I tried to quit smoking on Chantix too. I didn't really want to quit smoking, but my job had recently adopted a policy where anyone who smoked was to be charged an extra $25 per paycheck. That's insane.
I really enjoy smoking. I like the flavor, I like the feeling and I definitely like having something that can calm me down when I get stressed out. In addition to all of that, I could FINALLY afford to smoke without denying myself other basic pleasures in life (and this was after the double tax hike on tobacco in FL) so I really was not ready to give it up. Top all that off with the ending of a bad relationship and the beginning of a new chapter in my life and I really didn't want to add extra stress to my life!
So I sat on the issue. The deadline to sign the paper at the time was only a month away. The next time I can register as a non-smoker is in April. I've been charged $25 per paycheck since January.
I began taking Chantix in December 09 because I figured that it would help me quit smoking easily. I had absolutely no desire to quit smoking and figured that Chantix + the extra charge on my paycheck would be a decent substitute for willpower. At first it was ok, I didn't really notice any side effects, negative or positive. My smoking desires were about on par with how it was before Chantix. I went from a pack a day to about 3/4s of a pack a day.
It took me about 2 weeks before I was eventually transformed into a snarling, frothing, angry beast of a woman. I could no longer get a decent nights rest. I'd go to bed at nine, wake up around eleven, be unable to sleep again until one or so and then up for work at 4:30 am. The tiniest things would absolutely cause me to fly off the handle.
I am generally VERY easy going and relaxed. It is typically very hard to ruffle my feathers, hurt my feelings or even shock me. This was no longer the case with Chantix.
The most memorable episode was when I completely flipped out because I was trying to call a contractor about a business matter and the man would not answer his phone AGAIN! This was a very common irksome behaviour of his and it was usually met with a muttering of "unladylike phrases" and a later attempt to call him again. That day, I had HAD IT!! I was SO MAD! I was cussing and just omg soooo angry, right there in the office, in front of several coworkers and my boss.
A couple of days later, my sister told me that I had been consistently acting like this since shortly after beginning the meds and I knew I couldn't do the Chantix any longer. I couldn't bear to live without sleep and acting like that while I had a choice.
I went to my doctor and told her what was going on. She gave me a prescription for a mental holiday (I asked for it so I would have a week to try to get the Chantix out of my system and needed a doctor's note to use my term leave) and a prescription for prozac to be filled "if I needed it."
I never did fill the prozac. I bought my first ....ty e-cig that very weekend from a friend's daughter. It broke about 2 weeks later, but my mom had her spare Joye 510 that I could borrow until I got my paycheck and could get my own.
I'm now down from a pack a day to about a pack a week. Maybe a little more if I get crazy with the beer on the weekends.
My goal is to be completely analogue-free by April. I still smoke them now because I am still being charged and I am rebellious like that lol.
E-cigs are the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know right now whether or not I will ever go to 0 mg or if I will just stay at 24 mg for life. I don't really think it matters anymore.
I've already noticed a drastic improvement in my lung function by simply dropping from a pack a day to a pack a week. When I exercise, it takes longer for me to get winded and it takes less time for me to catch my breath and be ready for more. Things DO taste wonderful! I usually have my little analogue or two in the evening, so throughout the day - breakfast, lunch and snacks - everything tastes so good!
Why do people use salt? Seriously!
For me, Chantix was a big loser. I will never touch the stuff ever again.
Give me a nice chocolate-strawberry-blueberry puff of vape anyday!