Chantix is the most popular of the stop smoking pills, but without insurance it’s going to run you $300-500 for a 12 week supply. The patch is probably going to cost you slightly under $150 for a six week supply depending on where you live, so it’s a cheaper alternative.  Also, Chantix has gotten mixed reviews. One study shows that there is only a 1/5 success rate…but I know of quite a few people who have used it and quit successfully.

Paying a good sum of money for an aid of this sort is almost a type of motivation.  Who wants to fail after sinking that much money into success?

Someone sent this to me the other day.  They’re trying to quit without the use of quit smoking aids:

Hi there,
I have been trying to quit for a while but have had some success with a ‘cut down and quit’ approach. Every time I feel like having a cigarette I get up and do something else as soon as the craving starts. I will have a glass of water, put a load of washing on, wash my face or ANYTHING in general to keep my hands busy. Doing it this way I am able to abstain from having one for up to three hours at a time. It is really hard to go cold turkey as there are certain receptors in your brain that go crazy when you don’t deliver their precious nicotine. If you slowly cut out half your cigs a day over one week then the next week you do the same again and so on and so on. I myself am now down to about 6 – 8 a day and that is coming down from a pack of 50’s a day!!! I tell myself to even just chew normal gum to get the saliva going in my mouth. I even just take deep breaths, saying “I can do this, you are my enemy (to the cigs), I don’t need you controlling my life…..” I’m getting there!

Someone’s story:

I want to take the stop smoking pill but i can’t find a web site with some info on the pill. I want to know side effects and do you still smoke while you take the pill?

Yes, you continue to smoke while taking this med. You set a quit date, but a lot of people quit early. It is a miracle drug, as far as some people are concerned.

Most people only experience nausea as a side effect, or very vivid dreams.

It costs about $100-120 per month if paying cash, but most insurances cover it. Cheaper than cigs! You WILL quit. It blocks the reuptake of nicotine to your brain and fools it into believing it is satisfied. So, even if you smoke, you derive no pleasure from it.

My neighbor said she started taking Chantix, the stop smoking pill, a week ago and she want to smoke less, but still has some cravings. She asked around about what side effects people have experienced with it: Did it cause weight gain? Strange dreams or nausea?

I haven’t taken it personally, but I have two close friends that have. They said the first two weeks were great. They smoked as usual the first week. By the second week, all cravings stopped and they quit smoking. But around the third week, severe nausea kicked in. It was to the point that they both had to quit taking it. It may affect different people different ways, so I told her she should at least try it.

Has anyone successfully quit smoking using the stop smoking pill Chantix?   A Doctor had this to say:

So far, the patients I have prescribed Chantix for have reported some good results, with only a select few reporting uncomfortable side effects. (For those people, however, they are currently experiencing other pre-existing conditions for which smoking is their way of dealing with them)

Although the clinical trials showed some pretty hard evidence, the proof for me is in my own patient’s lives. If they can manage to successfully combine behavioural changes along with Chantix, then I’d say it’s a success. The only other thing I’m looking for is when they stop taking Chantix…whether they continue not to smoke. Time will tell, but so far, it’s looking good.

Someone wrote into me with this story:

I took the stop smoking pill Chantix for about 3 months (October 06-December 06). It worked great for me. Main side effects I had included upset stomach (during week 1 when I took the medicine and when I smoked and only for about 30 minutes after taking the medicine in all the other weeks), problems sleeping (week 1) and really weird, vivid dreams (entire time). Other than that, it worked great. I had no withdrawal symptoms from taking the medicine.

I highly recommend it. If you decide to take it find out if your insurance will cover it. If not, call around to various pharmacies and price shop. My insurance covered it so I just got it at the local Walgreens but one person I know said it was cheaper at Costco (no membership required to use their pharmacy).

I haven’t smoked since October. Good luck quitting!

A pharmacist the other day was telling me that stop smoking pill Chantix is hugely popular right now.  She said that her patients have claimed to have excellent results using it.  The side effects are pretty mild, too, though I have heard of people having bad dreams when taking it.

I read this bit about a woman worried about drug interactions with stop smoking pill Chantix and her husband’s Priolsec:

My husband is taking CHANTIX to stop smoking, but now he feels bloated all the time, to the point that it’s sometimes a bit painful and he finds it hard to get comfortable. His eating habits have not changed, and he still gets to sleep just fine at night. On the good side he has stopped smoking 2 packs a day and cut down to just a few. He would like to keep taking CHANTIX, but he really feels it’s eating away at his stomach. He also takes PRILOSEC, everyday, and has always had bad heart burn if he forgets to take his PRILOSEC. WHAT CAN HE DO FOR HIS PAIN ?? and still take CHANTIX. Is this painful gut due to CHANTIX, or taking CHANTIX & PRILOSEC together. If so, what can he take to stop smoking, that will not effect the PRILOSEC. He really needs the PRILOSEC, heart burn runs in the family. Or, if he still wants to take CHANTIX, how can he avoid the stomach pain?

Any thoughts?  Leave a comment.  I think drug side effects are an interesting topic.

The idea behind most stop smoking pills is that they block the pleasurable benefits of nicotine, so that when and if you smoke, your ‘happy’ side effects are non-existent.  They usually have to build up a little in your brain so that you are able to wean yourself off of the dreaded cigarettes!!

I read this from one dedicated quitter today:

I have just started taking Chantix and I am about a pack a day smoker give or take. I want to be successful with this for good. I have 5 children and a husband who smokes who has just began to take Chantix as well. My biggest concern is that we will be able to quit, but what happens after we stop taking Chantix? My husband quit for 5 years before! I am tired of feeling like a horrible mother, a social outcast and hiding my habit from people in my life. Not to mention sick and tired of the cost of smoking in itself. My husband agrees and feels the same. I just want to hear from someone out there they have been successful off of Chantix who started with Chantix. Anyone??????