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Q. My husband and I decided to take Chantix to help us stop smoking. Initially, we had side effects: daily headaches at the base of the skull, very vivid dreams, talking in our sleep, severe exhaustion right after taking the pill, sleeping for a few hours and then waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning wide awake. I had severe abdominal pain and vomiting when I took the pill with just a little food.
After the first month, we both decided to go off of the medication. At that point I had only been taking one pill in the evening, as I was too tired during the day if I took it in the morning.
The past six weeks have been awful. I no longer have side effects, but my husband is all over the place. He gets very angry, out of nowhere, and if he has consumed alcohol, look out. He had what I believe to be a psychotic episode.
Each time we would have drinks, he would flip his lid over very small things, in fact nothing at all. I was ready for legal separation after this last episode. I can only hope that with time these reactions will disappear. Happy hour is gone, as alcohol intensifies the side effects.
We are now at 60 days without smoking. That is terrific, but the strain and anxiety have been difficult. I want my husband back and I do not want him to feel this way. All I can say is these things did not happen before Chantix.
A. We have heard from over 300 people who have posted comments about Chantix on our Web site (www.peoplespharmacy.com). Although some are very pleased that they were able to stop smoking, many have complained of unpleasant side effects like yours. Others have noted rage or violent behavior associated with drinking alcohol while taking Chantix. Most of these reactions occur while taking the drug, but the FDA has noted that some people experience symptoms after stopping Chantix.
JLS
New York
I have tried Chantix three times, and it absolutely allows me to stop smoking almost immediately. I am on my 4th time (final time), and it’s going very well. To avoid the upset stomach I have a yogurt in the morning and have not had any problems. The dreams are vivid, but not scary.
I noticed that it seems to dull the affects of alcohol greatly, and I noticed I was drinking a couple of extra glasses of wine, more than normal. I’m not a medical expert, but I suspect that some of these stories could be caused by this affect. In other words, people end up drinking much more than normal without feeling drunk, continue to drink and then out-of-character problems occur.
I have always stopped taking it after two weeks because I stopped smoking so quickly. I’m going to go longer this time, but don’t believe I will take 3 months. It is amazing how it kills the urge to smoke, but there are noticeable side effects.
Janel
pa
I started taking Chantix about 4 months ago. Every thing was great. Stopped smoking. But when my husband and I go for drinks I forget things. After 3 hours I’m drunk. This past weekend I was kissing one of our friends, and I don’t remember any of it. My husband will say some thing like “How did you like kissing a girl? REALLY? I don’t remember. But I can’t tell him I think I’m blacking out.
Talitha
CO
My stepdaughter started taking Chantix a couple of months ago and her total demeanor has changed, she’s angry, rageful, unable to think straight of see that how she is behaving is very irrational. She doesn’t think she has a problem but it is everyone else.
She was about to be married but at this point it may be called off because her behavior is so out of control. EVERYONE DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! You are much better off smoking rather than ruining your whole life, possibly killing yourself or someone else when you are psychotic or in a blackout rage.
Why has no lawyers picked up on this and started a class action suit against Pfizer for the list of atrocious side effects. It would be nice if someone in one of their rages blew up their plant! It would be justice for what they have done to the lives of so many people. This drug is so so so dangerous. Do not take it!!
jays
NORTH DAKOTA
wow!!…I am very glad I read all the comments here before trying chantix again. back in 2007 I tried it and started having nightmares after a few weeks that were so bad I thought they were real when I woke up and wondered if I had killed someone the night before until I had time to gather my thoughts and realize it really was only a dream. I immediately stopped taking the chantix when I started having these dreams every night and thank god the dreams stopped and I dont think I was screwed up permanently. now it is 2018 and I was considering taking chantix again . I have not had a drink since shortly before I took chantix the first time and I thought maybe my mental state was different now after being alcohol free for over 11 years as it seems people that drink alcohol have issues with this drug. But now after reading all the comments I am scared to even try it again because I am afraid of what strange things will happen the second time. I think one person here said it was much worse the second time. to be honest I feel like I would kill myself or someone else if I tried it again. thank you all for sharing your experience and convincing me I need to try with the patch or something else. Life is precious and too short. I even now think I will just smoke and die a slow death rather than the nightmare you all tell.
Treasure
IL
Started taking chantix about a week and a half ago. I’m suddenly experiencing rages where I envision myself throwing and breaking things. Honestly before this I considered myself the most non aggressive person on earth. Then I started thinking suicidal thoughts A LOT. Had already cut down to less than 6 smokes a day but will never takes this crap again. By the way had kinda same reaction to anti-depressants just constant non stop thoughts of suicide. Without them I sometimes have bad days but I know that’s all it is. Plotting how to take your own life can be completely exhausting!
Cindi
United States
My husband of 36 years, and I, started taking Chantix 39 days ago. It took Me about 2 weeks to actually not smoke a cigarette, he has still been struggling with a couple a day. But that didn’t detour us, because, we really want to quit.
We went to get our 2nd pack, and the young woman at the pharmacy asked how it was working for us. We both said how happy we were, and that it seamed to be working great, with minor side effects for each of us.
On Day 35, we got into an argument, of something neither of us can remember. We were drinking alcohol as well. He had considerabley more than I, but whatever. It was BAD! Really Bad! He literally Threw me down the hallway, several times. When I tried to get up he either kicked me, or picked me up and threw me again. All while I repeatedly screamed, “Please don’t hurt me”!!! I am Covered in bruises, all over my body. I had/have a concussion, and a bump on my head that was as big as my entire hand. It’s gone down a bit in the last 4 days, but I still hurt all over.
Now, we’ve had some pretty good fights in our 36 years, with raising 6 children. NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS, would I had ever thought, that MY husband, would do that to me! He was arrested for DUII in front of the bar that we co-manage, (3 of our 6 kids work there too), as I went to the hospital. He was then charged with domestic violence 4 . There’s a no contact order in place now until Sept 15th, but I’m not sure weither or not I ever want to see or speak to him again. I’m still afraid he’ll drink and come back! He’s since been suspended from work…and I get to explain to all the people we know, why he’s not there!! I feel victimized all over again!
My daughter sent me this link today, after I had already taken today’s morning dose of Chantix. I hope it’s not to late to reverse the side effects of this drug, I hope my marriage is salvageable, I just don’t know…
Steve
Swindon UK
WOW…. how can something so helpful be so dangerous? Like so many of the experiences listed here I too had a terrible incident with Champix/Alcohol this weekend.
I’ve been taking Champix for 2 months now (41 days quit smoking) and was out for a few drinks and a small familiy reunion with relatives visiting the UK from USA – not a highly charged environment prone to excess :-)
Somehow, I lost 2-3 hours of the early evening, visited 2 other locations and was stopped from fighting a stranger….. all out of character and all totally lost to me. I have absolutely no recollection of these events. If not for my wife I have no idea how I would have managed to stay safe and get home.
This is a very dangerous drug when mixed with alcohol – -BE WARNED…..
I also had the nausea, vivid dreams and bloating but all these side effects are nothing when compared to the psycotic episode I experienced.
I am happily married, with two children, late 40’s professional, middle class and well educated – not one for boozy fights in bars.
I have stopped taking Champix immediately and trying to go smoke-free but cold turkey
Good luck all of you and please be warned and be safe
Nick
Queensland, Australia
Be warned
I wish I could turn back the clock and had done my research before taking this drug. I’ve been an on again, off again smoker for 15 years and had made the decision to quit. I’d tried hypnosis and patches before, but unsuccessfully. I’d heard about Champix (Australia) and after speaking to my doctor for half an hour, and the pharmacist for an hour, questioning them on everything I could think of, I decided to do it. About me – 33 year old male, normally pretty cruisy, nothing much bothers me. I’m a pacifist and a lover not a fighter by nature.
Month 1
The first week or two my sex drive reduced from a 9/10 to a 2/10. I also had nausea within 15 minutes of taking a pill. After 1 month I’d stopped smoking and my sex drive had returned. Awesome I thought, this stuff is magic! I decided to take the docs advice and continue the course for the 3 months. This is when things started going downhill..
Month 2
The dreams were vivid but not scary, I began to have problems sleeping, waking at 3-4 am. If I missed a pill, I was out cold, maybe for 12 hours at a time. My partner started noticing I’d been getting short tempered and arguing a lot about everything. I noticed it myself too. Suddenly, I had zero patience, I blew up at the smallest thing and it got worse. I hadn’t completed the connection between Champix and my new state of mind at this point so I kept going.
Month 3
Trouble at work…
I blew up at work and had to end a meeting with 5 other people I’d been conducting, I just couldn’t keep the emotion out of my voice, my anger was simmering below the surface constantly now. As an operations manager, this wasn’t a good look.
I broke it off with my partner….
Normally if my partner and I had problems, we’d talk it out. We have an agreement to not bottle things up and to be open and honest all the time. It’s worked well for two years and we’re happy. Small things started to get to me around month 3. In my mind, problems were insurmountable, I didn’t feel like I could talk them out. I was crazy angry at the drop of a hat, and it scared me. I’d never felt so out of control my whole life and I didn’t know why. One night we were out celebrating my birthday, we were all sloshed, and my partner and I had a fight. It was over nothing, and I decided to leave. Permanently.
I can’t tell you why because the problem is I don’t know why. I completely overreacted, it was so unjustified and out of character for me and that is the problem right there. I over reacted to everything and would feel completely justified in my actions. It wasn’t until two days later I looked back in retrospect and thought to myself, what the hell did you just do? Luckily for me, my partner isn’t as slow as me and suspected Champix had something to do with all of it. I still have my love, after begging for forgiveness. It wasn’t until I read this forum that I truly understood how much Champix changed me as a person and how many other people have been down this road. Today, I’m going to start reducing the dose. I feel like playing with fire would have been better for my health.
Cheers,
Nick
Cynthia
My mother-in-law began taking Chantix a couple of times several years ago. She reported horrible dreams, and was unable to continue with it long enough to quit smoking. One day, when our family was visiting, she acted angry and said several things that were out of character. She is unable to remember what she said, but she attacked me verbally because she decided I was “a protestor”, which she disliked.
The attacks were so out of character, that at first, I was just surprised, but not upset. This is a woman who rarely ever stated her opinions strongly. But that night she was terrifically rude, and she hasn’t been able to see or understand this odd behavior since then. It has put an end to our 30-year-plus relationship, as she insists she did nothing.
Ma
My son is schizosffective and has taken Chantix. He has terrible angry episodes all the time. What can I do to help him? Doctor has put him on zyprexa.
jonathan
georgia
horrible horrible horrible horrible drug
7 months off and still screwed in my head from this drug with
NO clue on how to normalize things
Catrina
Wyoming
My boyfriend of 6 wonderful years started taking chantix (again… this is the 4th or 5th time). Every time he tries it his side effects are less. However these last 2 times he has gotten extremely mean if he drinks alcohol. We fight over extremely insignificant things and he takes everything I say wrong, and won’t consider listening to an explanation of what I meant. He remembers it the next day, but still feels justified in his line of thinking about it. He says hateful things!! I know it’s the chantix talking but I just don’t think our relationship can weather even one more month of this. When I tell him it’s the chantix, he denies it. He thinks the chantix has just made him feel braver about saying what he has always thought. I am walking on eggshells every day. I don’t know how to get through to him that it’s the drug and that it’s a serious problem. HELP me find a way to get through to him before it’s too late for us!
Anonymous
somewhere
Catrina from Wyoming I relate to your story so much. The justified crazy arguing!!! My partner was also on adderol, which I suspect may amplify that effect, I’m going to look into that. Throw some alcohol on it, and you better be prepared to burn the monster at the stake.
No…I’m actually on the wrong end of a domestic violence case now, and I ended up plea’ing guilty to a lesser charge. I love her so much, there doesn’t seem to be any saving the relationship. There is something bizarre about the way this individual is getting hung up on minute facts that are loosely related to the situation but it is always 1 sided, justified, irate, and angry. So angry all the time. I just had a text conversation where I probably complimented her 17-20 times. All responses were like I was attacking, defensive, and insulting. She is convinced that I am crazy and my facts are off.
I am scared of what this drug does. It changed my soul mate and I fear forever.
Patti
United States
I quit my job, punched my boyfriend in the face while drinking and didn’t remember it, and had a panic attack while driving across a big bridge. I didn’t realize chantix was affecting me until reading this article. Thanks to everyone who shared. I have been able to quit smoking after 30 years, but I am quitting chantix before I do something else I’m sorry about. I hope I don’t get worse.
nico
uk
This drug is dangerous, I was taking it for 12weeks,the nausea was increased,the deppresion was increased,then the alcohol consumption increased….. now for the worst bit… so did the violence. so bad so I freaked out and attacked a friend at work extremely badly. I completely went crazy.and had no idea what I was doing. now he’s in a coma,and I’m looking at a long prison stretch. Be aware taking this evil drug or just don’t take it…I didn’t realize how bad I was getting! :(
nico
Uk
Forgot to add,I’ve never been in trouble with the police in my life, nor have I been violent been using this demon drug.
Tiffanie
USA
My husband took chantix while drinking alcohol and also blacked out. He is starting to remember the details of that night, and they are not good. He stopped using Chantix shortly after, due to sudden depression that we identified to be associated with chantix. I can’t believe this drug is available. Our relationship is suffering because of Chantix.
Af
My husband and I both started taking this drug last year. My husband is one of the calmest people I have ever met. He has never even spanked my kids.
I first started noticing him losing his temper with me. Getting angry and yelling at me over little things. I told him I thought the drug was causing him to have rage issues. He could not see what I was talking about because on the drug he felt justified for the reasons he would get mad.
Then came the dreams, and worse the kidney issues. I was peeing all the time and have abdominal pain. He went in for a checkup and they ran a bunch of tests and diagnosed him with chronic kidney disease. He almost lost his job because of that since he is military.
I told him again that I thought it was the drug. He thought I was crazy. Then one day my teen daughter decided to argue back at dad. He pushed her into a wall. Not real hard but it was still a push, from a man who had never been violent in the 16 years we have been married. He broke down and cried that night and finally saw that the drug was making him fly into Rages.
He quit taking the drug that day. His kidneys returned to normal within a week and aside from occasional bouts of the blues and a little bit shorter temper then he had before, everything is back to normal.
He threw every pill into a dumpster away from our house. He wanted them gone that day.
Never again will I take that drug, I almost
Lost the man I love to it.
DD
Holy Crap, If I hadn’t already taken Chantix I would be terrified of it after reading these. Don’t get me wrong, its horrible for any of you to deal with any of that but I have used it twice to stop smoking. I had smoked for 20 years before taking it the first time and Once should have been good enough, but I made an ignorant decision about 6 years later and tried to socially smoke. Never once did I have any ill affects even when having drinks or in stressful situations other than feeling a little sick if I didn’t eat a slice of bread or some type of food when I took it in the morning. I was not wanting to smoke about 3 days in.
my little 2 cent blurb:
It would be fantastic if doctors/drug manufactures could tell you 100% the affect of a drug especially if you are taking other medications or just smoking some pot. But the simple answer is NO they cannot because everyone is different and will have different reactions/experiences.
Taking any drug or mixing drugs is like reading the sign “DANGER: Cross at your own Risk” and still taking that step… Anytime you take something that changes your chemistry or brain function your playing with fire no matter how may tests they do. It’s definitely NOT an exact science. That’s why there are notices and warnings.
RHP
My husband’s best friend started Chantix to quit smoking on Wednesday, April 3rd 2013, and by Sunday evening/Monday morning, he had murdered a 17 year old recruit and shot himself in the head afterwards.
This medication is dangerous! He was the sweetest, kindest, most gentle and non-aggressive soldier I ever met. My husband met him in recruiting school, and he was such a smart, talented person. What a waste. We are still struggling with what has happened. But after reading a myriad of stories relating to Chantix, black outs and violent/suicidal rage, that is the only explanation for what happened.
They need to take this med of the market. Two lives were lost for no reason. He had been drinking over the weekend, so I don’t know how much that contributed to psychosis, but either way, this stuff is poison.
Still waiting on toxicology reports from the autopsy, but j know this is what caused it. Very angry, frustrated and sad.
CJ
Back in 2007 my then wife began using Chantix to quit smoking, of course. Within a couple weeks of taking the drug she began acting incredibly violent and, quite frankly, insane. One night she completely flipped out. I was out of the house when this happened. My 7 year old daughter was with me but my 2 year old son was home with her. Luckily, my 15 year old stepdaughter was home as well. My wife threw chairs into walls, broke glasses/dishes, kicked dents in the car, etc..
I got the call from my stepdaughter. I was too far from the house to get there quickly so I asked she take my son and go to a neighbors house, immediately…she did. After I hung up the phone with her I get a call from my wife. She says she wants to kill herself. She doesn’t want to live anymore. She was completely out of control and I couldn’t do anything about it. I tried to calm her down, talk to her and tell her we all loved her, think about the kids, etc.. Didn’t work. She got into her car and proceeded to drive at a high rate of speed, not caring about anything in her path or anyone, including herself.
I finally arrived home and got my other children from the neighbor. Called the Police and all of her friends. After 4 hours one of her friends got through to her on her cell and talked some sense into her. She didn’t kill herself, obviously, but as far as I’m concerned CHANTIX killed everything about her.
From that point on she was never the same. She spent a week in the mental hospital. Not one doctor correlated the issues with using Chantix. They were told she had taken the drug and that she hadn’t done this sort of thing before but the doctors just went ahead and treated her for depression. She was never the same, always violent and impossible to live with. I gave her the ultimatum of going back to get help or she had to get out. My kids couldn’t be exposed to her venomous behavior any longer, neither could I. She left.
So, I was left to raise my 2 year old son, my 7 year old daughter and my 15 year old stepdaughter. We didn’t hear from her for months. I struggled to keep my job and just keep my life together. The company I was working for was sold and I eventually lost my job, lost my house and of course lost my life with my wife. PFIZER knowingly sold this drug and, to this day, knowingly continues selling this drug. Why in the world is this allowed? How many psychotic events have to take place before this is stopped?
They completely threw my life into absolute turmoil. My kids and I are doing okay now but it took many years to recover. I’m sure the turmoil that we all went through will have long lasting effects on my children, I hope it doesn’t. I realize that I will most likely never get the satisfaction of Pfizer doing anything about their “Devil” drug
Mike
I started Chantix about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I like it and has worked so far but have had a few side effects. The first thing that started were the crazy dreams, but those don’tbother me. Headaches occasionally, but that may be from lack of nicotine.
The one that scared me was I went to dinner at a resturant had food and 3 beers. I remember leaving and heading home (which is about a block away) but once I got into my community gate I can’t remember anything from then on until the next morning when I woke up very confused. Apparently when I pulled into my drive way I just went to sleep. My neighbor came over and woke me to go inside my house which I don’t remember doing either. Then once inside I went back to sleep.
My wife came home woke me up and scolded me for being a “drunkass” which I also don’t remember. I drink beer fairly regularly and have never blacked out from 3 beers before.
I am convinced it had to be a result of the chantix and alcohol. I have read some similar stories of people blacking out while on chantix and I definitely recommend not drinking while on this drug. Just be careful with this stuff could end up killing you before the cigarettes do.
Kim
21666
Your story is absolutely heartbreaking! I too have been experiencing similar situations with my husband of 14 years. We don’t have children together but have two sons from my previous marriage; grown adults.
My husband took Chantix for a month, 2 years ago and although he quit smoking, our lives have changed dramatically! His behavior toward me is of someone I no longer recognize. We “had” a loving perfect relationship; one that every person we know dreamed of having. We are now so far apart (living in our home still) mentally that even the physical aspect has diminished to barely a kiss or hug. I’m out of patients and ideas.
My husband has made every effort to seek out a remedy to this madness through doctors, specialists, medications, therapy, exercise & diet… NONE has reversed the inability to be or FEEL happy about life, more importantly, to love me as he once did!
This med should be exposed for its effects and immediately removed from the market until they have an antidote IF side effects are this dangerous to ones health and mental state. I’d give anything to take back his smoking and have a choice to watch him slowly die than watching this man turn into a selfless, depressed, angry empty soul!
Lorrie
I also wish I had done a lot more research about Chantix before deciding to use it. All of the comments on the internet would have stopped me from using it.
I have several family members that have used Chantix successfully so I thought it could work for me as well.
My game plan was to use it just for 2 weeks and then stop. That was OK except a week and a half into using the pills I went out for 2 low alcohol drinks and can’t remember anything after the 2nd drink I blacked out and don’t remember a thing about the whole evening.The really weird thing about it is that I can function and have full conversations with everyone they all think I am fine but, I absolutely can not remember what I have done or said.
I have to ask the people I was with what I did and said. I wish that one time was the end of it but, now anytime I drink 2 alcoholic beverages I blackout and make a fool of myself.
I got online and checked out the other comments to see if anyone else has had the same problem and I did find a few people out there. Thought I was the only one with that strange side effect.
I guess it’s an easy fix don’t drink! Sure is a bummer though I liked being a social drinker. I did stop smoking-I still would have stopped smoking with other forms of cessation tools as well.
I DON’T recommend taking chantix for anyone. Is it really worth the risks and for many people it is long term. My heart goes out to all of the people that have suffered taking this drug.
Chad
My girlfriend of six years started taking Chantix earlier this year. We had never had a major fight in those years. Disagreements were worked through. She started acting completely irrational and going into fits of rage over small things. Her moods were all over the place. I am not sure how to describe it except to say she got mean.
She said horrible things to me, things I had never heard her say to anyone before, especially me. She would be almost manic at times, not sleeping, becoming obsessed with things. Once she started tapering off the Chantix, she was very irritable and had insomnia. She then started taking sleeping pills. After a couple of months on the sleeping pills, she was still acting strange. We finally split up. It is a shame because we had what I thought was a good relationship, but the person she became was an angry, violent stranger.
Holly
United States
I too experienced the black outs for the first time. I had 2 drinks and that’s all I remember. My friends said I acted fine, talked to everyone, functioned normally. I don’t remember a single thing. That was on a Friday it’s now Wednesday I haven’t taken any chantix since then and I now have had upset stomach throwing up no appetite I’m so tired I don’t want to see people or leave my house and the vivid nightmares have started. I didn’t have them while taking chantix but now that I’ve stopped I having them every time I go to sleep, which is often becuz I’m exhausted always. while I was on it I was very agitated and short tempered. I had no patience with anyone. Which sucked becuz I know I was making my 8yr old son’s life a living hell and my residents at work. This stuff has screwed up my entire life. I stopped taking it and it’s still screwing my life.
Brutalized By Champix
I took Champix in March of ’08 and I am still suffering from most of the side effects of this drug. I started to feel some of the bad effects (nausea, mental fog, vivid dreams, trouble sleeping, sore eyes, constipation, gas) of Champix while taking it but I was determined to quit smoking.
For the first month I felt exceptionally good and I was telling everyone how great it was, but the euphoria came crashing down and I went into a deep depression. I would dream the entire night and feel as though I was only partially asleep. I would wake up frequently throughout the night sometimes with abdominal pain and get a bite to eat, drink, or urinate. When I woke up in the morning my eyes would be sore and I felt as though I had barely slept.
My inability to sleep made me constantly tired all the time and it continued to get worse. I was determined to quit smoking so I made it through the full 3 month course. I thought I could handle the sleep deprivation and that it would go away once I stopped taking the pills but the vivid dreams continued for many months after I stopped taking it and still to this day I cannot sleep as soundly as I once could.
When I stopped taking Champix is when I really got messed up. I developed Psychosis NOS, Major Depressive Disorder, suicidal, Emotional instability, aggression, rage, panic attacks, hallucination, Somatoform Disorder, Depersonalization, Delusional Parasitosis (bug crawling sensations all over my body), Cholinaergic Prurritus, Hyperacusis (sensitivity to certain frequencies of sound causing severe pain and pressure in my ears), Severe Insomnia, Memory Loss, Brain Fog, Lowered Inhibitions, Hair was constantly hurting all of the time and lost lots of it (27 year old male), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (started as extreme constipation and gas, fatigue, Severe Eye pain, unsightly puffy bags under eyes, excessive weight gain, gingivitis, prostate pain, frequent urination, black out and become out of control when drinking, decreased sexual pleasure and ability to maintain erections. I think that is everything!!!
I went to the psych ward recently due to being suicidal and at a breaking point with my symptoms and I was treated like scum and given brain damaging neuroleptic (anti-psychotic) drugs against my will. I have made some small improvements since taking Champix but it looks like the nightmare will never truly end. If you are one of the many that gets burned by this medication be warned that the doctors will probably not be able to help you and will most likely deny that anything is even happening to you or that it is related to Champix and the side effects may be permanent.
I had a similar reaction in respect to rage and dis-inhibition from taking Zoloft when I was younger which altered my life substantially and now Champix has put the nail in the coffin. Apparently Pfizer marketed the drug not mentioning any of the neuro-psychiatric and mind altering side effects of the drug when it first hit the market in order to boost sales of their drug. The medical community has know for quite some time that dopamine plays a role in mood regulation and the fact the Champix targets the “pleasure centre” of the brain makes them grossly negligent for not investigating this further and informing consumers of the potential effects.
Many people including myself (I turned down a prescription of Zyban due to my experience with Zoloft) would not have taken it if we would have been informed of the risks and Pfizer obviously knew that. SHAME ON THEM FOR RUINING MY LIFE AND MANY OTHERS INCLUDING THOSE WHOM ENDED THE MISERY BY TAKING THEIR OWN LIFE.
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
Please spread the word. If you have already taken Champix please report any side effects to Health Canada, FDA etc so that they will take this off the market before it destroys more lives. Doctors are not obligated to report adverse reactions so you must do it yourself. The regulatory bodies are just as much to blame for not requiring Pfizer to inform patients of the risks early on and they continue to minimize them as best they can. Still it is important to report all your side effects since they are obligated to record them and eventually they shall be taken to task for it through the help of adverse reaction reports and the legal system.
Steve
I’ve used Chantix for about 5 months, I’ve had fits of rage, drinking caused blackouts after only 4-5 beers. Strange dreams, First few weeks, I’d be soooo tired, and need to sleep all the time.
But I did quit smoking which I thought I never would. Strange enough, that 5 months I been on chantix, I smoked all the way through, then 2 days after stopping the drug. I never touched, wanted, craved a cigg.. Been 1 year now.
JGS
I believe I had minor stomach problems in my past, but hard to remember them. I took Chantix to quit smoking in July 2008 and quit smoking after 25 years. By October 2008 my stomach was so miserable, I decided to never eat again!! I had bloating, diarrhea, cramping. I immediately stopped the Chantix when I realized that was the only thing new to my system.
It is now April 2010 and I have the same symptoms above every day, but now I have uncontrollable nausea for weeks at a time. They have me on anti-nausea medicine they give cancer patients!!! I have been to several doctors and have had several tests and they have no idea what is wrong with me. They think I may now have IBS. It is hard to work, to eat, to play, to LIVE dealing with this everyday. ALL DAY!
Even though this may not happen to you, trust me, it is not worth taking a chance. Find another way!
And on top of that, I started smoking again!!!!
I wish I HAD NEVER TAKEN CHANTIX!!!!!!!
WFW
I have recently been on the drug Chantix, and would NOT recommend it to anyone.
I started the drug 3 months ago, and during that time, i have been terminated from my job due to hostility and aggression, and before using the medication, i prided myself in being very anti-aggressive, i would do anything to try to turn a hostile situation into a peaceful one.
Secondly, i have had a constant headache that nothing will alleviate right in the front of my left side. added to this, i have seriously violent dreams, and what scares me most, is that i enjoyed them, then wake up 3-4 times a night. As well i believe i spend more time in the bathroom than anywhere else now.
i stopped using this medication after my second prescription ended, over 1 month ago, and all the symptoms still remain. I should also add that the entire time i was on this, i still had the urge to smoke, not nearly as much as before, but non the less i still had a constant urge. I an mow smoking about a pack a week, and hoping all these side effects will soon dissipate.
Jules
I first took Chantix about 3 years ago. The drug itself was great for the purpose taken, I was able to stop smoking. However, the side effects that I experienced that I attributed to taking the medication was unbearable. I had horrible nightmares, felt very agitated and a had constant uneasy feeling. It also caused me to have horrible stomach issues. Every time I would eat a meal, I would have sudden and painful diarrhea.
At first I didn’t put two and two together, I was perplexed as to what could have caused me to have all of these new experiences. It wasn’t until I was talking with a good friend about my issues that I learned that she and her husband had also began taking Chantix and were experiencing some/all of the same issues. That is when I realized that it was Chantix that was causing my problems.
Therefore, I decided to stop taking the medication and took on the challenge of continuing to not be a smoker without the medication. Shortly, if not immediately, after I stopped taking Chantix the nightmares went away. Several months after I stopped taking the Chantix I had a weak moment and began smoking again. Some time later I decided that I would try Chantix again, since it worked so well the first time (minus the side effects) and I was able to stop smoking while taking the drug.
The before-mentioned side effects immediately returned upon beginning the drug for the second time. Again, I stopped taking the drug and was not able to maintain my “ex-smoker” status. Now I’m a year plus post Chantix user and I am smoking again and have a continued problem with IBS, which I had never had a problem with before using Chantix. I would tell someone that if they are a smoker and have decided to quit smoking, to do it without taking Chantix. The residual problems that I still suffer from are not worth it.
AJ
My husband and took this pill over 1 1/2 months ago. I had such severe abdominal pains and vomiting after two weeks of taking the pill that I had to stop, I continue to have such severe diarrhea that I am now taking 2 immodiums/ day and 4 IBS pills every day with no relief. My husband had the same issues with the rage. Of course his doctors just put him on medication too but we didn’t have these problems before taking Chantix. We are still not smoking, however we still feel the urge to, and we are now both changed people. My opinion is that the pill is not worth the side effects.
Brandon C.
I know I sent an email to peoplespharmacy with all my symptoms. I have been damaged by this drug now for 2 years. Sometimes I wonder if I haven’t died and went to hell…
Cindy
I took Chantix 1 1/2 years ago with great results & the only side effect was the gas. I stopped smoking for 6 months then started back due to stress in my life. On Thursday 5/7 I started Chantix again by Saturday 5/9 the side effects began to really effect me….The nausea is almost unbearable…the depression is really bad….can’t be around anyone at this point….has made me feel my life is worthless…..I quit taking this poisonous pill Sunday 5/10 & still having side effects but feel the depression is getting better. Praying for a much better day tomorrow. I have not smoked since Saturday & hope I never do again….but one thing is for sure I will never take Chantix again..
Susan M
I took chantix when it first came out. I thought it was great as I walked away from a 30 yr smoking habit. Then one day I was driving over a bridge and whammp had a panic attack. I never had one previously. Drs. couldn’t say if it was the drug so I stopped taking it myself. In the following days I was petrified to drive anywhere let alone a bridge. Unfortunately I went back to smoking but the drug left me with a fear of driving long trips and bridges on occasion. That was a few yrs ago and I still experience problems. I have been prescribed xanax and Zoloft to help but the fear is not gone. I hope and pray they take that drug off the market. It ruined my happy driving self!