chantix - problems after quitting or weaning

[Mike221]

Viki said she would probably be away from the board for a couple of days.

[Hopeful-i hope]

I quit taking Chantix 5 days ago, and I went to the Dr.'s today. OMG--I feel horrible. I don't know how long this is going to last, but it has to end soon, right?? I only took it for 2.5 weeks, and I didn't really like the way it made me feel. I quit cold turkey, and now I am praying to feel better soon. I have had stomach pains, major nightsweats, chills, anxiety, etc. Please tell me this gets better!

[Mike221]

glowplug wrote:

Started when I was 12, quit and I am 52.

HAA I got you beat. I turned 53 July 31.:)

[Hopeful-i hope]

oh--btw I haven't smoked for 12 days!!

[Mike221]

glowplug wrote:

Not one puff since 10:30p.m. on 06/18/07. Thanks for asking. I am very proud of this quit!

^5 Glow, you should be proud and I'm proud of you.:)

[Mike221]

glowplug wrote:

Thank you for the permission. I try not to ever step on anyone's anonymity! I was using Viki's sobriety as an example that the most important thing is the quit not the date...Viki has at least 20 years and doesn't remember her exact date. I, on the other hand, use a 12 step program where we celebrate AA and BB Birthdays so it is never forgotten! It is the single most important accomplishment (by the grace of God) in my life. There are a myriad of times that the fear of "raising my hand in a meeting" and changing my sobriety date kept me from drinking in the early days, and the same with my smoking now.

Glow,I was involved in AA for a good number of years but haven't now for a while. I had to stand and announce a new sobriety date a few times. I really didn't want to, but my sponsor told me I needed to. YANNO?

[Mike221]

glowplug wrote:

<quoted text>
Yep, I totally know! I never had to raise my hand but like I have said, I voluntarily took antabuse for about 2-3 months because I was certain nothing in the world could keep me from drinking! I don't really go to meetings anymore but I live my life according to the 12 steps and principals. That's probably why I
get so hot when someone accuses me of things I didn't do...if I did it, I will admit it! I am probably honest to a fault! Wait, I am not! I don't always tell hubby that I went gambling while he was away...sins of omission are as bad as sins of commission YANNO! So see, I admitted it! I will even tell him if he asks...I just pray he doesn't some times!
Thanks for the kudos! I am amazed at the quit sometimes. Not yours, I always knew you guys could do it!!! I am amazed I stopped smoking. I do wish I didn't like it so much, but then, I love scotch and vodka and wine and oh hell, I really like the taste of lots of booze too. Doesn't mean I have to smoke or drink!

Glow, try not to get upset when someone accuses you of something you didn't do. Just remember the serenity prayer. Glow, just so you know, I think you are a wonderful and very strong individual and I'm proud to know you on this board. HEY!! You took antabuse? WOW thats some nasty stuff if you drink on top of it, isn't it? Doesn't one get violently sick ifthey mix it with alcohol?

[Mike221]

Deb in Michigan wrote:

Happy Birthday, Mike! Sorry I missed it two days ago. I could be your older sister at 55 (in May).

Thanks Deb. I didn't announce it because I didn't want anyone making a fuss about it.:)

[Mike221]

Friday August 3, 2007

~~~~~~~~~~GOOD GOLLY, MISS MOLLY~~~~~~~~~~

A tad early, but;

Linda, congrats on 5 months of being smoke free! That is sooo great and awesome, my friend.^5

[Mike221]

glowplug wrote:

<quoted text>
Thank you for the vote of confidence and believing in me...I believe it can even be deadly to drink on antabuse. I never tried! I used only essential oils for scents and gave up all mouthwash. I was very afraid of it making me sick. Not only that, could you imagine drinking in public and puking all over the place BEFORE you were drunk??? It is one thing to do that if you are in a black out!

I know where you are coming from, Glow. Speaking of mouthwash, I refused to use any with alcohol my first three years of sobriety. I do now without a problem, but I still refuse to use NyQuil liquid. Now that is just loaded with alcohol.

[Mike221]

Glow, I've had to take pain meds too. The longest period was in 1996, just a little over a year after my sobriety date, I completely ruptured my achilles and needed surgery to repair it. I was still in a brace 8 months later. I went through two casts and three different braces. I didn't trust myself with the pain meds once I was out of the hospital so I had my wife administer the meds. I also had an addiction to pain meds that lasted until my sobriety date. I wasn't addicted to the the pain meds as long as I was alcohol, just 5 years which was long enough for me. I also agree with you, if I was still drinking, I highly doubt I could quit smoking.

[Mike221]

Miss Molly wrote:

Thanks again. Linda ^5

You're quite welcome. You are such a dear and I love your style. Don't ever change, Linda.^5.

[Vanya]

Guys!
I still drinks abit. Not much. No worries about pain excpet that some vicodin I took last week actually helped. Today the pain is less. SO along with the short term memory loss, CRS, Mike? I took to halves last night I think. I woke up about 2:30am. It felt familiar and I felt the fog closing in again. So I didn't take any this morning. So far nothing but tired. The dilema is whether to take another half tonight or go for it. I talked to an old friend who is a pharmacist last night and she splained a lot to me about the serotonin link. I looked at the 3d of the molecule. Now I understand why in the face of a trigger for fight or flight or a pH disbalance our chantix confused brains says "no thanks, already got some" and the rest is history. What I still have trouble with is the time. Why after so many months do some still have pain and anxiety or depression? I am beginning to think there is metabolyte link. Something else Chantix does not only to the receptors but to the link between the forms in the blood that don't pass into the brain and those that do. Otherwise why would weaning be so helpful to some and not even be an issue with others? I have to think about this. I wish I had some commonality to put this together. Phizer probably does but until there enough provable cases for them to worry about a class action I'm sure they don't worry too much about us. Best wishes all,
Vanya

[Mike221]

Vanya wrote:

SO along with the short term memory loss, CRS, Mike?

Thats it! I hope you didn't catch it from me.:)

[Mike221]

Vanya, I hope you find a solution to this problem. To tell you the truth, you lost me with some of your post, but again, I hope you get past this. I'm still working on my wean. I had a couple of problems with the "1/4mg a day" but the last two days have been pretty good so I plan on going to 1/4mg every other day so I'll be skipping tomorrow and take it again on Saturday. Vanya, please continue to keep us updated.

[LaKeshia]

Man...why do you people talk about drinking so much? Am I in the wrong place?

I was hoping to find anybody on here that know about how Chantix messes with your blood pressure.

I started taking this stuff in June and had to go to the emergency room cause my blood pressure went through the roof. Bad headache, dizzy, wanted to throw up. Teh emergency doctor said it won't the medicine but I think it is. Never had this stuff before

Anybody else had this stuff?

[Jane]

viki wrote:

<quoted text>
Jane,
I thank you for this very informative post!!! I DID NOT KNOW THAT SMOKING IS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY! Your words are so educational...THANK YOU!!

Thanks for the kudos. I must say, I meant the 5-HT3 receptor in my earlier post - you can get this information from Pfizer's website in the healthcare professionals area.(my apologies). Little is known about the receptor, but they do believe it is associated with pain. By the way, Chantix half-life is 24 hours, so the wean schedules posted here are near ideal. Gives your body lots of time to adjust to each dose change. Nearly anything affecting the dopamine receptors (nicotine and chantix - chantix indirectly) is really difficult to adjust to rapidly. Also, Chantix is super similar in action to Suboxone, a breakthrough medication for heroin addiction - tapering off the last little bit of that seems to be the most difficult, even for people with very high success with the drug. For those having real trouble getting off Chantix, a low dose of Celexa or Lexapro may be advisable. Smoking is a very common self-medication for anxiety/depression. Hope this helps. Good luck to all (me included!)

[Jane]

Sorry, one more. Chantix works like Suboxone. People who go on Suboxone to quit heroin will go into near instant painful withdrawal if they take heroin while on the drug. I would strongly advise NOT SMOKING while on Chantix. They likely did not include much about this in the literature so as not to scare people off but the Chantix molecule binds to nicotine receptor with higher affinity than cigarettes, if you smoke, your bouncing back and forth with what is binding where. If Chantix isn't binding to the nicotine receptors, it's off to those 5-HT3 which potentially equally really bad side-effects.

[Mike221]

LaKeshia wrote:

Man...why do you people talk about drinking so much? Am I in the wrong place?
I was hoping to find anybody on here that know about how Chantix messes with your blood pressure.

The only really issue I had was when i quit Chantix cold turkey. In three days I was having horrible anxiety and depression, it was so bad one evening and my chest pounding so horribly. I had my wife take me to the emergency room. I did find out that my BP was very high which it never has been in the past but again, this was because I quit the Chantix cold Turkey so I went back on to wean off and I'm doing much better as I wean down. Not sure if this will be a help to you and I hope you will be feeling better soon.

[Mike221]

glowplug wrote:

Good nite all, thanks for another smoke free day and all the good reading!

Glow; I'll start off with a "Good Morning" to everyone and add that I hope everyone has a great, non smoking day.:)

Just to add, this will be the first day that I'll be skipping a day of taking Chantix since I started my wean. I'm now at 1/4mg ever other day.::crosses fingers::