Mumsnet Talk

I would really like to hear from anyone who has used Champix. I am on day 1, but I've read so many awful things about it and have scared myself silly.

I felt depressed each time I've stopped smoking before, as in really, really rotten, angry, depressed and just wished I could die sometimes. Could people just be blaming their withdrawl symptoms on the Champix?

Has it helped anyone?

Thanks in advance.

I do not have any experience with Campix, but I did not want your post to go unanswered.

Congratulations on quitting smoking, it gets better and it is well worth it.

Good luck!

My dh quit smoking with champix, and it appears to be one of the better ways to stop. He had a bit of nausea and some weird dreams, but these are known side effects.

Good luck, and congratulations!

Thanks for the moral support Snusmumriken and Tapir. It's going to be the umpteenth time I've stopped! Hopefully for good this time.

I'm so glad to hear your husband didn't suffer too many side effects, there are some real champix horror stories floating around the internet. I'm on day 2 and cigs are already tasting awful. I've had a little bit of nausea, but the main things I've noticed are a metallic taste in my mouth and a loss of appetite.

Had nausea and the wierd and wonderful dreams but over 2 years on I haven't had one puff.
It's the best thing I ever did, good luck Freddie,

I used to be a hard core chain smoker and quitting was one of the best things I have done.

Best of luck! It is hard but you can do it!

I'm on day 4, have only smoked 1 cig today and I couldn't even finish it

Only side effect I'm getting is a bit of a headache

www.whyquit.com all you need to quit - I did it 5 years ago, thanks to hearing about it on Mumsnet - good luck!

Watch the videos - one for each day telling you exactly what is happening.

See TeenageWildlife, that wouldn't have worked for me.

I used Champix. I think they are wonder drugs. Unfortunately I thought I knew best and five months fag free was destroyed in a single fag.
My only side effects were, frankly bonkers dreams. I intend to use them again very soon.

What you will learn on whyquit - is NTAP - and this is the whole secret to quitting! Including for you Anya.

Good luck

The weird dreams, I seem to be having that side effect! I had one last night about keeping Derren Brown prisoner in my illegal poker den because he had "seen too much". I gagged him with gaffer tape and tied him to a chair. Bloody hell!

It's day 4 of the champix today. I'm still smoking, but not as much and there's no nicotine hit from the cigs. My quit date is on day 8, so I'm hoping I'll have lost the urge by then.

Well done. It is a strange sensation not getting a bang off your fags. I stopped on about day 5 or 6 IIRC. It just didn't seem worth smoking.

I did and it was amazing - it was like someone had cut out the part of by brain that knew I smoked. Had some mood swings on it though.

Have relapsed (due to major stress this year) and am not sure i can get it again or I totally would

Snap! I was about to start my very own thread. I'm on day 1 to.
Fingers crossed for the both of us x

I spoke to a medical rep about Champix recently and she was saying that many of the things attributed to side-effects of Champix are actually withdrawal effects from nicotine and, apparently, taking Champix makes those effects less than they would be without it.

Good luck giving up, it really is worth it.

Having given up before without champix I don't buy that - I'm pretty sure it caused the side effects I had.

I love Champix. I smoked for 26 years and had tried everything to quit. Champix made it painless and I'm now coming up to 3 years of not smoking. Keep up the good work and good luck. :D

DH tried to quit Champix and ended up quitting the whole thing because he was getting so depressed that he was thinking of suicide

rip, any idea how to get a prescription for it here? Been planning to for a while, but not sure where to go (KL)

Packed up 3 months ago using Champix - main problems were the insomnia, which made me seriously stroppy and nausea, which at least meant I didn't put any weight on!

Best of luck op

I'm now on day 2 of champix and i found it a struggle to get out of bed this morning. Anyone else found this? I'm normally up at 8am at the latest but today i got up at 2pm . I didn't drink yesterday at all and i feel like i've got a hangover.

Well done everyone.

It's nice to read some positive things about champix.

I'm now on day 6, and I've just some to the conclusion that there's no point in smoking, because I'm getting nothing from it. It just makes me feel a bit sick.

I'm really happy for all of those who have managed to quit - a major achievement.

To all those in the process of quitting - come on, we can do it!

I've spent the last 2 days smoke free.

I'm not even missing it, I'm on day 9

Loops you can buy it over the counter. You may need to pre order it.
Mine was from either Guardian or Watsons.

You can get champix OTC? That I will have to look into!

I have quit three times using Champix. Unfortunately I started again once the course stopped.

The nausea and depression were very hard to get through and because I have been through some counselling for a recent bereavement my doctor wont let me have them again due to the depression

I thought it was prescription only? I know you can buy it on the internet but don't know if that is genuine, etc

Seems it is not OTC judging by google. Balls. Don't want to tell my GP I started again and not sure i can get champix a second time.

Excellent, thanks rip. Viper, Rip and I aren't in the UK.

Has anyone else completely lost their libido on Champix? I just can't get in the mood at all. It's not going to be great for my relationship if the course lasts for 12 weeks.

I'm also worried about the weight gain. Is it possible to quit and not gain weight, or can you even quit and lose weight? Has anyone managed this?

You can get Champix otc via Boots online. It's part of their quit smoking clinic.

You can get it, but you still need a prescription for it.

The Boots website seems to have an online consultation you can use to see if you can get Champix - it's £89.95 for a month so it's obviously cheaper on prescription but I might try it so I don't have to tell my GP I started smoking again. Not tried it yet though as it's not working on my phone

I have filled a prescription for Champix from my GP, but I haven't plucked up courage to try it yet. I think I'm scared I will fail. Is there a support thread for us fag ash Lils on MN? Good luck bunfag. I shall be lurking to see how you get on.

Brightspark1 - I don't think there is, but why don't you start one?

You won't fail I promise you, it makes the cigs taste awful. I found myself lighting one and unable to finish because of the taste. I can't even stand the smell of smoke now, two weeks ago I was smoking 20 a day and had been for years.

I didn't find that the ciggies tasted awful, just that there was no bang or reward. It all seemed pretty pointless.
give them a go bright spark, you've nothing to lose except your dependence.

I actually didn't stop enjoying cigarettes so thought it wouldn't work.

Then my quit date came and I just quit and didn't have cravings.

anyaknowit good idea. It might make me give it a good go, it's good to read all these success stories. I think I'm emotionally dependent as well as physically dependent so I need to find another way of coping with stress.

The effects of the champix really kicked in yesterday.

I kept thinking about having a ciggie and just couldn't be bothered. I ended up smoking 3 yesterday down from between 20 and 40 a day. The smoking nurse told me to quit on day 8, but to be honest the leaflet just said to pick a date during the second week, so I picked day 12. Day 8 just felt too soon, too much pressure!

I have now quit on day 10, so very pleased! The champix has really taken the cravings away. I have been sick a few times, but it's not incapacitating. 12 weeks of having the odd bit of sickness is a small price to pay for healthy lungs imo.

Brightspark Have you started the fag ash Lils give up smoking support thread? If so, can you post the link?

Woohoo BunfagFreddie (Will you be name changing?)

I'm off the cigs and off the Champix now

Anya, I probably won't be name changing for the forseeable future.

That's awesome news, the champix really helps, doesn't it. Are you getting strange dreams?

I'm still not smoking and no more sickness either. I'm not sure about how the weight gain will go. I've been doing OK, despite it being Crimbo and all, but I got lashed up last night. Today I've had the hangover from hell and have just come on my period, so I have eaten loads.

I loved champix. I quit 13 months ago and it was a wonder drug. I looked great until I stopped taking it because my appetite came back and I put on 2 stone. But I am smoke free and I can always loose the weight, I can't get my lungs if I develop cancer.
And I've saved over two GRAND!

That's amazing ginger! I smoke rolling tobacco, so won't save as much as you, but I reckon I'll still save £800 per year.

I'm still having cravinngs, but if I had just gone cold turkey I would probably be in tears by now! The champix makes it much more managable.

The champix has been bloody great, have tried all the patches, gum e-cigs. Still couldn't quit.

I did have the one strange dream involving the Kate Middleton and Robbie Williams

Weight gain? <hides big bag of doritos>

Anya, when I quit with gum and patches I became addicted to the gum and it took about 8 months to break my gum addiction. It wasn't even much cheaper than smoking.

I really wanted a smoke this morning, but I think I've finanlly succumbed to the flu that everyone else has had over Christmas and New Year. I woke up this morning sneezing and I ache like buggery. Hopefully it won't go down to my chest. The last couple of colds I've had turned into bronchitis. That was really what made me decide to try champix. My grandad had bronchitis loads before he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

When I tried the gum, I still went for a cig afterwards

Hope you are feeling better soon.

i quit using Champix three years ago - and i was only on it for 6 weeks. Tried everything else and it certainly seems to do the trick

it DID make me depressed though - it was like very chronic PMT and the day i stopped taking it i had sobbed all day at work, on the bus home and then for 2 hours when i got home

i found as long as i took it on a full stomach it didn't make me feel sick.

I can't believe I have stopped for a few days. It's a major achievement for any smoker! The Champix really is helping. I do feel a bit irritable, but you still get slight cravings.

yes it doesn't quit for you - just sort of props you up

well done bunfag - you're doing really well

It was weird with champix, because I was still smoking and I was wondering when it would start to work. All of a sudden I was in bed one night and realised that I'd only smoked 3 fags that day.

It definitely makes quitting easier, although you still have to be really motivated.

Did you find that you had chest pains, were short of breath coughing up phlegm when you quit Badger? Sorry if that's tmi, but I don't remember it being this bad last time I stopped.