CHANTIX vs Vaping

[stols001]

I think I'd rather go see an acupuncturist with a sadistic tilt. If I'm going masochist, I'm going all in.

My mother is an acupuncturist and I was her voodoo doll for practice during acupuncture school. She rehearsed every point multiple times. I should be the healthiest acupuncture patient ever, and she earnestly tried to use the quit smoking protocol many times.

Acupuncture works for pain, is all that's proven. The needles don't hurt. I had sciatica while I was pregnant and my mom fixed it with a 3.5 inch needle that she shoved down my rear into my sciatic nerve-- I felt it when the needle hit the nerve, but it wasn't painful, just disconcerting, and it worked.

I think even the most sadistic acupuncturist won't be able to hurt you or harm you though. The needles are the size of a hair follicle, they aren't painful at all. And if you want to die via acupuncture, you're going to have to do something really nuts like not tell your acupuncturist you had ribs removed for a smaller waist and then get your heart punctured by accident, that's the only acupuncturist death I know of.

My experience has been it's no magic bullet for smoking/detox, though....

Anna

 

[CMD-Ky]

I know two people who took Chantix. One could have been an advertisement for the stuff. She had no problems of any kind. She would remain smoke free while those around her were puffing like locomotives. She is five years without smoking. The other went batty after about five days, never took it again.

 

[JCinFLA]

I know 3 who tried Chantix. 1 it absolutely worked for, with none of the bad side effects. 1 quit taking it when the horrible nightmares, and even "daymares" started happening for her. The last one was on it until she had thoughts about taking a swan dive off a 5-story building. That did it for her...and she got off it immediately and had recommended psych care for the next several months.

 

[stols001]

That did it for her...and she got off it immediately and had recommended psych care for the next several months.

Yep, I bet she was still smoking, and then had to take a bunch of psych drugs to repair/contain the damage done by taking Chantix. That is a REAL win, for harm reduction right there. (Sarcasm enabled.)

I absolutely cannot understand why this drug is still on the market, and if it were for any other population than the mentally ill or smokers, I don't believe it would be, there seems to be some sort of different standard for those populations as to what's acceptable (sudden death being a big one, honestly). I get it. I've given up a LOT including ALL my teeth to take lithium, and I still say it's worth it. (That is an extremely rare side effect by the way, but for me with meds that work, I seem to be the queen of those, hence, not chancing Chantix.)

If Chantix were to be prescribed at all, I really think it should be in the context of a contained environment like a locked psych ward for a few weeks to see what develops.... The good news on doing it that way is the patient wouldn't be able to smoke at all, anyway.... The bad news on that is most psychiatrists hate this drug like poison and would never prescribe it to their smoking patients.

I still see the happy grandma on Chantix commercials raving about how freaking great life is. The actress in the commercial looks like a never smoker to me, not a recent Chantix "survivor."

Anna

 

[BreSha6869]

Chantix is evil but Xyban is worse. I tried both and it would likely have been healthier if I just kept smoking. NASTY stuff.

If it wasn't for vaping, I would still be smoking and be a complete basket case if I was still taking that crap.

 

[1/2 fast]

Chantix is evil but Xyban is worse. I tried both and it would likely have been healthier if I just kept smoking. NASTY stuff.

If it wasn't for vaping, I would still be smoking and be a complete basket case if I was still taking that crap.

Tried the zyban for about a week. Wanted to jump out of my own skin and my blood pressure numbers looked like the Dow and NASDAQ. Smoking was way better. After that there was no way I'd try Chantix.

Put me in the category of if there wasn't vaping I'd still be smoking for sure.

 

[stols001]

Xyban (Wellbutrin rebranded for smokers) can cause pretty intense manic symptoms in some folks. The first time I tried it for depression, I kind of accidentally quit smoking, but decided to resume since (in my mind) I thought, "This is easy, I can just take Xyban again if I need to."

Each time I took it (for wintertime depressions) the quitting effect was less. Xyban works ONCE if you are lucky, ONCE. I always tell people that. It is a particularly activating antidepressant and will send some people over the edge, my husband being one of them.... He didn't sleep for five days and decided he did not like that side effect.

Medications just don't work for smoking, just like Antabuse doesn't work for alcoholism. I lost count of the number of alcoholics who drank on it anyway, or just stopped taking it. I also don't recommend Naltrexone for alcohol or opiate addiction, the side effect "Attempted or COMPLETED suicide," just did not appeal. Yet they use it in depo injection form for opiate addicts, sometimes as youths or otherwise involuntarily..... It's Not. Good.

I don't understand why people don't understand these are behavioral and attitudinal changes, but anyway.... Big Pharma does suck, and I stick to older meds when I can because at least I know the long term side effects, mostly.... There is no good pill to swallow to "fix" addiction, there really isn't.

I'd still be smoking as Wellbutrin was ruined by my youth and idiocy, and Chantix is terrifying. I think non smokers have the "You're going to die anyway, what do we care?" attitude. So you can add me to the list of people vaping SAVED from that ugly death.

Anna

 

[OlderNDirt]

After 5 or 6 years trying to quit the cigs and failing, my cardiologist gave me a prescription for Chantix. I did a little research and said hell no! He didn't even balk when I told him I didn't even try it. That was over 15 years ago, well before the e-cig.

Just think how far the powers that be will go and for that long to save smokers from themselves, yet don't want to even give vaping a chance.

 

[ExtremeDooty]

It amazes me what government finds acceptable. Did you know that there is an "acceptable" amount of rat poop in your chocolate? Seriously! I try not to think about that very much.

Animal feces, like rat droppings, may not exceed 10 mg per pound of cocoa. However, the amount of cocoa differs depending on what kind of chocolate you're eating, so there would be more in dark chocolate than milk chocolate.

That's just disturbing!

 

[ScandaLeX]

I know someone on Chantix rii now.... Everyone around her see she's nuttier than a fruitcake from it but she thinks she's ok.

 

[zoiDman]

...

Gee, I wonder which is the healthier, safer, more effective way to try to quit smoking - CHANTIX or vaping?

Hi Jasjas. Welcome to the ECF.

Good to Hear that e-Cigarettes are Helping You. They helped me Kick a 20 Year Pack-a-Day Habit.

I have known 3 People who have used Chantix.

One tried it and it Didn't Work.
One tried it and Cut Down. But felt Strange and Stopped. And Started Smoking Again.
One tried it and after 4 Days decided that Jumping out of a 7th Story Window at 3:30am was a Good Idea.

Thank God she woke up her boyfriend as she started to climb out the widow. And he was able to Stop Her.

 

[Lord_Mayhem]

I took Zyban as part of a smoking cessation program back in 2003. No side effects, but didn't work either. No effects at all and didn't do a damn thing for me. So I'm wondering if Chantix would have affected me either. I'll never know now that e-cigs are here.

 

[Bunnykiller]

I had a very close friend who was on Chantix... he is no longer with us... he suffered the worst side effect.

 

[Tonee N]

I had a very close friend who was on Chantix... he is no longer with us... he suffered the worst side effect.

Everyone who works at the FDA or Big Pharma should be FORCED to take the prescription drugs they allow on the market!
There would be ALOT of new job openings.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[stols001]

I know someone on Chantix rii now.... Everyone around her see she's nuttier than a fruitcake from it but she thinks she's ok.

I had a very close friend who was on Chantix... he is no longer with us... he suffered the worst side effect.

Hopefully her friends and family are doing something about that, as this may progress to something awful really fast, especially if she doesn't have insight. She needs to be taken back to her provider and have whoever takes her come with to describe her symptoms, ASAP. She may also need a psychiatrist's help to get things straightened out in her brain, depending on how bad it has gotten. NO INSIGHT is not a good symptom to have, generally, but with Chantix in particular. This is AN EMERGENCY in case I am not making myself clear. People die or kill on Chantix more frequently than is ever reported.

PLEASE work with someone close to your friend to get her help. You may lose her friendship over it, (possibly... possibly not when her insight returns) but she won't lose her life. It's incredibly awful when these situations happen, but if she is completely oblivious to what's going on, she needs to be strong armed, (IMO) due to how swiftly this drug can turn on a person. I hardly EVER recommend that, I'm not a huge fan of forced intervention but there are times it is necessary.

Back when I was unstable, I was never upset with my family for forcing a psych visit on me, or my doc indicating I needed a hospitalization even, I want to a) live b) not destroy my family and friends with bad decision making. I'm thrilled to be stable now, but I remember the bad times during my first 8 years or so of treatment. I don't begrudge my family taking actions, though not every person feels the same way.

I will be praying for your friend and that she gets the help she needs, pronto.

Anna

 

[QcVaper]

I never knew what chantix was...... I'm now guessing it's some heavy medication 0.0
Never tried it and holy hell never will xD Managed to quit pretty easily and without efforts thanks to vaping.

 

[leftyandsparky]

I never knew what chantix was...... I'm now guessing it's some heavy medication 0.0
Never tried it and holy hell never will xD Managed to quit pretty easily and without efforts thanks to vaping.

Chantix is a FDA approved devil

 

[QcVaper]

Chantix is a FDA approved devil

I see.... Well that seems to explain everything to me Good thing i never tried it..... I already smoke other stuff.... Don't wanna modify my behavior or some crap like that 0.0

 

[stols001]

The only behavior you are likely to modify by taking Chantix for "other stuff" is that it may make you psychotically suicidal and/or homicidal, and the FDA may *enjoy* saying some of this is due to quitting. It's not. It also will not address "other stuff" it specifically targets nicotinic receptors in the brain, keeping them full and satiated, so that cravings are alleviated (supposedly) and if you smoke tobacco you *will not* feel anything, including satisfaction which does tend to be accurate for the most part.

It does work for some people, but I prefer not to be playing Russian Roulette with my harm reduction products, and it clearly does other stuff in the brain, as well, so IMO it's one of those "dirty drugs" where no one knows what the hell else it's doing (nor cares to investigate, since it's a smoker's "product.") I have literally no clue why it is still on the market and being prescribed, unless some doctors are sadistic in their feelings toward smokers. One of the nastiest drugs on the market, I'd rather swallow Haldol (the oldest typical antipsychotic on the market and it's AWFUL side-effect wise) than take Chantix. Seriously, for me it would be like playing Russian roulette with a FULLY LOADED gun. TY all the same, Big Pharma, but no thanks.

Anna

 

[Bad Ninja]

Im a very headstrong, firm willed person.

Smoking, however, kicked my .....
I couldn't stop on my own.
2PAD.
I tried Xyban ( wellbutrin) and it wrecked my work day.
Left me in a twisted fog.
I dropped that crap after about 3 weeks.
Its horrible.
It DID help me cut back to about 10 cigs a day but at the cost of my fuctionality and awareness.

The only thing that helped me to stop was vaping.

Chantix wasnt an option for me after trying Xyban.