trying to stop smoking with champix

lioness5, I just saw this post. I replied to both your other posts, in my thread and Rainbow's thread. Check one of them out when you have time. ( they are awaiting approval from the Moderators so if they are not up yet, check back.)

I want to comment to soulandbody.

Electronic cigarettes are not really cigarettes. Many of us hate this name because the E-cig the wonderful life saving tool it is, gets associated with a deadly killer and gets a bad reputation. You don't call a medically prescribed nicotine inhaler a cigarette and say those are just as bad as smoking - same goes for the electronic cigarette.

The e-cig is almost identical to a medical nicotine inhaler. They work the same way. They both heat up a liquid nicotine solution and produce a vapor that you inhale. The difference is the nicotine inhaler is made by a pharmaceutical company, costs a lot of money and you have to have a prescription for it. You also cannot adjust your nicotine strength on the fly with a nicotine inhaler.

The e-cig is made by many companies in many shapes and sizes.. many of them do not resemble a cigarette at all. The e-cig does not produce smoke, or all the things you get from tobacco smoke. No tar, no carbon monoxide, None of the 4000 other chemicals and the 69 cancer causing chemicals known to be found in tobacco smoke. So you see, saying the electronic cigarette is just as bad as a regular cigarette is silly. You just don't have the facts. In fact doctors will tell you that the body of e-cig users heals just like those who have quit smoking cold turkey. The only thing the e-cig delivers that cigarettes deliver is nicotine. Nicotine does not cause cancer, does not cause heart and lung disease. Nicotine is chemically similar to caffeine and has the same risks associated with it. Nicotine is a vascular constrictor and a mild central system stimulant - just like caffeine from coffee. It's not the nicotine in cigarettes that kills, it's the smoke.

The vapor from e-cigs does not harm you. This vapor is made of liquid nicotine, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin ( and FDA approved flavorings) - all are which approved by the FDA for inhalation and have never been shown to cause damage. Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin have even been used for years in medical inhalers for breathing treatments. In e-cigs, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin may even help healing of the lungs due to their having antibacterial properties. They were chosen for the medium to use in e-cigs to help deliver the nicotine because of their safe track record.

lioness5,

I went into more detail in my other posts but I'll give you a short answer here because others who want to know the answer will see this thread.

Champix works by blocking nicotine receptors in the brain.. supposedly keeping the nicotine you take from reacting with these receptors and giving you pleasure from nicotine (in the form of dopamine)

The problem is these receptors in the brain are not exclusive to nicotine. They can fire with chocolate and other substances that you enjoy. This is one reason why many people have problems with chantix/champix. The release of dopamine is normal and healthy for the body. If you stop any normal healthy body process, your going to have problems. Like depriving the body of sleep or serotonin or melatonin.

Like you, if you Google enough you will find many people use a NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapies) like the patch, in your case an e-cig while taking Champix/Chantix and also want to know if this is bad for them. The company who makes these products Pfizer does not recommend doing this. There are however no known studies about this so no one can say for sure.

It is evident that the two will fight against each other - or perhaps cancel each other out. Champix trying to block the dopamine receptors and nicotine trying to stimulate these receptors. If the Champix works, it will block the nicotine and or chocolate and the dopamine will not be released. I cannot imagine either smoking or using an e-cig will really cause you harm, unless it reacts badly with the chemicals in Champix. After all, Champix is designed to block the receptors when you do smoke (or inhale nicotine). I think the problem lies in the danger of getting too much nicotine that may or may not harm your system. The Champix is trying to block the receptors and you may not get pleasure from the nicotine, so you use more and more nicotine trying to chase the effect you crave. This may be the reason behind the recommendations not to continue using a cigarette or any form of NRT while using Champix.

Also note that this nicotine might make you sick and feel ill, but it should not kill you. It takes 60 ml of pure nicotine ingested at once (about 2 ounces) to kill a 140 lbs man. You can never get this much nicotine in your system at once from smoking cigarettes or using an e-cig.

Champix itself can have other unpleasant side effects itself unrelated to the nicotine use. Chantix and Champix have been known to cause many health problems even contribute to suicide.

As stated in my other posts, I suggest you may want to stop using the Champix and concentrate on using the e-cig because it is much safer. Once you get used to the e-cig, you can ween your nicotine strength down to a level your comfortable with if you like. Or you can just use the e-cig as a cigarette substitute providing your body is healthy enough for normal nicotine use.

That's my opinion. The most important thing is that you find the right method that works best for you no matter what method that is.

Best of health and happiness,

John Phoenix

thank you so much for youre good advice, im going to stop champix and use e cigs as im now on day 20 and i feel terrible. im known as a bubbly,fun and loving person but i have not left my house for 5days, and today my daughter asked me to drive her to the shops same as every week, my heart started pounding and i panicked so much i thought i was having a heart attack.i cant live like this, iv got far to much to do. im snapping at my youngest daughter who still lives at home and trivial little things make me so angry. this is not me so im stopping champix now before it gets any worse or im left like this for good. you are exactly right in what you say, i used to drink a big glass of wine a night but the champix has stopped that and i no longer want it. maybe it should be given to alcoholics! thank you johnphoenix for your good advice,people like me need you on this forum, lioness

Hi Lioness5,

They still haven't posted my other replies to you so I sent you a copy in Private Message.(took me a while to figure out their private message system) The message has links I wanted to be sure you got. Hopefully they will post the reply soon. I did get a message saying they were only going to post one copy either in Rainbows thread or my thread, I do not know which but it hasn't been posted yet.

Again, thank you for your kind words. I believe quitting smoking or switching to a healthier alternative is hard enough and can cause it's own array of side effects from withdrawal from all the 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke that it really doesn't pay to complicate the problem with side effects from drugs like Champix. I believe you are making the better choice for your health in the long run by using the e-cig instead.

Today there is a fine line between a medically necessary drug and a drug that is sold to help only with symptoms that mostly serves in making the pharmaceutical companies richer. I would never suggest stopping a prescribed drug that was medically necessary. Luckily for us, Champix is not a medical necessity and better options are available. I just wanted to make this clear before someone jumps on me for suggesting to you to stop Champix.

Here are a list of symptoms of quitting smoking - many of these most people don't realize can happen. The list also has possible side effects to using an e-cig which are rare for most people and lastly, has a list of benefits gained from quitting smoking and using the e-cig. This may help your journey. ( Everything on this ECF forum is great, read as much of this site as you can)

Not all side effects from stopping tobacco smoke are listed here (because some known side effects do not apply to e-cig users.

Anxiety, tension, restlessness, frustration, or impatience
Difficulty concentrating, Drowsiness or trouble sleeping, as well as bad dreams and nightmares, Headaches
Increased appetite and weight gain, Irritability or depression have also been associated with quitting smoking.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/ar ticle/000953.htm#Symptoms

These coupled with the side effects of Champix/Chantix and the drug blocking dopamine can drive people nuts and make quitting/switching that much harder.

Fortunately with e-cig use, most people do not experience these symptoms because 1) the nicotine helps the craving to not be so bad while your body is detoxing from the other 4000 chemicals in tobacco and 2) because you still get to keep your physical and psychological habits of inhaling and exhaling something you enjoy.

This information may help you with your mood swings and irritability or depression.

I still use my e-cig because I enjoy it even after having been tobacco smoke free for over a year. I conciser myself Quit just like someone who quit Cold Turkey because I do not inhale any harmful tobacco smoke and that's the main point of quitting anyway. It's all about Harm Reduction. Stopping the deadly smoke and choosing to use something with health risks that are no worse than that of caffeine users to me is a no brainier - if that's the best way for you to quit comfortably with lasting results.

I'm here for you if I can help further.

Best of Health and Happiness,

John Phoenix

I have been on Champix for 6 Weeks now and have stopped smoking for 4 weeks (hurah!) I was a 15-20 a day smoker previously, I can not say that the Champix has or has not contributed to my giving up as I have never previously tried to give up,(I was one of those deluded smokers that said I enjoyed smoking!) I can say however that It has been 4 weeks since i last smoked, but I have thought about it a lot, I feel sometimes that I am missing out on something for not smoking and ridiculously at times have wondered what on earth i am going to do all evening simply because I do not smoke anymore! The only downside to the Champix I have felt is a feeling of Nausea for approx 15 mins after each tablet, it soon disappears. I do believe that Willpower is playing a huge part in my giving up as I do feel that I am often battling with my own mind on whether to just smoke a cigarette as I am 35 and if i want a cigarette then I will just have one Lol, The truth is I do not want to be a smoker, I do not want to smell (which i have noticed like a tracker dog)anymore like I have smelt on smokers since stopping, I do not want to spend 40 a week, and having 2 small children, certainly do not want to die, It does get easier (I am told) and each day of not smoking is a real victory and we should all be very proud.

nofagsformeyipee That sound like me!! I am not my 8th day smoke free with Champix! I was a deluded smoker too! Saying things like 'why should i give up i enjoy it its the only thing i do' I agree it does take willpower and its not easy at all. Sorry you probs sitting thinking and your point is!!! Well, not got one really was just surprised to find some one who has the same feelings as me!

hi,lioness5 here, i would just like to say a big thank you to every one who has left a reply on my post,and all the support of you guys on this forum. im now 2weeks off champix and im back to feeling like my old self, but without smoking! im using an e cig, and good old fashioned will power. champix didnt work for me as i was affected by some of the side effects but i know people that it has worked very well for so it really is a case of trial and error,but i now believe that putting extra chemicals in our bodies (from champix or other unnessesary drugs) is probably a silly thing to do. i remember my mum giving up smoking a lot of years ago and there was no nrt, just a whole lot of will power and packs of strong mints! there is a pill for everything now but i can tell you from my experience on champix,pills are not always a good thing and can sometimes do more harm than good. so im sticking with my ecig and little bit of will power, and this forum has helped so much, thanks guys.

stop smocking is very hard but just remember nothing is imposible
the craving is grow when you want to stop smock
forget or go to the others place when the craving is coming
the winer is never quit!and quiter is never win