Chantix

[TropicalBob]

There are those kept sane by smoking. And there are those who go insane without their "medication." Proof?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/he...tml?ref=health

[Queen Pigness]

I have a friend who tried Chantix. It didn't work. She's still smoking.

[camidaddy]

Chantix was the WORST thing I could have tried. Yes, it works if it doesn't turn you and your home into the Amityville Horror like it almost did for my family.

I actually had my kids BEGGING me to start smoking again...and I did after the wife threw the Chantix away.

[Vocalek]

Originally Posted by rsmith76

I took chantix for the 3 months required and had no side effects from it. I was able to quit analog cigs for a period of 5 months. I admit I did start again, but have not had a real cig for the lat 5 months, thanks to the e-cig.. Chantix will work great for some people, but not for everyone. The key is "willpower". I love my e-cig, a DSE 901b, but must admit they are not for everyone. There again, the key is "willpower". Weigh the pros and cons, and select what you feel is right for you. Experience is costly, but it's the only way for each individual to find what works for them. Bottom line: Chantix and e-cigs are not for everybody. Just my opinon.

Rick Smith

I think the point people were making is that if the side-effects are unbearable, then you stop taking the drug. That has nothing to do with will-power. The whole point of the drug is that it is supposed to take care of those pesky cravings so that you don't need a boatload of will-power, but it accomplishes this by blocking dopamine receptors.

The theory behind this drug is that smokers only do it to "get high" and if you take away the pleasure, you extinguish the smoking behavior. The problem is that they ignored other functions of dopamine receptors, such as contributing to being able to self-regulate your mood (i.e. ward off depression and anxiety, keep you even-tempered instead of angry and irritable) and to assist in regulating memory and concentration. So folks who are prone to have problems with those things suffer through the worst of the so-called "withdrawal" symptoms while taking the drug and can't even resort to lighting up a cigarette for a little relief. Oh, they can light up, but it won't help.

So you were lucky on two fronts: No nasty side-effects and you are not one of the people who has severe mood, memory, and concentration problems when you abstain from nicotine.

I don't have any medical problems that cause chronic pain, so it is easy for me to have enough will-power to refrain from taking pain medication on a daily basis.