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Original poster

Champix the pill to help u give up smoking

187 replies

MCDL · 11/02/2011 17:19

Hi, anybody try this or know anybody who has.

OP posts:
Seona1973 · 11/02/2011 21:24

my sister and her partner both gave up using champix and have not restarted - must be over a year now since they gave up.

Hassled · 11/02/2011 21:26

My brother - really heavy smoker for 25 years or more. Has been fag free for 4 weeks now.

maxybrown · 11/02/2011 23:24

My Husband and MIL. MIL was great on it - only had it for VERY short period of time and has stopped - will be 2 years this summer.

It affected DH VERY badly and I was very scared and wanted to leave him - yes it was that bad! It sent him very very strange (though initially ok). Managed to get through to him enough to stop taking it and finally he came back Smile he would never ever take it again though. Like I said worked for MIl though.

Original poster
MCDL · 12/02/2011 09:50

Thank u on day 2 of it today. Feel some of the symptoms dry mouth, headache and not feeling like smoking .... DP is anti pills and thinks I am mad. Not much support there but I feel very positive.

OP posts:
Seona1973 · 12/02/2011 10:05

my sister also joined an online stop smoking forum thingy and felt it helped her a lot too with support and people who knew what she was going through

Original poster
MCDL · 12/02/2011 11:48

Yes have looked at forums but found nothing as user friendly as Mumsnet.... Does anybody have any good websites.

OP posts:
borderslass · 12/02/2011 12:02

DH is trying it on his 3rd week he's still smoking.

Original poster
MCDL · 12/02/2011 12:05

Oh dear borderslass, has he had any side affects... Have been on the internet and have myself scared shitless about taking these .... On day two today ...

OP posts:
mumda · 12/02/2011 13:23

Two of my neighbours have given up on it. Both think it's wonderful.

maxybrown · 12/02/2011 13:24

don't be scared MCDL - just make sure you have somone in RL who can watch out for you would be my advice. I don't want to scare you as MIL had NO side effects whatsoever and got off it very quickly - but there's no point be being dishonest in how they affected my DH. I will ask him if he remembers any decent support places but he was very depressed and withdrawn so may not remember much.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 12/02/2011 15:50

Watching with interest. I was planning to give this a bash in August, but it will only be me and DD for a year so I may have to wait until DH moves back to live with us.

Original poster
MCDL · 12/02/2011 16:02

Feeling great today, just back from long swim with dd, didnt have the craving I usually have to have a cig afterwards .. Tbh having that swim ruined the great feeling i have after a swim ...

OP posts:
Original poster
MCDL · 12/02/2011 16:03

Edit.. Tbh having that cig ruined the great feeling I have after a swim ..

OP posts:
maxybrown · 12/02/2011 16:57

kreecher I would really recommend you have someone around you - but even if it is a friend you see very reguarly just to kee an eye on you. DH was affected very badly and I know it does not affect everyone like that - but he just did not care about anyone around him - including DS who wasn't even 2 at the time. I can remeber going for long walks crying because it was so awful - I really thought I would end up leaving him.

He is still a smoker now...........but happy, so not ideal and I HATE smoking with a passion (he does not smoke in house or near DS) but I really couldn't go on with it any longer. Think MIL stayed on it minimum amount of time possible - it just helped give her that initial kick.

Original poster
MCDL · 12/02/2011 19:32

Yes I am hoping I will be like ur MIL stay on it a minimum amount of time... to help with the initial kick ... Thank u all for ur advice

OP posts:
Seona1973 · 12/02/2011 19:33

my sister didnt take it for long either as it made her feel really sick but she still managed to give up. Her partner didnt have any side effects from it at all.

maxybrown · 12/02/2011 19:51

see, lots of positive advice here too - good luck with it!

Original poster
MCDL · 17/02/2011 09:07

Day 7 on Champix, Day 1 off cigs.. Feeling good... Some side affects broken sleep at night and bowels not moving as they have been but other than that feel great and looking sooooooooo forward to been a non smoker ..... Have cut down for past week from pack a day to 4/5.

OP posts:
flyby10 · 17/02/2011 10:56

God...just picked up my champix yesterday and did the exact same thing last night.
Read loads of awful forums about people killing themselves.
Surely...you would feel abit down, not be sleeping and regonise the 'signs' ? Or does it just creep up on you?
I am just waiting for my husband to pick up his tablets as well as we are doing it together and I am totally unnerved we will be horrible to the kids or each other or something.
However, we can not continue smoking... the kids are 4 and 5 and I want to see them grow up and I don't want them to smoke, the older one has already started to mention about it dispite hiding round the back of the garden.

lets face it..it's disgusting, unhealthy, smelly and expensive...We have every reason to give up!

I guess if this Champix does make us feel bit odd then it's cold turkey because I am determine to give up by my 40th in August!!

Anyone got any more positive vibes on this stuff.

maxybrown · 17/02/2011 15:52

flyby - my Husband did not feel like killing himself but he was very obviously seriously depressed- though as he stopped taking the Champix he very quickly "came back" (thank goodness) he just seemd to descend into a big depression cloud - it was very strange to watch I must say, he said he just didn't care about anything at all.

I wish he could stop though, I hate it Sad

lilyliz · 17/02/2011 21:30

chapix did nothing for me and I was still a smokera year later,was given antidepressants from doc and a side effect was I stopped smoking without really realising I had stopped,very strange.

Original poster
MCDL · 21/02/2011 16:13

How u getting on flyby10, I am on day 11 of champix and 5 days off the cigs. It is working for me.. Thank God, but dont want to get too confident yet.. Feel I will never never never never smoke again... My dd 4.5 too had been at me to quit she even said to me a few weeks ago when in a shop buying cigs in front of everybody " Ah Mammy thought you were not going to buy anymore " ...

I have heard a lot of people too get very depressed on them but thank god so far do not have that side affect...

OP posts:
annapolly · 21/02/2011 16:30

My DDs and DD1s partner started taking champix six weeks ago, they are all non smokers for five weeks.

One of my DDs became depressed, she has suffered from depression before. She stopped taking them and is fine now.

I would say proceed with caution, but they have worked and I never believed my DD would ever stop smoking.

Original poster
MCDL · 21/02/2011 16:41

Finished two week trial pack in a few days, will get another 2 week pack and hopeully that will be it .... Think if you are prone to depression this pill will definately take you down.. My mother who has suffered badly from depression but is good now as the depression is now handled very well with medication is a very heavy smoker. She wants to give them a go ... She is going to discuss with her doctor. She feel depression returning for a while would be better than smoking.. She is a slave to them. They have her imprisoned in her own home....

OP posts:
flyby10 · 22/02/2011 10:04

HI MCDL,

Well...I think I am going to start pill one today!! Husband should get his packet tomorrow so we should be trying almost together.
I am still bit nervous about taking them although our neighbour went on it, no side effects and off fags since November.

So any advice...?I was going to take one mid day...mid sandwich. I think if you take them too close to bed time that's what causes the broken sleep and mid food helps with the nausea.

Wish me luck and I will keep you posted because although I am determined to give up and just can't quite imagine not smoking if that makes sense...especially as we both smoking I just cant seem to wrap my head round what we will do instead...so a stupid statement but it is actually quite time consuming. I hope I don't eat!!!

But I can imagine...the lovelyness off ....not brushing my teeth every five minutes, spraying perfume, eating tic tacs(as if that rids the smell!) not having to hide from kids,being able to run better,having £6 extra in my purse everyday,getting my lungs clean and setting the right example to my kids....Enough to be positive about there don't you think??!! LOL.

I am nearly 40 and one of my great wishes...yes at nearly 40 is to be able to appear with my husband at MY PARENTS and just not smoke!! They hate us smoking and I am quite always very embarassed by my habit...so maybe in a month I will be able to see them as a non smoker...yet another lovely positive reason to give up!