Early days.....
Hi!
This is my third attempt on Champix. I have been smoking since I was 14/15 and have just turned 30. I feel this time will be my LAST attempt as I am determined not to fail. I did continue to smoke during the first 14 days of the treatment albeit I cut down alot. I then stopped completely on Monday which makes this day 2 of not smoking. I am sooooo excited!!! Champix is definitely not for the fain hearted. I have experienced fairly minor side effects e.g. quite bad nausea in the morning (even though I eat before taking the tablet) and very wicked vivid dreams. I usually nightmare so having a pleasant dream is actually a welcome side effect. For the first 14 days I was extremely spaced out. Instead of toning my face I decided to try and use nail polish remover! Lucky I noticed before placing it on my face, eek! Sleeping was also an issue for the first 14 days. I must admit the side effects are decreasing with time and look forward to continued improvement.
I am very keen on starting a family in the near future and refuse to be one of those smoking pregnant ladies!! I will no longer be able to be selfish and only think of myself.
My habitual cravings have been variable and have found some of the ideas on this site very helpful. I think I am going to put my focus into exercising and getting fit!! Nothing like exercise to district you from a craving :)
Good luck to all the other fellow quitters! Stay strong as nothing you are experiencing now would compare to having cancer!!
Thank you for reading my rambling blog style thingy.....
Hello again
Bec have at least 2 glasses of water with your Champix - it seems to work for me if I don't forget to drink the water. Ive also been through a heck of a lot of the side effects but its totally worth it. When you hit a patch that the craving gets really bad do deep breathing exercises - even when it feels as if it doesn't work keep on breathing. Logic: when you crave you tense up which makes the craving worse when you breathe the muscles in your body gets more oxygen and relaxes alternatively take a brisk walk.
Im back at gym and the exercise definitely helps - do cardio if you can as this also takes the craving away.
Good luck and hang in there!!
Hi Bec - I am a big fan of Champix, but I'm a little worried about your nail polish remover story. Keep an eye on that and make sure you talk to your doctor asap if you get another strange episode like that.
We all react differently and it's worth looking into the milder versions like Zyban if Champix is too disorientating.
Hi guys!
Thanks for your suggestions Mix, I will definitely try the water trick tomorrow morning. I would have never thought about breathing so I am keen to give that a go. I went for my first jog yesterday since quitting smoking and must say it was actually a little bit easier :) Breathing was more steady and I felt I could push a little harder. What a difference two days can make!
I went and saw my GP today to discuss my side effects but I did explain to him that my fogginess etc. has pretty much diminished to nothing. Thanks for the tip on the milder version, I will certainly keep that in mind :)
Hi Bec, I don't have any experience with Champix so I can't comment on it. But starting a family is such an exciting reason for quitting! All the best, stay strong.