Health: Kick The Habit
Even Barack has trouble kicking the habit.
I’ve previously detailed my struggle with smoking. Since Christmas week, I’ve been taking Chantix, a prescription drug that blocks dopamine receptors and extinguishes the desire to smoke. It has a nearly 50% success rate for those who take the drug for six months (many stop their prescription prior to six months, thinking they have beaten it, but those people have a lower success rate).
So far, so good. The drug makes me naseous sometimes, and my dreams are more vivid, but if you eat prior to taking the pill (and take it consistently over time), the side effects seem to lessen. I was concerned when I heard about the dream side-effects because I have recurring nightmares about Oprah, wherein she hates me more and more each time I dream about her (sometimes she cries and tries to guilt me), but I’m pleased to report that with the exception of one dream where I felt someone eating my foot (pulled back the covers…..Oprah), the dreams have been manageable (she was only nibbling). However, I will warn you that the nausea can be bad at times, particularly if you try to smoke.
I’ve tried everything short of acupuncture, so Chantix feels like the nuclear option. I’m hopeful, and feel strong in my conviction to quit. For those of you out there who are similarly struggling to quit as part of your resolution, you may want to consider it.
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PLEASE consider revising this post. Chantix has been shown to have numerous very serious, dangerous side effects. The drug was rushed onto the market because of its supposed effectiveness, however the FDA has recently been issuing pretty serious warnings about psychological side effects including the new onset of depression or other psychological problems including aggression and suicidality; or the worsening of current problems. Please check these out before recommending Chantix to ANYONE. Doctors are prescribing Chantix left and right for good reasons because studies show it helps – however this is misleading.
I was on Chantix for some time, and went through a period of severe depression and worsened anxiety.
Studies done on these smoking aids do not take into account any long-term effects. They do indeed help raise the quit rate – for 12 weeks, while people are ON the quit aid, however when they go off it, they go right back to smoking. This is because they are in many ways maintaining the addiction – they never conquer it. They break the habit of smoking, not the addiction to nicotine.
PLEASE consider revising your recommendation to try Chantix. It’s a dream drug for pharmaceutical companies – people will basically have to stay on it the rest of their lives to keep off cigarettes. And the psychological side-effects, not to mention the sometimes severe nausea, can be awful.
In actuality, a huge majority of long-term quitters – i.e. quitters who STAY quit – quit cold turkey.
Sorry for commenting twice – a few links to the FDA warnings and other warnings on Chantix:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01788.html
http://topnews.us/content/22228-chantix-cause-serious-psychiatric-adverse-effects-canada
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3U0SVfpW4
I also struggle with efforts to quit smoking–I even tried hypnosis once. I tried Chantix, and cut back a bit, but continued in spite of feeling sick everytime I smoked; such is the power of nicotine addiction. Some of the social habits related to my smoking are as powerful as the nicotine addiction. I wish you the best with your efforts; and you’ve already inspired me to try yet again
thanks for writing this… it helps encourage very light smokers like myself to keep things very light. why is everything enjoyable bad for us? god is sick as fuck.
simba,
I’ve felt some of the depression stuff you are mentioning, but it hasn’t been too bad. The naseua is something I can deal with, considering my complete lack of desire to smoke.
My dreams are getting worse, though. Last night they were really twisted. The ones I remember are a) scuba diving for the first time and being afraid of great white sharks (very dark and strange underwater scenes) b) helping Jerry Reed paint his 18-wheeler pink and hiding out from the cops in a parking garage (and feeling Jerry’s incredible lonliness as a truck driver despite his cheery outlook), and c) heatedly arguing with my boss at a rave about the intelligence of ethiopians.
he is always welcome at the Lizard Lounge.
Or you could just buck up and stop smoking. This comes from someone who recently quit a 15-year, pack-a-day habit. Life isn’t fair, and it certainly isn’t meant to make you comfortable and happy. If you want to quit, you’re just going to have to gather up the wherewithall to f-ing do it. No, it won’t be pleasant, but you’re not throwing a tea party, darling… you’re quitting an addictive substance. What exactly do you expect?
Cuffshark,
It is not particularly useful, charitable, or beneficial to derogate those who recognize their need (or just that they might benefit from) pharmacological assistance in their battle to quit smoking.
The increased clinical effectiveness of smoking cessation efforts undertaken with the aid of Chantix – as compared with those who go cold turkey – is well documented in multiple studies (including others in addition to the ones I have linked to), and myself as well as several of my friends found it to be very effective in our own quit programs.
Good luck, Ben!
My wife used Chantix with NO problems and NO Side effects. She has been smoke-free for SIX months. Nothing else she tried worked, like the patch and Commit Lozenges.
Good Luck!
EP
the dreams thing: a couple of stop-smoking Rx’s have vivid dreams listed as side effects. I have never used these medications (yet) but every time I have quit (i’m not saying I’ve had the best staying power) my dreams go nuts. I think it’s to do with more oxygen getting to your brain. I would love to see a control/experimental group of quitting smokers–those using Rx products to help and not–and see how many of each report intense dreams. I bet a lot of both would.
I currently use Chantix. It seems effective; I rarely have smoked since the day I quit with it, and when I have, I hated the taste. As far as side effects, I don’t have the nausea problem, but the psychological effects have been severe for me: vivid dreams, minor depression and slight obsession are just a few.
For anyone with the nausea issue, try taking your pills with a carbonated beverage. Chantix worked very well for me when I was on it, and as long as I took it with a little bottle of Pelligrino every morning, the nausea was fine.
As far as the reported side effects, bear in mind that any drug that alters your neurochemistry carries a risk of adverse psychiatric events. If your doctor isn’t keeping close tabs on your health while you’re on one of these drugs, find another doctor.
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