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Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 5:30:30 AM   
mistoferin


Posts: 8284
Joined: 10/27/2004
Status: offline 		Master and I have been quitting smoking. We've been using Chantix and we've found that it is amazing for stopping the cravings. We've been taking it for nearly a month now and neither of us are smoking. We are both having some issues with nausea from it, but so far they haven't been so severe as to make us want to stop taking it.

I, however, have had a headache ever since we started taking it. At first it was just a dull aching pressure....annoying more than anything, but as time goes on it is increasing. Then yesterday it flared into high gear and laid me out flat for most of the day. Not really like a migraine, more like it feels like a lot of pressure and moving around makes it much worse. I'm thinking about cutting the dosage in half. I may end up just having to stop taking them.

Not asking for any indepth medical advice, just wondering if anyone else has had this issue with the medication and if it ended up resolving itself.

< Message edited by mistoferin -- 9/24/2008 5:31:30 AM >

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 6:12:35 AM   
chiaThePet


Posts: 2694
Joined: 2/4/2007
Status: offline 		 
I quit eight months ago with chantix and determination. Of course as with any
medication, people will differ with side effects. I can recall no headaches,
very little nausea, but intense dreams and restlessness which tended to
exhaust me. In the end, it was worth the slight interruptions of life. I actually
stopped the medication on my own with approximately two weeks left.
I had no desire to smoke and wished to simply stop putting another substance
into my body. If your headaches have reached migraine status, this is something
you should contact your physcian about as soon as possible. You can also go
to the chantix support web site where I'm sure you will find many others to share
side effects and concerns with. It may be temporary, or simply a sign of nicotine
withdrawal, which is paralleled with kicking a heroin or cocaine habit. I wish you
the best, and hope it is nothing serious so that you will succeed and breathe free.

chia* (the pet)

< Message edited by chiaThePet -- 9/24/2008 6:15:46 AM >

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 6:43:42 AM   
suhlut


Posts: 622
Joined: 7/20/2007
Status: offline 		i also am in the midst of quitting..

but couldnt afford chantix... so tried doing it cold turkey..

What a huge mistake, by day two, i had completely lost the ability to focus on much of what was going on around me, i could only be described as a beedy~eyed monster. Real scary..and moody as can be, yeah picture it, i dare you, of a nicotine addicted monster, chewing crazily on a plastic straw ( a "hint" id read to help with  the "hand to mouth" fix.. was to suck on a straw, like its a ciggy), yeah, i chewwed on mine..

So, i went back to smoking, oh, for about a week and half, just till i recieved a stop smoking kit, that NY state sends out to those wanting to quit, complete with 2 weeks of free nicotine patches, and since i also have no insurance, they have sent me an additional free 4 more weeks of patches, sooooo.. i am in the middle of my third week without a ciggy.

The patches really work great, with me starting on step two, because i wasnt a heavy smoker to begin with, and i have about another week of step two patches left, where from there, i will be on to step three, with a much lowered dose of nicotine.. i feel great and confident that this is going to work great for me.

already i have broken my trigger points, and also my "hand to mouth" thing, and so now, all that is left to kick is the nicotine habit. After two weeks on step three, that will be it for me, but i already have a feeling that i don't really even need to use the patches anymore, but since it says to use them all in the instructions, i figure i will just finish.

i hope that when i am done in about three more weeks, that i do not re~experience being a monster again..lol

But yeah, side effects, at first i didn't notice anything unusual, but the package warned about experiencing vivid dreams. By about nearly two weeks into them, i started having very vivid dreams, some have been scary, some have been funny, some have been very erotic..mmm hmmm, and some have been VERY convincing.

i have enjoyed the side effect, very much...lol vivid dreaming, is great!

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 8:25:44 AM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline 		erin.. check into switching to welbutrin...I havent used chantrix, but the headache with welbutrin went away after about 5 days

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 8:39:25 AM   
Alumbrado


Posts: 5560
Status: offline 		Since you are experiencing the rarer side effects of taking Chantix, and since those rare side effects include such serious neuropsychiatric problems that the FDA issued an alert for Chantix quite some time ago, and the FAA banned pilots from flying while taking it, I would consider doing something a little more proactive... like telling your doctor about the headaches, and asking them about the risk of Chantix and suicidal ideation.

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/varenicline/default.htm

http://www.ismp.org/docs/vareniclineStudy.asp

http://www.medpagetoday.com/ProductAlert/Prescriptions/tb/7454


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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 11:31:51 AM   
mistoferin


Posts: 8284
Joined: 10/27/2004
Status: offline 		Actually, nausea and headache are the two most common side effects of the drug. I have not experienced any of the depressive or mood altering side effects at all.

I spent a good chunk of time today though on some forums that users of the drug have formed...not the manufacturers website. After reading the issues that hundreds of people have had with this drug I have decided that it is not worth the risks to me and I am discontinuing it. It did what I needed it most to do, which was to get me through those first critical weeks of the physical part of the withdrawal. I'll take it from here.

edited to add that we both went over all of the manufacturer information before we decided to take this. We were most concerned about the mood altering and depressive effects that have been noted. We agreed beforehand that if we began to experience any of those that we would immediately discontinue it's use. We have been very carefully watching ourselves and each other for any signs or symptoms but neither of us have experienced any.

< Message edited by mistoferin -- 9/24/2008 11:36:04 AM >

_____________________________

Peace and light,
~erin~

There are no victims here...only volunteers.

When you make a habit of playing on the tracks, you thereby forfeit the right to bitch when you get hit by a train.

"I did it! I admit it and I'm gonna do it again!"

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 11:42:28 AM   
SleeplessGypsy


Posts: 49
Joined: 6/26/2006
Status: offline 		Hi Mist,

Congrats on quitting smoking. I've tried and failed many a time, I know how hard it is.

I would try cutting the dose in half. You've gone a whole month without smoking, I'd venture to say you've got most of the nicotine out of your system. Try a half dose for about a week, see if your head doesn't feel better.

Hope you feel better soon.. Headaches suck.

(in reply to mistoferin)
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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 12:37:19 PM   
VivaciousSub


Posts: 446
Joined: 9/7/2008
From: Tampa, FL
Status: offline 		I took Chantix for awhile, and it worked great, except that I also got the really intense dreams. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. However I have manic-depression and solid sleep is beyond critical, so when the dreams started messing up my sleep cycle, my doc pulled me off Chantix.

We're going to rechallenge it soon though!


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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 12:54:05 PM   
mistoferin


Posts: 8284
Joined: 10/27/2004
Status: offline 		Wow, please be careful. You know I'm not big on pharmaceuticals at all. My decision to take this drug was a pretty big one for me. It was a matter of weighing the risks of continued smoking against the possible side effects of the med. One of the deciding factors for taking it for me was that most of the side effects listed seemed to be of the psychological variety. As I have never had any type of psychological issue ever....I don't think I can honestly even say that I've ever spent a whole solid day of my life completely bummed out much less have experienced an actual depression.....I figured that if the drug were to cause something like that it would be extremely easy for me to notice and I could discontinue right away. I don't think I would have ever tried this medication if I had ever been diagnosed or treated for a mental illness. It just seems to me like that would seriously up the risk factor.

Reading those forum boards today was an eye opening experience. Had I read them prior to taking this I probably would never have done it. I did a simple search of "Chantix headache" and it provided me with endless hours of reading material on forums made up of people who have had issues....many of those issues were psychological. One of the things that really scares me is that many of the people who reported headaches said that they continued LONG after they stopped taking the drug and in some cases even increased.

Yes, the drug does a fantastic job of alleviating the cravings, and for some people it would seem a perfect answer. Sir seems to be one of those people as he is experiencing no side effects at all, although he has reported vivid dreams but nothing that has really been bothersome. So I'm certainly not going to say it is without value. Heck, I've certainly benefitted from it's value as this is by far the easiest time I have ever had with quitting from a cravings standpoint. But it really isn't a drug that I would consider lightly.

I wish you luck in your attempt, I know how it feels to really want to quit. Just please be careful and make sure you are watchful for any problems.

_____________________________

Peace and light,
~erin~

There are no victims here...only volunteers.

When you make a habit of playing on the tracks, you thereby forfeit the right to bitch when you get hit by a train.

"I did it! I admit it and I'm gonna do it again!"

(in reply to VivaciousSub)
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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 1:14:38 PM   
RealSub58


Posts: 1073
Status: offline 		Chantix blocks the neuro receptors that crave nicotine.... many of the same receptors of serotinin.  Tis why the psychological issues.

Being monitored by an MD very well versed in serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and receptors is far better than being monitored by an MD who is not a psychiatrist.

My experience.   

Wellbutin is a waste of money, it does nothing to block nicotine receptors.

Headaches are in response to the brain trying to change brain chemistry.

Listening/reading people on boards is good, but no one ever shares their complete medical history only what they feel like sharing ...having an MD who knows everything about you, all medications, side effects etc is the best opinion anyone should follow.

   

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 5:11:38 PM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline 		welbutrin was working great for me... the only reason I didnt successfully quit smoking is because I wasnt trying to quit for MYSELF...

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Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 5:20:58 PM   
lusciouslips19


Posts: 9792
Joined: 9/8/2007
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

erin.. check into switching to welbutrin...I havent used chantrix, but the headache with welbutrin went away after about 5 days


I switched to generic wellbutrin (budoprion). I have been taking it for years cause I'm NUTS!!!

It has helped me immensly with my stress and axiety conditions.

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/24/2008 5:29:48 PM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		If you're suffering the headaches, then you aren't a candidate for the meds. Unfortunately, there's no way to determine ahead of time who will get the rare side effects and who won't. But hopefully you've had enough of it to get you past the worst.

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/25/2008 2:46:32 PM   
tweedydaddy


Posts: 673
Joined: 9/1/2008
Status: offline 		It's worth the effort, well done. You'll both get there.

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/25/2008 5:30:03 PM   
RealSub58


Posts: 1073
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: lusciouslips19

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

erin.. check into switching to welbutrin...I havent used chantrix, but the headache with welbutrin went away after about 5 days


I switched to generic wellbutrin (budoprion). I have been taking it for years cause I'm NUTS!!!

It has helped me immensly with my stress and axiety conditions.
The reason most people, like me, smoke.  But then habit falls in there too.

Wellbutrin is an antidepressant, and prescribed for antianxiety.  Works on the seritonin receptors. 

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/25/2008 6:27:34 PM   
mistoferin


Posts: 8284
Joined: 10/27/2004
Status: offline 		I stopped taking the Chantix last night. My headache seems a little better today. No cravings really so that is good.

Wellbutrin is not a drug that I would ever take. My girlfriend's mother was prescribed it to help her quit. She said it made her feel like a zombie. I don't know.....she looked pretty stoned. She ended up burning down her house because she fell asleep in the chair smoking. I guess it didn't help her cravings much.

_____________________________

Peace and light,
~erin~

There are no victims here...only volunteers.

When you make a habit of playing on the tracks, you thereby forfeit the right to bitch when you get hit by a train.

"I did it! I admit it and I'm gonna do it again!"

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/25/2008 7:40:15 PM   
pixidustpet


Posts: 857
Joined: 6/4/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: mistoferin

I stopped taking the Chantix last night. My headache seems a little better today. No cravings really so that is good.

Wellbutrin is not a drug that I would ever take. My girlfriend's mother was prescribed it to help her quit. She said it made her feel like a zombie. I don't know.....she looked pretty stoned. She ended up burning down her house because she fell asleep in the chair smoking. I guess it didn't help her cravings much.


ah fuck.  one more reason to tell the doc NO....she wanted me to take that for depression.  i said no, i'm not depressed, i'm stressed out.  i cant stay asleep, i hurt like hell and some parts of my life suuuuuck.

i dont need an antidepressant making me into a zombie on top of it!

kitten

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/25/2008 7:46:56 PM   
CookieSlave


Posts: 74
Joined: 7/27/2008
Status: offline 		I quit smoking about whoa 5yrs ago now, and 4yrs for Mom. I had switched to Quest cigarettes.  Yeah, sure, officially they tell you all over that they aren't supposed to be a smoking cessation substitute.  Actually, the idea is to ween you off of the nicotine.  You smoke the first ones, and they have less nicotine than "most" cigarettes.  We just "loosely" made up a schedule, and eventually switched to the next step, which have extra low levels of nicotine... then to the last ones, which have "no traceable nicotine" which means they are essentially "nicotine-free".  

Funny... I wasn't even really thinking about it, but by then I was hardly smoking at all.  Nothing in the morning, or lunchtime, or driving home from work.. It would get to be 8pm and I'd realize I was smoking my first cigarette of the day.. sudden realization I was only smoking 2 or 3 cigarettes a day! I ended up getting sick(unrelated LOL) and stopped smoking and just.. never started again. 

Mom developed a severe rash when she tried wellbutrin.   I remember trying the patch and crying because I just wanted a damn cigarette. :-)

-cs

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RE: Chantix and headaches - 9/25/2008 8:30:35 PM   
UmbraDomina


Posts: 491
Joined: 7/22/2008
From: SE Michigan
Status: offline 		several years ago before chantix was on the market my Dr offered me Zyban ( aka welbutrin) to help me stop smoking.
It was HORRID. I had no energy what so ever, felt like a drugged slug, had horrible dreams when I could sleep, and WORST side effect ever....... I had no sexual desires, and could not orgasm!!!!!! after a week of hell I flushed that crap down the potty and went back to smoking.



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~~ And I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning striding behind you Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust..... T.S. Elliot ~~

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