Comments on: Chanitx and Suicide

By: Suicidal Thoughts and Rage: What are Causing Your Symptoms of Side Effects

Suicidal Thoughts and Rage: What are Causing Your Symptoms of Side Effects — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:44:18 +0000

[...] Chantix is a smoking cessation drug. Instead of delivering nicotine, as many smoking cessation aids do, it [...]

By: David Adams

David Adams — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:11:30 +0000

I tried Chantix about 2 years or so ago, I used it for around 8 weeks and I will admit, I quit smoking while on the drug, BUT. As soon as I quit using the drug, all my cravings came flooding back. I of course picked up the habit again and smoked for the next 2 years. I recently (45 days) quit smoking cold turkey, which I found to be WAY easier when the Goverment raised all our prices on cigs. Plus, being able to walk without fear of my lungs exploding was another sign I was ready, me being 31 years old and all.

As for the drug itself. When I was on it, I don’t recall any depression, I do however recall NEVER getting any good sleep because of the chronic nightmares it gave me. The dreams , like another person said were very real and vivid, however mine were truly scary. I was maybe getting 3-4 hours a night and would be to nervous to go back to bed. These dreams stopped within 1-2 weeks after stopping the drug.

I really wanted to quit back then, I just ran out of the prescription and thought I had licked the addiction. Plus I was ready to sleep. Geez.

By: Fraser

Fraser — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:58:52 +0000

I have been taking this drug (which, for some reason they called Cahmpax in Australia) for a little over 3 weeks. My doctor told me I may experience an upset stomach and mentioned a few other minor side affects, however never said anything about mood alterations. After reading the above comments, I can completely understand what a lot of these people have been through as I noticed a definite change in mood just a few days after taking it. In short, I’m generally a happy person who is quite extroverted, however I noticed at work I began feeling really irritated with small things, slowed down involving myself in a lot of conversations and to be honest, just wanted to get out of there! At home, last night I became really angry towards my partner for bringing home low fat milk! Who cares! This was on a friday night and later on I spent the evening outside on the laptop by myself (probably because I was still grumpy about the milk ha ha). Anyway, today I found this web site and it’s good to know other people have experienced similar mood changes. The drug is very affective and I haven’t smoked for 2 weeks, however yesterday was the last day I’ll take a pill because I want my life to go back to normal. I haven’t regretted taking it though, at the end of the day I’m now not smoking. Good luck to anybody else who is trying to quit.

By: Kimm

Kimm — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:36:15 +0000

My husband took Chantix. It worked great for him. He did mention his dreams were more vivid, but not scary. He took Chantix for about three to four weeks without side affects. By the end of the second week he would go hours without thinking about smoking and by the end of the third he was a non-smoker and still is almost a year and a half later.

By: keith

keith — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:06:07 +0000

I have tried taken Chantix and it worked well. I had no side effects except dry mouth but nothing a bottle of water couldnt handle. I did not quit cause i had a school coming up and there was going to be a lot of drinking so i made the choice to get of chantix and drink instead on staying on it and drinking. I plan on getting back on chantix and quitting soon.Peace

By: Shelley

Shelley — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:55:37 +0000

I would like to make a comment to Nathan. Is the person who swore he got gas with his chantix also silly? Maybe he was just a person who always had alot of gas and he is just being silly. Not everyone suffers from the same side affects or any at all. The same with any medication. Why do you think there are so many different types of meds for different problems? Because they all dont work for everyone. So I dont think anyone is silly for saying they experience these problems. I have seen first hand some of these affects in my boyfriend so I know they can happen. And not to mention the fact I am a pharmacist so I understand that is more than people being silly. Also if the company put a warning on the label warning about these reactions then there must be something warranting that. And when you want to talk about will power? Maybe people should think about having more willpower to just not smoke in the first place. I am proud to say I have never tried smoking and dont know why anyone would want to.

By: David

David — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:47:08 +0000

I took Chantix for about 2 months and was very impressed with it’s ability to take away the physical nicotine cravings. However, I would highly caution ANYONE that has any signs of depression to NOT take this medication. I’m a very happy go lucky person, but the Chantix took me down into a hole I care not to remember. Long story short, I took a bottle of Vicodin prescribed for post dental work pain after a 3 day spontaneous depression. I’ve never had these kind of feelings or ever acted this way in my life. At the time, I did not know what was going on with me. I made some drastic changes in my life, which coincided with my picking up the smoking addiction again. I just thought the changes I made took the depression away, but now after hearing of others reactions, I’m convinced that it was the Chantix. I would rather smoke for 10 years than to commit suicide in due to taking this medication for just less than 2 months.

This Chantix really works, but God forbid, if you have any feelings of depression or suicide, quit the crap immediately! I only thank God today for sparing me a succesful overdose.

By: Shirley

Shirley — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:05:36 +0000

I was diagnosed with COPD and emphysema in January. I had no choice but to find a way to quit. I started taking Chantix in January of ‘08. I took them for 4 weeks. The only slight side effect I had was slight nausea for 2 mornings because I took them without eating first. I learned from my doctor’s office, to always eat before taking medications unless instructed differently. A friend of mine had vivid dreams, I didn’t. We both had taken the same class at the health department. Our instructor told us about the side effects of Chantix versus the other methods, e.g. patches, nicotine gum, etc. He did mention that suicidal thoughts were on list of side effects with Chantix. If we felt any to stop medication immediately and contact our doctor.

After being a smoker for 41 years, this was the easiest way I had found to quit. I have been quit for over 3 months and have no cravings. It is truly a miracle drug like Jill said.

By: Jill

Jill — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:50:02 +0000

i was diagnosed with COPD last august — when i saw the pulmonologist she gave me the script for this drug. i started the drug in end of sept – and just really did not want to quit , so i took it off and on. I was also put on alot of other medicines, albuterol,advair,spiriva,duoneb,singulair, and a few others – so i couldnt tell which meds were doing what. BUT – the chantix really just made me nauseated – i had to eat a big amount of food w/ each dose and if i ate enough it didnt make me sick. The nause would only last for 30 minutes after i took the pill, Anyway — i did quit smoking and i just really quit taking chantix 2 weeks ago. It was to me a miracle drug and the side effects were just the nausea at times and a bit of vivid nightmares. The drug though is a miracle drug, i couldnt believe how much it worked when i finally put my mind to it.

By: Tracie

Tracie — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:09:46 +0000

Chantix didn’t make me feel like I was going crazy, but my dreams became so vivid and scary I had to stop taking the pill. I could tell that it was working for me, but after waking up with my heart racing, and being scared to go back to sleep for fear of falling back into that dream, there was just no way I could continue.

As with some other (for lack of a better term) “questionable” drugs, sometimes the benefits outweigh the side-effects. Here’s my delimma… As someone with a heart condition, quitting smoking is of the highest priority, and I know Chantix is sucessful at doing such. But what is worse, the effects of smoking, or possibly scaring myself into a heart-attack? I’d rather look into the many other options to quit smoking, than to risk it. After seeing the scary way Chantix changed my pattern of dreaming, I can see how other people could have those kinds of adverse reactions. I personally choose not to try it again.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:44:52 +0000

by the way, 100 out of 4 million = .0025% of those who take the drug go nuts. not to mention, we know nothing about these people’s past. chances are, they had issues before they were on chantix. this is just what you would expect from weak minded people who are looking for a way to sue somebody. if you are going crazy from chantix STOP TAKING THE PILL. its that simple. try the patch or the gum. “but, but, but, but, the pill doesn’t work and neither does the patch, waaaaa”. Well, there is therapy, hypnosis, and a slew of other avenues to take. “but, but, but, but, its too expensive” hmmm, put that against the amount you spent on cigarettes, add that to how much you value your life and health and you tell me if its too expensive. then, try this out, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. do you even know how much you’ve spent on smoking? any idea at all?

there are no good excuses

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:34:14 +0000

you people are silly. i took chantix for 3 weeks and am completely quit. zero side effects. i did this with a group of 9 people. none of us had any adverse effects. except one, he could have sworn it gave him gas. i think before you go and believe something perhaps you should look inward at your own habits. expecially considering before, when anything bad happened, or you were stressed, you smoked. now chantix is trying to help you quit and some of you are still taking it 6 weeks later. sure seems to me you’re not ready to quit or don’t have enough will power to do so. 100 suicides maybe, but what else played a factor in those suicide attempts?? i heard a proverb once: suicide is your own fault… which is undeniably true and obvious. don’t blame it on a pill. quit blamestorming and take responsibility of your own thoughts and actions.

By: jamie

jamie — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:56:41 +0000

ive taken chantix for the past 3 months have had no issues what so ever accept for hot flashes which i can tolerate. i know people who have had issues with them but i think if you actually tried to sort out reality you wouldnt have suicidal issues… not sure what drug you all are taking but its working for me with out all the miserable craziness you have goin on

By: angela

angela — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:40:35 +0000

I took chantix fot two months and I feelt like I was going to have a stroke. I almost passed out and I was getting pain and numbness down my left side. My boyfriend was taking it also and he became very moody and angry. We did not stop smoking but we did stop taking chantix and our health and emotional problems went away.

By: Kathy Utt

Kathy Utt — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:24:53 +0000

I really didn’t associate the way I was feeling last summer with the Chantix until my daughter sent me this article. She is the one that saw it and made the connection.
I began Chantix last spring. In no time at all I was in a deep depresstion. I love the summer months I love fishing and swimming. I actually have a pool here where I live and I used it twice last summer. Each time less than an hour. I also gained 40 lbs. I came home from work and went straight upstairs to bed. I also did no fishing. I just couldn’t muster up the “get up and go” to do it. My bed is where I wanted to be. I know that everyone around me saw what was happening. I even ask my Dr. to increase my antidepressant.
I did stop smoking, but wonder if it was worth it. At least I was thinner and happy then.
Regarding the comment from another about the nicotine withdrawal causing the side effects: I quit smoking years ago and started back 16 years ago, and no I didn’t have theses thoughts and feelings then.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:20:47 +0000

I quit using Chantix and found it easy compaired to other methods tried in the past. I suffered no physical or emotional problems. In fact, I felt relaxed about the whole process. Absolutely no anxiety.
It will interesting to determine if it is the actual drug causing the ill side effects in some people or the nicotine withdraw.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:06:44 +0000

The day I realized I was losing my mind: My isolated and continuing Chantix reaction.
I have never felt quite the same for some length of time now. It is as if I have been slowly losing control over my emotions, my mind and my life.
I began taking Chantix in October 2007. I had been planning my departure from cigarettes for at least two semesters, and had developed no further excuses to hinder the forward progress of my quitting. I only wish I had found an excuse, compared to the current state of my wellness now.
What good is being smoke free if you’re a head case in the end?
I don’t know exactly what this medication has done to me, but I have not felt mentally well, in what seems to me, a very long time. I stopped taking the medication when the first supply package of pills was completely gone. I am still waiting and hoping every day, that I might just wake up and feel normal in the head again. (I fear I will not even recognize normal again, if it does return)
I feel like someone has physically taken a baseball bat and worked me over around the joints for some type of indebtedness to the mob, enough of a beating to hurt like hell, but not enough to cause death. (You may wish for it, but it’s not in the cards) I find that a warm bath helps the body aches, and by scheduling myself to do this at specific times of the day (twice daily), this helps the body aches, and the overall scheduling of activities seems to keep my mind working in forward. This practice has not been 100% effective, but it seems to be all that I can do on my own.
I could not continue to sit at my office desk and keep quiet during the day. Uncontrollably I would find myself agitated, frustrated, and extremely irritated at nothing or at something so trivial that in retrospect it seems smaller than microscopic . Or simply put, the little things that had never drawn a reaction like this previously, had begun to take center stage in a tantrum of rage. I had neither the ability nor the wits about me to continue in that situation, so I reluctantly resigned. I was embarrassed to inform my boss that I had quit smoking, and lost my mind in the progress, so I camouflaged my resignation amongst the usual grievances and disaccords found in the work place.
At times, it seems as if nothing has ever been changed about me, other than the fact that I no longer a smoker, but those times are so rare. I miss them. The rest of the time is a constant reminder of the turbulent waters that flow beneath the calm observable surface, just waiting to show its ugly head in a vast storm of unpredictable furry and profanity.
I wish I could just simply light up another cigarette and make all this go away, but that does not seem like the logical alternative. I guess trading my mind for a longer life span was a foolish idea, or just getting the worst out of the way.

By: Bill Simpson

Bill Simpson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:02:49 +0000

does chanitx make you pass out after a few months after taking it. i am a truck triver and pass out as i was geting out of my truck. and brock my wrist.

By: glenda

glenda — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:02:23 +0000

I would like to know if the side affects get worse the longer I take Chantix? I have been taking Chantix for 6 weeks and have had bad depression, crying at everything, anxiety, agitation, trouble sleeping. I have had other problems in my life -( my dad dying in January). How can I tell if what I am experiencing is from Chantix or everything else? Chantix is helping me not smoke but I would like to know if this is bad as it gets.