Champix, a Slow-ticking Time Bomb

Ronan Posted 06/10/2008

Iv tried Champix and had no side-effects that im or my partner is aware of. But it did not help me to stop smoking. If there is another wonder drug out there id be willing to try it. Other therapies have not worked in my case either.

Keith Posted 26/11/2008

I have been on champix for 8 weeks now, slight side effects (loss of sex drive amd nausea) but have helped tremendously in helping to stop smoking

Paul  Posted 29/12/2008

I started taking champix on the 20th October. I have noticed some real differences in my personality and so have the people around me. I totally loose control when I drink which sounds silly but have always had a laugh when out socially now it seems different and the mood swings the following day is aweful. I feel totally suicidal thinking of ways to end my life with real feelings of extreme anxiety. When I have infact everything to live for..

Paul  Posted 29/12/2008

Have felt worse the last few weeks, so have stopped taking the tablet. All the negative problems, suicidal thoughts really vivid dreams. Finding it hard to remember what is real and what is not...

Steve Posted 16/01/2009

I was tipped off about Champix by my mum late last year who, having smoked 40-60 for 40+ years had been prescribed this drug and haven't smoked for 2 months, so a couple of weeks before xmas I got a recomendation later from my local Stop smoking group for my GP. I had already Googled Champix and found that in a few cases there had been feelings of depression and in extreme cases attempted/ actual suicide among other effects. My GP seemed reluctant to prescribe and insisted that if I felt any side effects whatsover I was to stop taking the course immediately. I’ve always been a very positive, outgoing and level headed type. Not to mention that I also started a new job last November which is going really well, have no massive money worries, a beautiful 2yr old daughter and another baby due later this year. I started the course of Champix a week before xmas - Day 8 was xmas day - so I picked the 27th Dec as my stop day although I started feeling that smoking was a waste of time and throwing away 1/2 smoked cigarettes from about the 23rd. I had also cut down from c.35 to 25/20/15 etc Apart from a very occasional craving, which was fairly easily resisted, I have no interest in smoking whatsoever and have been recomending Champix to others. So far so good, then on Monday it went very very wrong. I’d had a minor row indoors and sulked off to the pub on Sunday evening. When I got back, we made up and all was ok. Seemingly. When I woke up Monday it was as if a black cloud had had descended. I called work with an excuse (odd in itself as I wouldnt normally go sick unless I was really ill, especially so soon after joining a new firm). Then deciding that I’d had enough, emptied all the tablets in our medicine cupboard into a plastic and stormed out of the house mid morning. From here it gets a bit blurry, apparently I found a pub open and hit the double whiskies (I only ever drink lager with a lemonade top) for a couple of hours then found a quiet corner and swallowed all the tablets. I must of “come to” because again apparently I called my partner, told her where I was and what I’d done. So she called an ambulance. By the time it arrived, I’d left the pub eventually to be found collapsed in my front garden around 2pm. My partner has some medical experience and says it was almost like there were 2 of me - one wanting to commit suicide and the “real” me trying to fight it and get help. I’m now back at home, having had my stomach pumped and a psychiatric assessment (which could find no reason at all for me to do this other possibly Champix). Obviously I’m not taking Champix any more, and have only had 2-3 cigarettes in the last few days (it has been just a bit stressful) but I’m now going to give up by willpower alone. All I can say is that Champix definately works in terms of giving up but be careful as the warnings are there for a very real reason

Nicky Posted 10/02/2009

Me and my husband have been on Champix for 4 weeks and both not had a cigarette for two weeks. We were both heavy smokers, I was on 20+ and my husband 30+. At this point I can say that smoking does not entertain me what’s so ever, even when I go to the local pub I am just not interested. Up to now the side effects have been nausea and tiredness and a few strange dreams. I am now getting pains in my stomach, the only way I can explain the pain is I feel like I have done 500 sit ups. I can only think it’s the tablets that are causing this discomfort. I am going to keep taking them for now and hope the discomfort wears off. Me and my husband did have a huge row the other night that went well over the top, I just hope it was the larger that caused the row and not the start of a side effect from Champix. I will keep you informed.

Trish Posted 12/05/2009

I started taking champix on April 17/09... I have not had a cigarette in two weeks now.....I have felt emotionally good for the past few weeks, but now I am experiencing constant muscle pain in both arms and shoulders.....I also have an increased desire to eat a lot more..... I am not blaming the drug, but I do wonder why I seem to be in chronic pain... Has anyone else experienced the same side effects?

jon Posted 09/06/2009

I started taking champix a fortnight ago, the first week on .5 mg was fine, but after only two days taking the 1mg dose, I had to stop. It started with feeling feverish, and aching muscles, after two days those symptoms passed and was replaced with a lack of energy and sleeping all the time. Now I have joint pain, in one shoulder, both knees and elbows, (as I am writing this). Hopefully I stopped taking the champix early enough, for this to cause no lasting problems. I guess I was one of the unlucky ones who got this, (according to the side effects breakdown).

Never Smoke Again Posted 04/07/2009

The one thing that really DOES work is called the Never Smoke Again method, in Holland Roy Martina started a pilot training in July 2008, now in Germany in October 2009; this really works, on subcounsious mind... It hits on the HABIT that smoking really is...

Anita Posted 31/07/2009

Hi, I'm on Champix for 3 weeks and stopped smoking. The first week was brilliant, very happy with my decision, the cigarettes tasted awful and was really looking forward to stopping. Week one was ok apart from feeling 'sick' and weird dreams. Since a week ago, I got all the mood swings, feeling very angry and flying off the wall without any reason whatsoever. But not craving cigarettes and very determined that it stays that way. After my family and friends seen a change in me they spoke to my GP and now I am taking reduced dosage. I hope it helps.

Michael Posted 07/08/2009

I started the treatment without any problems. I continued to smoke for 10 days before quitting on the 1st August. The first day was strange: I didn't feel like smoking but my body was giving the usual signs of needing it. Still after getting through that day it all seemed easy. The only thing I suffered with was nausea, but it was manageable. However my partner had already told me she was moving out taking our 2 year old. I was upset but not to bad, the last week has been impossible though. Feelings of utter despair and the odd suicidal feeling. I went to my parents for support thinking it was the relationship ending doing it. I have since found out it could be the Champix. I could not continue to feel that way, I tried everything to stop the sinking feeling but it kept getting worse. I made the decision last night not to take anymore. Getting a craving now but it has been a week and I am hoping I can quit cold turkey.

Ivan Posted 11/08/2009

I quit smoking by willpower alone about 20 years ago & stayed off the weed for 8 years. It was sheer hell & I ended up divorced. Remarried a couple of years later & tried all ways to stop again. None worked. Ended up divorced again. Met an American lady for whom smoking was a deal breaker, so went on Champix to try to quit. Took the full course & succeeded. Married last December, but now split up. Conclusions? I am a very easy going, happy guy usually. When I quit smoking, I get on a very short fuse & act out of character. This happens however, with or without Champix & I believe it does for most who quit. You can feel it welling up, but it's impossible to control. I smoked 40 to 60 a day for 45 years. If I hadn't used Champix to help quit, I don't think that I would be alive in 5 years time. I experienced most of the "side effects" that people on Champix blame on it, but I have to say that I experienced most of them when I went cold turkey as well. I know that I will never smoke again now, but if I did, I would definitely use Champix again to quit. Sure, you also need willpower, but Champix does make it a lot more likely that you will succeed in my experience. Better to suffer a few nasty side effects for a while & lessen your chance of a horrible death from the effects of smoking. Nearly 2 years on & I now feel more in control of myself. If my last wife had hung around & understood, we would now perhaps be having a great life.

David Posted 09/09/2009

I'm on day 3 and after reading all the above I'm really worried!!!!!!

Mario Posted 24/09/2009

David, stop them now, they have absolutely mullared me. I am now suffering with severe panic attacks after taking the tablets for five weeks. Find something else.

Wanda Posted 02/10/2009

I took Champix for 2 weeks. It killed my desire to smoke after a week. I had lucid dreams and experienced nausea, diarrhea, tingling sensations in my scalp, face, hands and feet. I also lost my appetite and started experiencing mood swings . I stopped taking Champix and the symptoms became worse. I went to the Doctor and was told that Champix had produced bad side affects in me and that she hoped they would settle down. I still have mild symptoms, but they are settling down and hopefully will go away. I would never recommend this drug to anyone. It works on your central nervous system and is very dangerous.

curly Posted 21/10/2009

Myself and my husband have now stopped smoking after using champix. After about 3 weeks I felt so sick taking them that I stopped cold turkey, my husband however carried on. He has now become so unbearable I feel like leaving him and did walk out last week. He is a totally different person but can't see it even though lots of people have told him. What can we do even though he is now not taking them but I want my happy go lucky husband back!!! Any suggestions

shuna Posted 07/01/2010

Wow, I was gonna ask my doctor to be put on champix as I need to give up smokin, I suffer with c.o.p.d. it was recommended by a friend. I have tried all sorts of remedies trying to give up. I thought that champix was gonna be the wonder drug I needed! I'm an ex heroin and crack user and have been abstinent from these drugs for two years but I just can't seem to be free from cigarettes! After reading comments left on this site, I'm gonna have to think very carefully about this drug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Posted 09/02/2010

Today is my 8th day of taking champix. I have had a couple of weird dreams but nothing else. After reading these comments, I am not sure whether or not I want to take these tablets. So, I am now looking for facts, percentages. There seems to be two types of forums on the internet, one pro champix the other anti champix, which do we believe?. The answer I guess is both as we are all affected in different ways with different drugs. So, my question is, what is the reported percentage of people having these adverse side affects and what percentage of those have suicidal thoughts/tendancies?.

Paul Posted 09/02/2010

Just found this on Wikipedia A cohort study published in November 2009 analyzed medical records of 80,660 persons attempting to quit smoking (10,973 of which were using Varenicline) and found no evidence of an increased risk of depression, self-harm and suicidality, although a small increase could not be ruled out on statistical grounds.

Roz Keller Posted 09/02/2010

Two clever monkeys - Paul and Jon: Paul - Wikipedia is not really a reliable source of information and I doubt that the manufactures of Champix (Pfizer) will allow anything negative to be widely published about their little 'wonder pill' (too much money to be made from it...), worst they probably funded the analyses themselves... Here’s what you’ll find if you look on a professional site like drugs.com which provides free, peer-reviewed, accurate and independent advice on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines & natural products:

Psychiatric side effects Varenicline of have included insomnia, abnormal dreams, sleep disorder, and nightmare (2%). Anxiety, depression, emotional disorder, irritability, restlessness, aggression, agitation, disorientation, dissociation, decreased libido, mood swings, abnormal thinking, bradyphrenia, euphoric mood, hallucination, psychotic disorder, suicidal ideation, and erratic behaviour have also been reported. Depressed mood, agitation, changes in behaviour, and suicide have been reported during post marketing experience. At least one case of varenicline-induced manic episode has also been reported, in addition to a case of exacerbation of schizophrenia... These are only the psyciatric side effects, there more here if you don’t believe me dear Paul: http://www.drugs.com/sfx/varenicline-side-effects.html

John, you seem to have a bit more sense, but truth be told you will only know when you’ve taken the drug yourself... statistics means nothing for those who suffer adverse effects or lose loved-ones because of the dangerous side-effects of prescription drugs...

Champix is just another example (like Prozac and Voixx) of a drug that should never have been approved!