiety and agitation that can occur with this Chantix again!
My suggestion is to take it to full dose and expect a nightmare or vivd dreams, also be prepared for extreme agitation or anxiety and possibly heart arhythmia in some cases, Have a good support system in place and hope you're doctor can give you something to counter act that anxious/agitated feeling that is often associated with Chantix. Youre life may depend on it! My anxiety continues and cannot get relief, I am still so tense that i cannot swallow food well and am down to 100lbs, but so far no throat cancer!
If i had a question to ask, it is how long should I expect this extreme anxiety to continue after I've stopped taking it now?
Ryan
on
Deb
on
My husband started taking Chantix quite a few years ago. He was on it or at least 3 years while smoking. There were a few stops during that 3+ year period. My concern how he is now. The last time he took Chantix was 4 years ago and he did stop smoking. I stopped cold turkey. How will the constant taking of Chantix over a 3+ year period effect him? I know how he is now and he has really changed. Does anyone know?
Thanks
jacob
on
Janelle Garner
on
beverly Kearney
on
Better........I hope they have for your sake and for mine?
beverly Kearney
on
Jen
on
Kevin k
on
J M
on
This is my second Chantix quit. The first occurred about a year ago. I had just turned 40, and as a physically active person I could feel the effects of smoking limiting me. It took me a while to stay quit last time, and I gained a pound a day for the first 2 months. From 160 lbs. to 215 lbs., my doctor actually commented that quitting may kill me faster than smoking. The weight gain caused blood pressure and blood sugar problems which self resolved after the drugs (Chantix and Nicotine) were out of my system.
Part of the weight gain was due to eating more frequently because have a full belly was the only thing that kept me from want to vomit, but by my calculations the increase in calories wasn't quite enough to account for the weight gain. Since stopping Chantix I have lost about 15 to 20 lbs., but it has required some additional activity (which is much more difficult now) and severely limiting my diet.
I also had the most intense dreams last time, and it resulted in me getting no more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep at a time. I could attribute most of the emotional issues to lack of sleep, but that is by no means a certainty.
So right before Hurricane Iselle I was in Hawaii and had a ton of work to do. My deadline was days away, but power was due to go out by the end of the next day. I knew I had to spend every waking minute with my face in a computer, and smoking always helped me get through those marathon sessions, and that was in almost two months ago.
I'm back on the Chantix again and most of the symptoms are not as bad. The nausea is still awful, but the dreams aren't as disturbing and I have been sleeping through the night. I have had an almost omnipresent headache though and have experienced some trouble with concentration and memory (I can never remember if I took the damn pill or not - right after I take it). I've also been cranky, but not as depressed as last time.
Given that I'd only been smoking a few weeks, instead of 25 years, (and not nearly as much) I would imagine that the reduction in symptoms may be due to a lowered addiction response. There have been some studies recently correlating smoking with mental illness and quitting with both psychosis and suicide. Ther have also been some studies that suggest children whose parent smoke have a higher incidence of behavioral problems at school and risk of 'getting in trouble' increases the longer they are at home. (This study included fighting, insubordination, disconnectedness, and over time diagnosis of learning or mental health issues, etc. - it was fairly comprehensive) One suggestion was that the children of smokers are going through Nicotine withdrawal daily and that for many of the students their behaviors may be linked to having a nocotine addiction. To be clear, certain ethical considerations, like giving Nicorette gum to a nine year old, prevented this study from drawing and hard conclusions but it does make one wonder how dangerous cigarettes are apart from their physical side effects.
For many of us, smokers and former smokers, I think we could agree that it is the cigarettes that need to be taken off the market as much as the Chantix.
I hope this helps some of you. Best of luck with quitting, and please support either removing nicotine from cigarettes (slowly so the world doesn't fall into total chaos) and/or tighter restrictions on the sale and promotion of cigarettes so future generation may be free from this scourge.
Michael
on
As far as this being permanent or not, I certainly hope it isn't. You won't read much about people saying it gets better because only the current sufferers are the one's motivated to post anything about it. However, I've done my own research and have heard both good and bad stories. Some people say they went back to their familiar selves after a year or so, and for others much longer. Obviously some people are still battling with lingering Chantix effects like an unfamiliar style of depression or brain agitation. With all my sincerity, I hope it gets better for everyone. It's a terrible ride when you're one of the few that is affected this way.
Tim Pack
on
Heather M
on
Sue
on
I found I was not sleeping well, because the Chantix kept me too jazzed up. As I became tired day by day, I became really cranky. I stopped my nighttime dose, and started sleeping really well. My mood improved 110%.
I started Chantix mid October 2013, and by mid November 2013 I thought I'd quit smoking. Well, sometimes, once a week, I would take 5 puffs off a cigarette. In January 2014, it got to be once a day. So last week, I stopped even taking puffs. My urges would only last maybe 20 minutes, if I'd just hang tough, they'd pass. My 2nd refill ran out, and I thought I was good to go- 5th day off Chantix. NOOOOOO, I gave in and puffed a cigarette this morning. The urges last longer than 20 minutes now. So, I don't know but the Chantix works for me.
Those it made nauseous, are you taking it after a meal like the directions say?
Julie Palatinus
on
Sherry
on
angie Pe
on
Linda Allen
on
I tried to kill myself, I can't keep a job, and I'm sick of it.
mlee
on
Kris warren
on
Jackie
on
Jane
on
ron morris
on
Mary Dean
on
Immediately I felt nauseated and dizzy. I never was able to up the dose. I remained on the same dose but continued to be sick. I became very depressed. I have never suffered a depressive episode-I have never fully recovered.
They need to investigate this drug further. I think it is very bad and would not recomend it.
Gail
on
Jason
on
I took Chantix in 2010 for about four weeks. I was so sick that I had to stop. I haven't been right since.
My moods are divided between rage and indifference. I no longer wants kids, or to be married. I just want to be alone. I have battled depression before, but it's different now. I am either angry or I don't care.
Am I going to be this way for the rest of my life?