Effects of champix

2 months after stopping taking Champix I still feel exactly the same, leg pain,headaches,flu like symptoms,feeling deflated and not myself. How long are these side effects likely to last?? not much longer I hope!! I have however stopped smoking and have no desire to restart.

guys - Today is day 52 of since I quit smoking, used Champix, smoked for the first week as I used it, on day 8 quit smoking used Champix for another week and could not tolerate the drug and stopped using it, still could hold well on quitting smoking.... you need not use this drug for the time period prescribed/ for me two weeks has done enough... may using it for couple weeks is too early to set in negetive side effects/ no harm in trying.

Well done for not smoking again. Since my last post of stopping champix, i finally do feel better. My mood has lifted and im beggining to feel like the old me again, the physical effects (like those you mentioned) are becoming less strong. I suppose we are all different but the fact i feel better, even if not 100%, is something of an improvement.

Excellent description lattyme and it describes "exactly" how I was feeling to a tee. After 7 weeks of taking CHAMPIX (I had to take three weeks sick leave due to the "flu symptoms", etc) but at week 6 I started to experience "joint pains" that were escalating to complete debilitation. The front of my thigh muscles would ache, then my Knees started to hurt (to the extent of feeling I need complete rebuilds or would never walk again) and then the lower back and shoulders.

I sought treatment from an Acupuncturist/Masseuse which did indeed improve the movement but the pain was still there.

It was not until I doubled my dose of Fish Oil capsules and stop taking the Champix that the pain is slowly residing (after 5-6 days).

I to "just want to feel normal again" and almost started smoking again "hoping" to feel a level of normality again.

the restless leg syndrome and shoulder/neck pain hit me on day 31. I have stopped the champix and hope it goes away. I will try the omega 3's tonight. I think oral magnesium supplement can help as well.

I have found out my neck and shoulder pain and most of the side effects from the champix was actually the start of pneumonia. I had been off the cigarettes for over 3 weeks with the champix but had suffered the whole time with insomnia. I am positive that the insomnia made me run down and susceptible to bugs. I have been off work for 3 weeks recovering very slowly on antibiotics and steroids for the severe bronchospasm. Thank god I have quit smoking because I never want to feel this way again. I am sure emphysema and airways disease caused by smoking would feel worse and I was petrified to have a cxr just in case they found a lung tumor. I see this all as a second chance to get healthy and smarten up.

WOW amazing the effects one tablet can have on someone. It was after all made as an antidepressant which would explain the mood. When i first started taking Champix i actually felt euforic to begin with and was only later that changed. With antidepressants people have to come of them gradually, were we just stopped the Champix.

Since my last post on 7th Aug my mood has lifted, i do still have the aches in my knees and heres another one, my hair hurts and feels bruised. I never connected this to the Champix untill i read it of another post.

I have started smoking on and off on occation so stocked up on the NiQuitin mints so i dont let it catch up with me and feel as it was all for nothing.

Thanks for the tip on the fish oil capsules, i will try that.

Hang on in there SmokingIsForWusses

smoked for 40 years, champix is amazing for me but i took it up again, just started again. My symtoms nausea, just eat when take pill,,,, one week couldn't sleep,, next couldn't stay awake. All this went away but i do know people who can't take,, get really sick or very agro. I also on high dosage of antidepressant, and drink. I always take 1000mg of garlic pills a day, not had cold for 4 years. Apart from emphysema i pretty healthy. lol

Cainask,that is interesting that you had smoked for 40 years and gave up on champix and you had no side effects except for nausea...I used champix and gave up smoking after 50 years..my Daughter inlaw gave up smoking at the same time as me,she still doesn't smoke,l have started again and l am angry with myself because l didn't really need to smoke again...now l have to start Champix all over again!does anyone know how often champix can be used?l didn't suffer any side effects that many seemed to be suffering except for nausea.

Sad to hear you started smoking on and off again. I am hitting day 56 today and are "starting to feel" normal again now that the terrible drug "Champix" is being expelled from the body.

So glad to have read all these posts thought I was just cracking up! Makes it worse when no one around you believes how you are feeling and just think its the nicotine craving. I dont even want a cigarette that has well passed thankfully. But I cant cope with this big cloud over my head a moment and not being able to function properly, everything seems such an effort, Id be happy to stay in til this Champnix left my system once and for all. Cant continue this for much longer, I think my partner and I will split - he just cant cope with me (even thou he took them too, he says he has no side effects whatsover!!!)

Hey there

I am so sorry to hear about the stress you and your partner have been through with Champix.
Both my partner and I have been on the meds for 9 weeks now.

I have completely lost my mind at times and have pushed him so far away that we have split up 2 days ago.

He claims that he has no side effects and that i am being dramatic. Truth is that i have completely changed. I am extremely aggressive and over sensitive.

I have now stopped taking it in the hope that i will feel better soon. Went and got myself some natural remedies to lift my spirit and try get me back to normal.

I can see the effect on my partner as he has no interest in what i have to say at all.

Big question, did you manage to resolve issues in your relationship? Did you guys work through the after effects of the meds and did your feelings towards each other return to the way it was previously?

I am at my wits end....dunno what to do anymore.

Look forward to hearing from you
Johann

hi lattyme this wont help... quite the opposite but I came off the drug two years ago, while i was taking it i asked for the dose to be reduced such was the significant change to my health, depression and darkness mood swings and anger(though not at all self destructive or suicidal) i know some people say this is the effect of giving up smoking... but i've tried giving up smoking before and that is not the case. Here i am 2 years down the line i don't smoke but i am still looking for light at the end of tunnel i feel like the tablet has broken me, i tried briefly anti depressants, but someone told me they don't fix the problem they just make you feel better while your taking them so i'm looking for a more long term solution. I'm so frustrated, i had hoped that the symptoms would pass over time but i'm still as sad and miserable and intermittently angry as i was when i was on them. i know my doctor didn't care. (don't want to fix you, just patch you up and fob you off) and i doubt these effects get reported back, i really wish i had never bothered. smoking might be dangerous but this drug has made life horrible and arduous which is horrible because have an amazing job, a fantastic family, no financial worries etc... just a complete disinterest in living

can anyone give their account of what has worked to reduce or limit the side-effects of coming off champix? or taking them for that matter?

my fiance just finished her 12 week champix courese a few days ago and i starting to experience panic attacks, mental fog etc. She also suffers from mild depression and is on mild anti-depressants.

reading through these forums has scared the life out of me when i think about what might be approaching us! I've also just realised that one of her work colleagues a few months ago finished a course of champix, and after coming off them has been suicidal, and suffered severe mental illness. I don't know that anyone around him realised it could be a result of champix. crazy stuff.

again, has anyone found a remedy to help alleviate the symptoms - herbal tea, yoga, exercise....

I only took champix for 1 month but stopped due to terrible heartburn,restless legs and earache! Felt much better once off them and just went cold turkey. Was doing great until about a month ago when out of the blue i started suffering severe panic attacks ,one after the other non stop for days. i truly thought i was having a breakdown and was so scared.Doc says its panic disorder probably caused by champix. Im still suffering daily and im so tired from trying to cope with it. I cant see an end to it and i wish i had never heard of champix

Hi everyone, this has been a fascinating read of all your experiences with Champix. This is my 3rd Champix attempt and while the first week I have the saddness and whacky dreams, it all has levelled out. But I am concerned after reading some of your feedback that it might be causing other ill effects. I have for the last 3 weeks since starting Champix been feeling a tingle or rather pins and needles in my right hand pinky finger and now also the one next it. Another symptom has been a weird rash on all fingers of both hands (except the thumb) and rash in the palm of the hands. Maybe completely unrelated but I have always had good skin. In fact it is why I did the search and came across this board. Has anyone else experienced the same symptoms?

I don't want to slam Champix outright because it has been the essential key to my quitting.

Cheers
OnceAgain

i been taken champix for just over 2 weeks now and started on the daily dozage of 1mg but i have pins and needles in my right hand , feel really moody loose my temper really quickly cry at most things just feel really low been feeling like this for 2 days and im scared if i carry on taking champix i will push my loved ones away i dont want that as took me 10 years to find him please help me

i been taken champix for just over 2 weeks now and started on the daily dozage of 1mg but i have pins and needles in my right hand , feel really moody loose my temper really quickly cry at most things just feel really low been feeling like this for 2 days and im scared if i carry on taking champix i will push my loved ones away i dont want that as took me 10 years to find him please help me

I am on a week 16! I stopped smoking 15 weeks ago and stopped taking champix 4 weeks ago! My side effects were not very severe: I had a little bit more vivid dreams, tiredness, dry mouth but the worst one was (AND STILL IS) bloated tummy and winds! It is awful and I never had a bloated tummy before. Can anyone tell me how long until the side effects will go away? Anyone had a bloated tummy when taking champix?

My husband tried to kill me on champix he came off them the next day , he'd become stranger as time went by and even the police were utterly perplexed at his aggressive out of chair yor behaviour . Don't risk it . Read more . A lot of people have experienced similar x

Iv been on champix for 5 weeks and have been completely irrational but this last week has been so hard at one stage i thought i was havin a mental breakdown. I have a young son and a fantastic partner and family but as someone else said i just have a completw disinterest in everything. Iv quit taking the champix 3 days now and i have no thoughts of smoking but i hope these feelings pass soon

Iv been on champix for 5 weeks and have been completely irrational but this last week has been so hard at one stage i thought i was havin a mental breakdown. I have a young son and a fantastic partner and family but as someone else said i just have a completw disinterest in everything. Iv quit taking the champix 3 days now and i have no thoughts of smoking but i hope these feelings pass soon

Hi there.. It is good to read many people have side effects using Champix because I am in the same positions as many of you. I am on week 2 now but been taking only half pill per day and ONLY because my partner asks me not to give up... I wasn't a frequent smoker anymore, for the last year i smoke only when drinking. But had decided to cut even these occasional smoking habits...Since the first day i took it, i felt so weird, really sick, my blood pressure goes down, i start sweat and no nausea but diarrhea instead. The first day i took the full dose of the week 2, i really thought i would end up in hospital, felt really sick, only getting better when eating a lot of carbs. I also felt my mood changing, i am very short tempered now ( more than usual!) I haven't had a ciggie for 15 days and have experienced 2 occasions of drinking environment without craving a cigarette. I will try to finish this week 2, taking only half pill during the day and half at night but if i keep feeling this way, i will certainly give up this rather dangerous medicine.
My partner wants me to keep going because he didn't have any side effects so he does not see the dimension of the issue. I try to explain but he says: you can do it... Well, not so much, i prefer keeping my health and sanity for sure!

Hi, Interesting to hear you've cut the dose down of your own accord. I'm on my third and last attempt at kicking smoking for good, and have used champix each time. Side effects - sleeplesness, vivid dreams, euphoria in the first weeks, couldn't give a damn attitude. I've discovered that taking just half a pill each day(one quarter of the recommended dose)cuts side effects, but for me still works stopping me wanting to smoke. Taking this further half a pill every two or three days still blocks the pleasure effect of having a cigarette. I'm convinced champix stays in (my) system for a good while, and think that further work should have been done testing the effectiveness of smaller doses, because that reduces side effects. It's also a lot cheaper.

my side effects are one mintue i'm starving i have 2 mouthfuls of my dinner in i'm full on another day i can eat a scabby horse our attitudes have completely changed we are arguing all the time insomnia when you are but on champix you should be told they were origally an antidepressants which our nurse never told us that

For the past six weeks I had been taking the anti-smoking drug Champix and I
was experiencing an escalating series effects

I am going to doctors chambers to consult with him about taking cfhampix. Every one pray for me to overcome from smoking.