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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Chantix (Varenicline) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 33 ratings/reviews, Chantix has an overall score of 6.97. The effectiveness score is 8.73 and the side effect score is 6.18. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Chantix review by 34 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |   |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 0.5mg then 1mg per day taken daily for the period of 7 days |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | oral contraceptive (marvelon) | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Reduced desire to smoke
Reduced cravings for cigarettes |
| Side effects: | | Suicidal thoughts (calm idea of jumping off 14th floor) |
| Comments: | | Treatment was immediately stopped after suicidal episode and this effect was reported to the drug administration by the pharamcist. I gave up smoking without the product. |
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| | Chantix review by 43 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Stop Smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | .5 mg taken 1 per day for the period of 30 days |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The benefits were to eventually stop smoking. |
| Side effects: | | At first I experienced a slight headache and upset stomache. |
| Comments: | | I was to take 1 small dosage pill twice a day for 1 week. Then increase the pill to the regular dose gradually after that week. The medication is suppose to stop you from wanting to smoke basically by making you sick to your stomache when you smoke. During the first week you can smoke, but the second week you have to stop. |
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| | Chantix review by 51 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | SMOKING CESSATION |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 MILLIGRAM (dosage frequency: twice a day) for the period of 4 MONTHS |
| Other conditions: | | NONE |
| Other drugs taken: | | NONE | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | ALLOWED ME TO QUIT SMOKING WITHOUT THE PHYSICAL WITHDRAWL |
| Side effects: | | OCCASSIONAL NAUSA SHORTLY AFTER TAKING, OCCASSIONAL GAS, SLEEPING DIFFICULTY |
| Comments: | | 1 TABLET IN THE AM ONE IN PM |
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| | Chantix review by 56 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 tablet taken 2 x day for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | hormone replacements | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | This drug blocked the receptors for nicotine, so the cravings were extremely diminished. The dosage was increased over a week, so the physical withdrawal symptoms were decreased slowly. |
| Side effects: | | The worst side effect was nausea. When I reached the twice daily dose, I was nauseated most of the day. It was much better when I cut the pills in half and took them several times a day with plenty of liquid and food. The other side effect is constipation. A low dose of a laxitive is helpful with this. |
| Comments: | | I have quit smoking many times. This time with Chantix has been the smoothest.
The physical withdrawal was easier than times in the past. I was somewhat irritable for a few days, but nothing severe. The nausea and constipation were annoying, but I was able to work around them. The mental obsession of this addiction is still present at times, but no pill is going to make that go away. It has gotten easier with time. |
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| | Chantix review by 41 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Qit smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken twice a day for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | bupropion | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | enabled me to quit smoking, I think it works well, and even better combined with zyban/bupropion |
| Side effects: | | no side effects |
| Comments: | | Choose a future date to quit smoking. (I picked a date 3 months in advance)Start taking the pills a couple weeks before the quit date. I actually started smoking less without trying. Chantix interfers with the pleasure receptors in your brain, so smoking is not very satisfying. I have now been smoke free for 1 month. |
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| | Chantix review by 58 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken twice daily for the period of 5 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | vitimins | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Tried to stop smoking for years. Started using Chantix and found that if taken twice daily even if I smoked an occassional cigarettes; I continued to take the drug. Had no jitters or nervousness from nicotine withdrawals. Very effective. |
| Side effects: | | When fir started taking the drug had mild nausea after medication. This went away after a few weeks. |
| Comments: | | 1mg tablet twice daily. |
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| | Chantix review by 36 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg taken qd for the period of 2 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | effectively manages cravings for nicotine |
| Side effects: | | insomnia
vivid dreams
nausea
headaches
chest pains
arrhythmia
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| Comments: | | prescribe to take two times per day. found once per day was effective and still had significant side effects. cannot imagine the effects with twice the dose. Supposed to take for 3 months but discontinued after 14 days due to side effects and not really needing medication anymore. still smoke free. |
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| | Chantix review by 35 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken 2xdaily for the period of 1 week |
| Other conditions: | | n/a |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It seemed to help make me not want to smoke. I seemed to not even think about smoking at times i would normally smoke. I think it would be very efective if the side effects werent so great. |
| Side effects: | | I felt weird, hard to describe, but not like myself.I couldnt sleep, I had weird vivid dreams, nauseated for about an hour after taking pill. |
| Comments: | | I quit taking this med after about a week and i am now still smoking. |
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| | Chantix review by 62 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | STOP SMOKING |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 MG taken once a dy for the period of 2 MOS |
| Other conditions: | | N/A |
| Other drugs taken: | | LASIX - DIOVAN | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | After about two weeks of the taking Chantix the craving was alot less |
| Side effects: | | The only side effect that I had from taking Chantix wa the nausea |
| Comments: | | aFTER TAKING CHANTIX FOR TWO WEEKS THE CRAVING FOR A CIGARETTE WAS ALOT LESS.
aFTER i FINISHED TAKING THE TABLET FOR 2 MOS (I WANT SAY THAT i HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT SMOKING) BUT IT WAS SO MUPCH EASIER NOT TO PICK UP ONE |
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| | Chantix review by 65 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg twice daily taken 2 daily for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | Celexa | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Very heavy smoker. Was able to reduce smoking to half pack per day in the run up to totally quitting. Then was able to quit. |
| Side effects: | | Skin itching; insomnia, strong urine smell; weight gain |
| Comments: | | The side effects, aside from the weight gain, were tolerable enough to enable me to quit. I have back slid a couple of times and found taking the pill for a few days resolved the problem. It has been a year since I first started taking the drug. |
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| | Chantix review by 48 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking Cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg taken 2 times a day for the period of 4 months |
| Other conditions: | | Arthritis |
| Other drugs taken: | | Celebrex | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Long-time smokers finally have something to help them stop smoking and not have the headaches and the withdrawals! |
| Side effects: | | The only side effect that I had was strange dreams for the first few nights. |
| Comments: | | Every day you are to take Chantix once in the morning and once at night, and set a date to stop smoking. That is what I did, and I set my date at ten days after I starting taking the medication. In less time than ten days, I was not reaching for a cigarette with my morning coffee. I stopped smoking all together in two weeks, but took the medication for four months. When family and friends that are smokers would come over, I would want to smoke with them. I restarted the program twice, then told myself I would just have to NOT smoke with them. |
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| | Chantix review by 47 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking Cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 25mg taken 2x per day for the period of 3 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Eliminated nicotine cravings and made smoking cessation very easy. |
| Side effects: | | slight stomach naseau if not taken with food. |
| Comments: | | first week 1 pill per day while smoking continued. Doubled dosage from day 8 on and stopped smoking. Was able to stop taking medication after 3 weeks. No smoking recurrence for 10 months. |
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| | Chantix review by 44 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 tablet by mouth twice daily taken 1 tablet by mouth twice daily for the period of 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | When I took the medication as prescribed, If I were to smoke, I would feel sick to my stomach, it surpressed the thoughts of smoking, and the cravings. As I have read, its not so much the nicotine, since I can sleep for 8 hours without craving nicotine, its the little voice in my head that tells me its time for my bad habit. It also surpressed any craving for alcohol. |
| Side effects: | | Vivid dreams, and the loss of my intuitiveness. |
| Comments: | | One pill twice daily with alot of water. |
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| | Chantix review by 44 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken 2 times per day for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | N/a |
| Other drugs taken: | | N/a | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I was able to quit smoking after 7 days without major withdrawals. |
| Side effects: | | I experienced vivid dreams. |
| Comments: | | I tried on numerous occasions to stop smoking but was unable to remain smoke free. I read about Chantix in a magazine and set an appointment with my doctor to see about getting a perscription. I began my therapy, set a quit date for one week later. I followed the instructions and noticed at approximately day three, that my cravings had eased somewhat. In the days that followed, the payoff I usually recieved from the nicotine no longer had the same effect. This was somewhat annoying to me, however I continued with the medication until I finally quit smoking. I have been smoke free for over 6 months off the medication. Chantix is one of the most effective medications I have ever used. It really worked for me. |
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| | Chantix review by 50 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg taken twice daily for the period of 1 month |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The treatment benefits were smoking cessation, first a gradual reduction 2-10 a day then 1-2 a day then I quit for 2 weeks |
| Side effects: | | I experienced depression and severe anxiety. I had multiple strange dreams with physical sexual responses and my sleep patterns were disrupted frequently waking up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep, sexual dysfunction |
| Comments: | | 2 a day |
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| | Chantix review by 38 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 2 pills/day for 3/mo taken 2x day for the period of 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | n/a |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I quit smoking, minimized desire to drink alcohol, suppressed appetite, stabilized mood fluctuations. |
| Side effects: | | I would get an upset stomach if I didn't eat at the time I took the medication. |
| Comments: | | Chantix somehow seems to suppress the pleasure part of the brain. Before you realize it... you will have gone a whole day or maybe days/weeks without even thinking about a cigarette subconcsiously and when you do smoke a cigarette there is little to no euphoria or any other sensation for that matter, its just the taste of smoke and nicotine. I also found it suppressed my appetite and my desire to drink, as well. |
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| | Chantix review by 27 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Stopping Smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken twice per day for the period of will take it for 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | Effor XL | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I have stopped smoking for 1 month so far and I have had hardly any cravings. Unlike the patched they dont fall off and unlike the nasal spray it makes you stop craving nicotine. |
| Side effects: | | Not able to sleep very well at night. Dont know if this is due to the champix or due to stopping smoking. Also tablets can make you feel slightly sick when you first start taking them but nothing too bad. |
| Comments: | | take 1mg in the morning 1mg in the evening every day. The treatment should last for 12 weeks but can be extended for a further 12 weeks if like me you are a heavy smoker. |
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| | Chantix review by 45 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking Cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg / day taken daily for the period of 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Quit smoking in 90 days |
| Side effects: | | Nausea, Insomnia, Constipation, Erectile Dysfunction, Irritability, Fatigue |
| Comments: | | I have taken Chantix for 6 months and would recommend this cessation method to anyone who is motivated to quit smoking! EVEN if you have a slight desire to quit then this drug is for you BUT only if the following conditions apply:
1) you are in good mental health
2) you are not in a high stress environment (I mean like combat or fight fires for a living)
3) you can accept feeling uncomfortable for about 2 weeks while your body adjusts to the drug.
If you are seeing someone for mental issues then this drug is not for you! If you are in a high stress environment then leave this drug alone! If you cannot handle nausea, constipation, insomnia, or fatigue for extended periods of time then DO NOT take this drug. The nausea will fade but it can get pretty intense and that seems to be the deal breaker for a lot of people -- I can hack a lot before I "cry Uncle", but let me tell you the nausea will come in waves and will wear you down. BUT in the end it was worth it!!! |
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| | Chantix review by 46 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Stop Smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg twice per day taken 1/2 mg in the a.m. for the period of 1;/2 mg in the pm |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | 30 year smoker at 1.5 packs per day |
| Side effects: | | In the beginning no side effects. 2.5 weeks into taking drug very severe stiff neck/joint/muscle pain. Gas was bad at first along with consptipation. Gas and constipation disappeared when I lowered the dosage from 2 mg per day to 1 mg per day. Neck/shoulder tension/pain still exists, but worth it to stay smoke free. |
| Comments: | | Began Chantix Starter pack, then quit on Day 7 or 8 of Chantix. Been smoke free for 30 days with no withdrawal pains whatsoever. I plan on staying on 1. mg of Chantix for another 60 days then tapering Chantix until drug free. This is a miracle drug. I could not have quit without Chantix. |
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| | Chantix review by 40 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | 20 year pack a day smoker |
| Dosage & duration: | | 2/day (dosage frequency: 2/day) for the period of 2 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Definately helps control the urge to smoke. Was able to make it through the first week of no smoking with VERY CONTROLABLE urges. |
| Side effects: | | Disrupted sleep is the only side effect so far. However, I'm military and deployed, so sleeping well in these conditions is a luxury anyway. Vivid dreams...I'm remembering my dreams, which is not normal for me. Occasional nightmare, and frequent waking. |
| Comments: | | 2 pills a day as prescribed. I recommend it, but results obviously vary. A few friends have also used it with identical results. None of us take *any* other medication, which may be a substantial variable. So far no suicidal thoughts or rages. |
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| | Chantix review by 30 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1g (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | vivid dreams |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | helped me stop smoking. I have tried to quit cold turking before and used other treatments, like laser and hypnosis. Neither worked as well as chantix. For the first time I was able to not have an urge to smoke. I could see people around me smoking and it didnt cause me to want a cigarette |
| Side effects: | | dry mouth, vivid weird dreams, headache, nausea,
sleep problems (trouble sleeping, or vivid, unusual, or strange dreams),
constipation, gas,vomiting. Ive heard that it also causes depression, and some people have suffered with suicidal thoughts. People sometimes became agitated, it increased their depression level. |
| Comments: | | After filling your prescription, you choose a quit date, and begin taking the medication one week before your quit Date. You get a starter package with a pill(s) for the first weekYou take one tablet every morning for 3 days. On the forth date you take one in the morning and one at night. You can use a support plan, called getquit to help you during weeks 2-12.After the first week, you continue to take a pill in the morning and one at night, it comes in a different package then the one you used the 1st week and is a higher dosage.
support plan. We offer one — it's called GETQUIT™. Enroll today
Weeks 2–12
On your quit date, you'll try to stop smoking completely. And you'll begin using the blue Continuing Week packages, which contain blue tablets. If you slip up and smoke, it's okay. Just keep taking CHANTIX and keep trying to quit
For the next 12 weeks, you'll be taking two blue tablets a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, or as prescribed by your doctor. You should tell your doc about any other perscriptions your taking and any other health problems before starting
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| | Chantix review by 30 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Smoking Cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg taken 2 times a day for the period of for the period of 3 weeks. |
| Other conditions: | | N/A |
| Other drugs taken: | | N/A | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Eliminated nicotine cravings and made smoking cessation very easy. |
| Side effects: | | Slight stomach naseau if not taken with food. |
| Comments: | | I set my quit date for 1 week after I started taking the medication, but did not get discouraged when I was unable to meet that goal because I noticed a drastic decrease in my cravings and knew that I could eventually beat this addiction with the help of Chantix. I reset my quit day for 1 week beyond my original date and by my second quit date, I was no longer craving a cigarette. I was able to quit smoking after only 2 weeks on the medication. I no longer craved one when I woke up, after I ate or when I got in my car. It was amazing and I like to call this my little miracle drug. =) |
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| | Chantix review by medical professional caring for 50 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | tobacco addiction |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg qd taken daily for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It mostly eliminated the urge to smoke, allowing me to quit. Having tried other drugs to quit smoking, I was shocked by how effective this drug was. |
| Side effects: | | Severe depression, suicidal, that continued for eight months until I decided to start smoking again. Drug made my kidneys ache. My daughter had similar depression/suicidal side effects. In my opinion a dangerous drug. |
| Comments: | | I followed the recommended drug regime, until I reached a dose of 1 mg a day. I did not feel the need to increase dosage beyond that, as I stopped smoking, and was having side effects of nausea, stomach cramps, kidney pain, as well as mood changes, which I had anticipated, and thought were normal. |
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| | Chantix review by 49 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | varied (dosage frequency: daily, twice a day) for the period of 6 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | decreased smoking and the desire to smoke somewhat, could not get any buzz off of nicotine |
| Side effects: | | vety nervous, weird dreams, I discontinued after awhile because I wanted my smoking buzz and not to feel weird and nervous all day. |
| Comments: | | followed manufactures program, which was a titrated increase over several days. |
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| | Chantix review by 27 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 0.5-2.0mg/daily taken twice daily for the period of 2 months |
| Other conditions: | | N/A |
| Other drugs taken: | | N/A | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Chantix was incredibly effective for the purpose of smoking cessation. While users are advised that initiative must be taken on their part to successfully quit smoking, I felt that the drug decreased the desire for nicotine so effectively, making smoking absolutely repellent, that a patient taking the drug would most likely quit without much active effort. |
| Side effects: | | Vivid dreams, often lasting throughout the night, not necessarily disturbing, as some have reported, but (seemingly) long, deep, and realistic. Perhaps for this reason, I did not awake feeling well-rested while taking the drug. Significant loss of appetite occurred, but sugary foods seemed more appealing. Mood became depressed to the point that suicidal thoughts occurred. |
| Comments: | | Began taking a low-dose as part of the "starter pack." Desire to smoke diminished quickly and was gone within only a few days. Dose gradually increased to 2 1.0mg tablets/day. Continued with this dosage for close to two months at which time I stopped taking the drug due to the side effects listed above. Have since started smoking again. |
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| | Chantix review by 41 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Quit smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg and other taken daily for several weeks for the period of weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It made the nicotine completely ineffective. the desire went down after several days. I don't really have much else to say. |
| Side effects: | | Nervousness, cause weird night time dreams and made cigs taste like crap.It made the nicotine completely ineffective. the desire went down after several days. I don't really have much else to say. |
| Comments: | | started with smaller doses and titrated up over time. It made the nicotine completely ineffective. the desire went down after several days. I don't really have much else to say. |
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| | Chantix review by 57 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | stop smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg slowly progressed taken 2 x day for the period of 3 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | To cease smoking. I have a 40 year old habit! |
| Side effects: | | I had constant muscle aches, flue like symptoms, sadness that I could not understand, strong stomach pains,and constant fatigue. Even combining aspirin and lots of food with my dosage, it did not help. A pleasant side effect were dreams in bold color. Not scary at all. |
| Comments: | | Take one 1 mg tablet two times per day. The first several days the dosage was one half until I worked my way up. |
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| | Chantix review by 25 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken twice daily for the period of 10 days |
| Other conditions: | | Smoking |
| Other drugs taken: | | marijuana | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | WOW. I find this drug to be a powerful cocaine antagonist and nicotine antagonist. |
| Side effects: | | mild constipation but relieved with fiber rich diet and liquids, strange taste and some deja vu/strange mental sensations. Cocaine Antagonist (positive) |
| Comments: | | I took this drug with the intentions of quitting smoking. I also however, discovered on accident that this drug just about completely blocked the euphoric effects of cocaine and then subsequently blocked the "crash". All that would be experienced was a racy heart and undesirable "too much caffeine" feeling with nausea. This drug has a SERIOUSLY powerful effect on the euphoric of stimulants and needs to immediately be put into treatment plans for stimulant abuse. For Its indications, nicotine, It definately does its job here too my cravings for nicotine are pretty much extinguished though there still seems to be slight reward in an occasional cigarette, just goes to show how much I feel this drug stabilized my ADHD downsides such as deficient dopamine function in my brain. It worked better than bupropion. I understand Chantix has some issues with side effects but hopefully they will work those kinks out because this really looks to be a miracle drug. |
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| | Chantix review by 36 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | SMOKING CEASATION |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg 2x's day taken 2 times day for the period of 5 weeks taking it |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | initially made it easier physically to stop smoking however still craving but know that smoking will not give me the same feeling or be as enjoyable due to the blocking of the nicotine receptors being blocked by the drug, so have not smoked. |
| Side effects: | | Full dose made me extremely nasious so am only taking 1 mg at night. Also, constipation. |
| Comments: | | Take 1 tablet in AM and one tablet in PM with food and 8 oz of water |
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| | Chantix review by 37 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Nicotine Addiction |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg taken twice daily for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I had smoked for 20 years and despite repeated quit attempts using Zyban (bupropion), nicotine patches (and nicotine gum, lozenges etc), I had never managed to stay quit for long. Chantix enabled me to quit my 10 cigar a day habit with minimal craving and after the first week of treatment I really didn't feel the urge to smoke anymore. |
| Side effects: | | I was nauseated after taking each tablet. The nausea started about 20 minutes after taking the tablet and lasted for about 30 minutes. I was never physically sick and the nausea was bearable.
I had greatly reduced libido and difficulty getting and sustaining an erection. My orgasm was delayed, diminished and not satisfying. Sexual function returned to normal when I finished the Chantix course.
I had difficulty sleeping and felt fatigued throughout the treatment.
All things considered, the side effects were worth it for the benefits. As smoking causes premature death a few side effects are a reasonable trade off in order to quit. |
| Comments: | | Standard treatment regime. 0.5mg on day 1, then 0.5mg BD up till day 8, then 1mg BD till 3 months. Gave up smoking on day 10 though smoking had lost most of its appeal by day 7. |
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| | Chantix review by 45 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | quitting smoking |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1mg. 2x/day taken as prescribed for the period of 3 weeks |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | regular vitamins | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The only time I didn't want to smoke was when I was so nauseous and or throwing up after taking the medication. I seemingly derived no benefit from the use of this medication. |
| Side effects: | | nausea, vommiting, depression, vivid dreams, and nightmares. The vommiting came on within minutes of ingestion and my physician offered no other dosage or medication to alleviate the side effects. |
| Comments: | | I was to be on this course of treatment for a possible 12 weeks....From the onset of treatment, I experienced every one of the adverse effects and was told that after a few weeks they would subside...So was not the case in my situation...I finally gave up as my life was severely impacted by using this medication. |
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| | Chantix review by 52 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Stop Smoking Aid |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 mg taken once/day for the period of 1 year |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | Ibuprofen, prilosec | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Chantix did effectively reduce the urge to have a cigarette. Taken twice per day was most effective, but side effects precluded that dosage for this patient(see below). Chantix was taken in the morning, and patient rarely, if ever, even thought of wanting or 'needing' a cigarette during the day. In the evening, however, (when the second pill was due to be taken, but wasn't), and especially if patient had an alcoholic beverage, the urge to smoke returned with a vengence, though a few puffs were all it took to kill the urge. When patient stopped taking Chantix (after a year of use), the urge for nicotine returned. |
| Side effects: | | The side effects for patient were 1) an upset stomach directly after taking pill, and 2) VERY disturbing and vivid dreams. Patient found that, regarding the stomach upset, it was less important to have food in your stomach before taking the pill (stomach still got upset), than to actually take the pill in the midst of eating, (i.e. eat some food, take the pill, then eat some more). This method of taking the pill virtually eliminated the stomach upset problem. As to the vivid dreams, that is why the patient only took one pill in the morning and did not take the pill in the evening. Although patient still occasionally had vivid dreams, the incidence was far less often than when taking the pill twice per day. |
| Comments: | | Chantix was prescribed per the guidelines noted by the manufacturer. As noted above, the dosage was altered by the patient to alleviate negative side effects. Although a stop-smoking plan was packaged with the initial prescription, the patient stopped participating in the follow up due to the lack of urges for cigarettes. This, however, may be why the patient was on the prescription for a year versus a few months. |
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| | Chantix review by 56 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | smoking cessation |
| Dosage & duration: | | 2 tablets per day taken twice per day for the period of two months |
| Other conditions: | | menopause |
| Other drugs taken: | | premarin, prometrium | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It did curb my desire to smoke. I went from smoking a pack a day after years of smoking to smoking one cigarette a day without using any nicotine substitutes. However, I never got to the point where I didn't have the one cigarette a day and the side effects were so severe that I had to stop taking the drug. |
| Side effects: | | The worst were the terrible nausea, gas and abdominal distress. I would be so nauseous after taking the drug that I would have to lie down for about forty five minutes before I could function. Also, as the treatment wore on, the gas pains became so painful that I just had to stop taking the drug. The gas pains grew more severe over time. |
| Comments: | | I took the drug as prescribed but as noted above was not successful at quitting smoking. |
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