I want to say i am sorry to everyone. I know what the drug is like as i too have been having problems. But nothing of which is on here so if anyone can relate to what i am about to say i would like to know. I have been smoke free for 6 months now. But my Champix experience was hell. The WHOLE time i was on the pills i was exhausted - i could not function. All i did was eat and sleep. I am tired all the time now and i am off the pills and have a hard time getting myself to do anything and i have always been a active person. But the next side effect is the one that scares me. I used to have a memory like a razor (very sharp), now i can not remember anything (short term). I struggle with this as it is a VERY DISTINCT change. Has anyone else suffered the same? I have been off the pills for awhile but can not come to terms with the what i have been left with. If anyone asked me how my quitting smoking was going i would say - quitting smoking is the easy part, it is the Champix that is the difficult part to deal with - Can't wait to get off the pills, i will never smoke again after putting myself through this hell. Maybe it is time to go to the doctor - just seeing if anyone out there is like me. I am truly sorry for evryone's loss.

I too seem to be suffering from some of the more 'scary' side effects. I took it for two months then started just taking the pills occasionally when i felt tempted to have a cig. Big mistake. The last month or so (3 months after starting) I'm having some serious mental health issues. Paranoia, short short temper, Depression, Panic attacks and loss of memory. Any one of these would be bad enough but having combinations of all them is really scary (Paranoia and memory loss is really bad together).

I went to the docs today as I'm at the end of my tether and he told me coming off/taking random doses of champix/chantix is the most probable cause. I knew my head was getting messed up so i stopped taking the tabs two weeks ago, hoping it was champix causing it. Things have been absolute hell since then. For the last two days i've taken one tab a day at the same time of day. Now almost human. Doc has recommended i continue for at least a week or two at this dose and come off them very slowly. lowerin to half a tab a day for week or so, then half a tab every other day for another week.

I can totally see the logic in this (Wish I had earlier!). Champix messes with brain chemistry. Suddenly stopping is not going to give enough time for things to rebalance in your brain, resulting in problems.

I was getting really worried It was me just losing my mental facalties, but I'm actually getting some comfort knowing other people are experiencing similiar things and I know what kind of things to look out for in my own behaviour now and can hopefully try to prevent spiralling out of control. If you know someone taking champix please let them know of the possibilities of physcological problems so they are at least aware to watch out for danger signs like mood swings, withdrawal from people, short temper, anger.

Also remember it does seem to be a minority of people having these problems

I really feel for the poor people that didn't discover these potential problems until too late. So please pass it on, talk to your partner/friend/collegue taking champix and let them know about this, They maybe be suffering in silence.

I have been on champix for 4 days feek sick. have tried zyban but had symtons while on them that sound the same ! oh no !

did you get lots of energy while on champix

Hi, My husband has been on these for 5 days.. and over the last 24 hours has been really low and had a nasty streak... it could be work stressing him out, but my worry is that its these tablets. He is desperate to give up smoking, so I don't want to tell him to stop taking them if there a chance it will work, but I'm really worried now.. should He try thenm for one more day and see if he is any happier?

I took Chantix (I'd like to know how people spell this name wrong if they actually have a prescription?) for 6 weeks. The worse thing that happened to me was a stomach ache, which, unfortunately, happened every time I took the pill. That's why I stopped after 6 weeks but that pill took away my urge to smoke which continues today, 3 months later. I still have the 2nd prescription and I will take it again if I feel I need too. I read everything I could about taking this medication and was very hesitant to take it, after I talked to my doctor, I went for it. And I am so glad I did. I am sure other people react differently, but again, educate yourself first, talk to your doctor and then do what you need to do to stop smoking. It's VERY hard to stop but it can be done and I hope I can stay stopped!

hi i've tried everything to give up smoking in the past and never had a response to anything the way i had to champix. I was a bit unsure about taking this drug due to depression in the past and voiced these fears to my advisor at the time of recomendation. She said to me basically not to worry and it was more likely to cause the known side effects than set me back again. Within a few days of taking these i was back to the worst part of my depression! Constantly bursting in to tears intense paranoia couldn't sleep but then didn't want to wake up, lack of appetite plus several other things. I'm almost glad that i've been depressed in the past because there was no way i was going back there and got to my doctor straight away who told me to stop taking the pills. I'm now waiting for them to come out my system and hopefully stop me feeling this impending sense of doom that is continuing. But just for a warning to others considering this method of stopping smoking One day i was fine the next i was not it was as quick as that and as i said only after taking less than a week.

I think if you've had depression you should not be put on these tablets or reccomended them.

dom

I wanted to say that i have posted earlier (Chapixhero- October 4, 2009) and i would like to say the following: my memory is back, i am running, riding horses and have all my energy back. I am happy, healthy and have been smoke free for 7 months now and will never go back to smoking. I never thought i would be able to quit smoking because i loved smoking so much but i did and i would also like to say I TRIED EVERYTHING, and this was the only thing that work for me. The experience was hell(always tired, and memory loss), but i am ok now and smoke free. So do your homework, talk to your doctor - Champix may work for you too!

Dear Charleston
Champix is spelled differently in Canada then the US due to the company making the drug. So no people can spell!! But who cares when your focus is on quitting smoking not whether you can spell the name of the drug correctly!!! My husband has been taking this drug going on his 3 months now. He quit smoking 5 days after starting champix and hasn't had the urge to smoke since. I am very proud of him and support him totally. I just worry about the effects of stopping this drug after the 12 weeks with no weaning. A co-worker of mine ended up very depressed and manic after stopping champix cold turkey. I have been reading up on the drug and will ensure my hubby weans off this drug to ensure full success in his goal of quitting smoking. Good luck to everyone with quitting smoking!!!

Hi,
Just reading all the side effects of Champix, was considering take it, but after ready all the effects it creates I'm very afraid I'm going cold turkey, bugger the drugs, definitely not going there

I have been on Champix now for 6 weeks, and have not smoked for 4 weeks, I can honestly say that the only side effects I have had are mild nausea and tiredness for about half an hour after taking a pill, extremely vivid dreams for the first 4 weeks, sleep pattern back to normal now, and bloatedness and wind. I WAS informed of the risk of depression and suicidal tendencies, but as I have never had a bout of depression in my life, I felt I had nothing to worry about. I posted this just to try to go some way to balancing out all the negative posts on this forum, so far it's working for me

Hi All,
My partner started taking champix and 3 days later he told me he didnt love me anymore and has left me, i am so sad i miss him so very much, we have a 2yo and a 6month old baby together but he really doesnt want to come back he says he doesnt know why. I do believe that champix has changed him and i am aware he's stopped taking it, does anyone have any idea of how long this drug takes to leave the system? I really hope that he starts to get back to normal and come home to the family that loves him, otherwise we had a normal relationship nothing else could have triggered him leaving...