Champix: The Terror Continues

“I think the drug [Champix Chantix] should be banned because it is crazy. Does anyone know how long this will go on because living alone I don’t know if this will stop before it takes control of me. it has to stop soon I pray”

*Update: If you or a loved one has suffered a bad reaction to Champix and you are based in the U.K., you can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) here. The more people do that the clearer the true picture will become. Protect others! Report it.*

After four years of collecting smokers’ feedback about Chantix/Champix/varenicline on this site, it is now obvious that no-one is safe from this drug, not even people who have taken it before with hardly any side effects.  This is typical of some of the feedback we are getting from people who have tried a second or third course of the drug because of its high relapse rate:

“I first went on Champix 3 years ago, did the full course and gave up smoking for 2 years.  only side effect was a few weird dreams.  Unfortuneatly I started smoking again so went to get a new course from the doctor.  5 weeks in and I am now close to finishing it all.  I can’t sleep, keep shaking, crying uncontrollably and look at knifes in the draw, pass the bath and see myself lying there with no more problems and it won’t stop.
Doctor stopped me taking them 5 days ago, 2 days later he put me on valium and I’m still not able to control myself without taking valium to put me to sleep.  Currently I’m looking at the valium and thinking if I take the lot then it will stop all this crazy feeling.
worst thing is I know what is causing it but can’t stop.  I think the drug should be banned because it is crazy.  Does anyone know how long this will go on because living alone I don’t know if this will stop before it takes control of me.  it has to stop soon I pray”

No Isolated Case

If you’re reading this and trying to reassure yourself that this is some kind of freak case – it isn’t.  These individual nightmares are going on all over the world, and are seriously under-reported which is why I am screaming about it from the TruthWill Out site and will continue to do so until this evil drug is withdrawn from sale.  Imagine going through this yourself, or someone you love going through that just because they wanted to improve their health and they innocently assumed that the drug had proved safe in clinical trials.

It didn’t: the manufacturer Pfizer hid some of the evidence from a crucial safety review by submitting the reports of hundreds of bad reactions “through the wrong channels” at the Food and Drug administration.  When this fact came to light, the French government withdrew public funding of the drug, citing “safety concerns”.  All the other Health Departments in governments all over the world who have done lucrative deals with Pfizer decided to pretend it didn’t happen, and that is the only reason this terror is continuing.  If you think it’s all about depression and suicide, think again: the list of serious ailments caused by this drug is a long one and many lives have been ruined already.

Champix has aleady caused suicides, murders, violent attacks, horrendous depression, crippling pain, major life-threatening seizures and epilepsy in people who have never had epilepsy before, life-threatening skin conditions where skin blisters up and falls off, damage to optic nerves, increased risk of heart attacks… and as this message proves, it usually doesn’t work in the long run anyway.

If you have taken Champix yourself, and like David the first time round, had hardly any side effects and stopped smoking for a while, you might feel inclined to send me a message saying: “I think Champix is brilliant!”  …not realising you were just lucky the first time round.  David’s advice now would probably be: “Don’t risk it again.”

more smokers’ feedback

 

61 thoughts on “Champix: The Terror Continues”

  1. It has now transpired that NO-ONE should take Champix without have a gene test first, to establish whether they have a genetic pre-disposition to the drug triggering nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy type 1.

    http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=relationship&chemAcc=C500838&diseaseAcc=600513&diseaseDb=OMIM#.T1cewihW6rs.email

    This information has been supplied to us by Samantha who has been researching this connection ever since Champix did this to her. Here’s the “science bit”:

    “Champix is causing problems in the brain. Many drugs and poisons are enzyme inhibitors, varenicline is an enzyme inhibitor.
    Inhibitors (molecules that decrease enzyme activity)
    Activators (molecules that increase activity)
    Both RDA and DNA are nucleic acids, which are base pairs nucleotides as a complementary language
    that can be converted back and forth from DNA to RDA by action of the correct enzymes.
    A DNA sequence is read by an RNA polymerase, which produces a complementary, antiparallel RDA
    strand. As opposed to DNA replication.
    In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products.
    Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur. The set of enzymes made in a cell determines which metabolic pathways occur in cell.
    Metabolic pathways are series of chemical reactions occuring within a cell. In each pathway, a principal chemical is modified by a series of chemical reactions, enzymes catalyze these reactions,
    and often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors in order to function properly.
    This is why it is like playing poker, with peoples lives. If you have a mutation gene, or a vitamin deficiency, it can make champix not work how it should, interferes with transcription of the gene,
    resulting in a deficiency of the protein encoded in that gene. Once brain cells die you don t make them again. This is why people need to have a gene test done before they take this tablet, because without one, you would not know who is going to effect and who it is not. Since taking this drug i have got sleep epilepsy, heart problems, sjogrens, and have vitamin d deficiency, all of which to my knowledge i did not have before i took champix.

    Kind Regards
    Samantha

    PS. have a look at this book, Drug Induced Diseases, by James E Tisdale, varenicline is in there.”

  2. Hi, I am in the UK and was given Champix by my stop smoking advisor 2 weeks ago.

    In the first week I continued to smoke and I felt good, positive and really looking forward to becoming a non smoker.

    My quit date was on Monday and I am 5 days without one BUT from out of nowhere I feel like I have completely lost control of my emotions. I am angry I am sad I am full of anxiety. My family has experienced me at my worst the last couple of days, I feel unable to fight the feelings of depression.

    I’d say that they have been creeping up on me but they haven’t, maybe a bit grumpy last 48 hours but today is absolutely terrible.

    I have stopped taking Champix and will not be collecting my repeat prescription.

  3. Hi Nathan, hope you’re feeling better very soon. Can you please make sure the bad reaction is reported through the official channels, otherwise as far as Pfizer is concerned, it “never happened”. There are far more complaints against Champix than any other drug, but if everyone affected had made an official complaint, the drug would have been withdrawn years ago and quite a lot of lives and marriages lost would have survived.

  4. This came in by email today:

    wendy wrote:
    “I’ve just been reading dozens of horror stories about Champix, well I must be the exception to the rule, I started useing Champix in May 2011; I will admit I did experience some nausea after the morning tablet, my Dr. advised me to half that tablet; then I had no nausea. I completed the course; haven’t smoked since. I had no negative feelings, in fact my experience was the opposite I felt calm; at times quite happy. Recently I went into menopause; after months of trying different treatments that didn’t work or left me deppressed, with the only alternative left being HRT which is out of the
    question for me I decided to go back onto Champix. They have reduced my mood swings, keep me calm, happy, my husband even calls them my “happy pills” My Dr. is researching other alternatives as we realise
    I can’t stay on Champix long term. Thanks Champix.”

    So I sent this reply:

    “Hi Wendy, thanks for your contribution. What this demonstrates is that Champix is totally unpredictable. I also got this message today:

    “Hi There, I was wondering if anyone had issues getting off the drug? I completed the full program and tried slowly to wean myself off the drug, when
    I stopped I got depressed. I cried all the time and eventually went to the ER and the prescribed me PAXIL.

    Paxil screwed me up even more. I stopped taking the Paxil and after that I
    seemed okay.

    Laura.”

    What are we to make of a drug that makes some people happy and some people cry, some people commit murder and some people kill themselves, some people stop smoking and some people behave totally out of character and be completely unable to remember it afterwards – even commit crimes?

    I hope you find your ideal solution, Wendy. Good luck.

    best regards,
    Chris”

    Pfizer always suggested that Champix is “worth the risk”, but of course they are not taking the risk, you are. And they also claimed the drug had a 44% success rate, which it doesn’t. It’s more like 15%, which is rubbish really. You decide, but all the unlucky ones seem unanimous in their opinion that it is NOT worth the risk. Do you trust them, or the massive pharmaceutical giant that is making all the profits can couldn’t care less for the fate of any individual smoker?

  5. Latest:

    nicole wrote:

    Hi,
    i went to New Leaf and got Champix.I couldn’t smoke anymore at day 6. I stopped taking Champix at day 11 because i couldn’t take it anymore.The other night i
    pushed my 8 year old son on the floor because he was doing something i didn’t approve of.Thats when i knew something is not right with me and i started to Google about Champix.Know i’m really Paranoid i just feel crap and i’m worried i might never feel normal again.One of the worst things is my Taste has completely gone EVERYTHING tastes and smells awful.I feel really low and everything just sucks.Please everyone that thinks about taking this Evil stuff dont take it its not worth it.

  6. Re Seizures, here is an update from Alyson about Nick, following the blog post “Alyson and nick Need Help”

    “Hi chris,
    Just an update on Nick it has now been 14months and he still has the same symptons and the doctors are still no wiser. he has siezures at least 3 times a day which is better than at christmas when he was having up to 20 a day it took me to go privately to a consultant neurologist to get any action.
    he is currently having neurophycological test to see if this will throw any light on his condition. Of course no one wants to diagnose him or admit that Champix could have caused this but I know that he was fine before he took it and the only other thing that had changed was he stopped smoking!!!! but in truth if I could turn back time I would leave him smoking and took our chances because as it stands today he cannot work , he cannot be left alone and his quallty of life is nt what it should be.
    I have been in touch with our local MP to get him to look into champix to try and get the patient information changed to include siezures and to try to get it withdrawn but its big money and Pfizer will just remarket it as something else.
    I keep hoping that Nick may improve but its now been over a year and its not looking good.
    Please , please do not take this drug its not worth the possible affects on your health, stop smoking some other way. You just dont know if you are going to be one of the unlucky ones, think hard you only have one life learn from our misfortune.”

    PFIZER ARE STILL TELLING THE PUBLIC THAT “THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS”. WHAT THEY ACTUALLY MEAN IS THAT THE BENEFITS TO THEM OUTWEIGH THE RISKS TO YOU.

  7. Hi Alyson, just to let you know, still in touch with Pfizer, i will not let them get away with this and they know it. Anyway, iam going to hospital next week about my kidney stone, the reason i mention this is look into parathyroid gland, effects blood calcium levels as well as vit D. Very hard to diagnoise, but can lead to seizures and all sort if unnoticed. Champix does effect calcium channels, already checked it out. It can cause memory loss, depression, heart problems, seizures, muscular pain, these side effects sounding familiar. Anyway now to the good bit you can have the glands removed and 95% of people recover fully.
    Iam looking into having mine removed will keep you updated. Iam not saying it could be a cure for nick but it is worth a look at.
    Bless You.
    Samantha Dearnaley.

  8. My common-law husband started taked Champix about 3 and half weeks ago. He has previous bouts of depression (little less than 10 years ago) for which he was taking antidepressants, so I’m surprised his Dr prescribed Champix (although he is a new Dr and he probably didn’t disclose this). Spouse also has a spotty relationship with alchohol…in any case Champix has turned him into an irrational beast (and I only choose that word because I probably can put what he really has become on here!)

    Mr Perfect (you know – he’s never wrong and his way or the highway) has emerged and apparently I can’t even be tasked with the simplest of filling the ice cube trays properly (oh I kid you not) so “we” have had to take 2 of them away until I can learn the correct protocol. If I dare to ask ANYTHING that is deemed a challenge to his new found superiorirty then the conversation is over until I can behave properly…this is not the person I have lived with for the last 5 years!

    In 3 weeks of him taking this drug I am an emotional wreck, walking on egg shells and seriously considering leaving the relationship…and yet he doesn’t see any change what so ever in his moods or behaviours – how can this be?

  9. This is precisely the problem with the usual advice: “If you notice any behaviour changes…” Champix makes some people delusional. They DON’T KNOW they’ve changed, and if they don’t see it even when you point it out, why should they agree to stop taking the tablets?

    In cases of suicidal or homicidal thoughts, this could be fatal. These thoughts and action can develop from simply odd behaviour to seriously scary behaviour if they keep taking the stuff, yet doctors and quit counsellors often seem to tell people to keep taking the stuff because – to be frank – they are bloody ignorant about it, they only know what they’ve been told to say and do, they’re not experts.

    I’ve been collecting feedback from Champix victims for FOUR YEARS now. I have now reached the stage where every news story of a parent killing the kids and then themselves (like the one in the news right now in the UK), or a mad random killer like that taxi driver in Cumbria with the shotgun… immediately I’m thinking: were they on Champix? Somebody should check. Andrew Case was, but because he had already finished the course and there was none of the drug left in his blood, the coroner did not think it could be responsible but then the coroner obviously didn’t know that this evil drug can affect behaviour dramatically long after the last pill has been taken.

    PBJanBC, if your bloke has a medical history of depression he should NOT have been prescribed Champix, it is against the current guidelines. Check the safety info on the leaflet, take your concerns to a more experienced doctor. The advice is to stop taking Champix if you notice any changes in personality, BEFORE it gets a whole lot worse. Don’t wait until it does.

  10. I started taking Champix 2 weeks ago and i realised about 7 days ago, i was changing. Yes i had stopped smoking long before my quit date, but i was slowly becoming withdrawn. I have experienced very bad side effects from this drug and have become very depressed. I stopped Champix yesterday and only hope that i have not done any long term damage. Seems to me that if smoking didnt kill me, Champix certainly would have. Just a thought.

  11. Hello, my wife wanted to quit smoking. She is still a smoker. The drug Champix did not work. She threw her prescription in the garbage after 4 weeks , she did not complete her dosage (which was for 8 weeks). Her reasons for eliminating the drug was due to anger, hostility, nightmares and nausea. I noticed these symptoms were out of her character but was fully aware of these possible side effects. No history of depression or mental illness. She is very successful, strong and independent. Dec 23rd 2011 she stopped taking the drug. It is now August 2012 and she is very depressed and not feeling herself. She cannot control the growth of this and she is worried. As well as me. She has made an appointment with her doctor for later this week. But we are reaching out to see if the drug is still effecting and or in her system still?

  12. All I can say is that most people recover, either slowly or quite rapidly. Please try to make sure the prescriber makes an official report of the bad reaction, and especially the fact that there was no previous history of depression. This is the only way to try to protect others by getting the drug withdrawn.

    I wish her a speedy and complete recovery.

  13. Thanks. She had her appointment today. Her doctor says she needs to see a shrink, which will say take another pill. But she refuses to take more medication. And I agree with her. We’re going to try some organic cleanses and other methods such as “1 Minute Cure”. Heard great things about “1 Minute Cure”. Take care!

  14. Sounds like a good plan. I never take anything made by Big Pharma and I don’t go near the GP, they’re mushrooms: kept in the dark and fed on shit. People think these drugs are properly tested? They’re not. The whole process is run by the drug companies and they’ve got their people into the BMA, the MHRA, N.I.C.E. and the Department of Health.

    If it ain’t natural, I don’t buy it and these days I check every product to make sure I’m not putting any money their way. I still have respect for the surgeons and the specialists who really know their stuff, but the ‘doctors’ who just dish out pills left right and centre, they’ve lost all credibility for me.

  15. So I must be the exception to the rule then as it worked for me

    I have taken Zyban and Champix both have been successful in helping me quit smoking… I gave up using Zyban the first time for 6 years and then went back to smoking again but recently decided to use Champix with little side effects mainly not sleeping but was well worth going through this than smoking… I have successfully given up for over 18 months now and had a smoker in the family still smoking whilst I gave up which I thought would be difficult but wasn’t, I just stopped taking the tablets at 12 weeks without having to wean myself off them… I haven’t felt like having a cigarette nor had any side effect since taking them… I’m not saying people haven’t had problems but is it really all down to the drugs could their illness be triggered by the drug it’s a possibility but we’re not doctors and not everyone can take certain medication without problems and maybe what might work or not work with one person not necessarily be the same for the next person… All things in life are a risk, surgery, walking across the road, smoking, drinking, taking drugs… I’m not dismissing the fact that someone taking the drug could have caused problems isn’t down to the ingredients but would it have happened whilst taking another drug with similar ingredients we may never know… I have in the past been allergic to Quinine and drinking Tonic water could give me the same side effects and it’s in some drugs, I was cautious of what i drank and informed Dr’s of it… I’m no longer having problems with it in Tonic water as I know that either my body no longer is effected by it or I have grown out of the allergy… does that mean I could have written to the manufacturers complaining they shouldn’t have it in their drink or simply just quit drinking it… I always state in Hospitals that I’ve had allergic reactions to Quinine just to be sure, just incase it’s a different strength given than what is in Tonic water could the same be for a type of ingredient in Champix who knows…I hope if there is a problem that Champix is completely studied and that proof and withdrawal happens but like most new things on the market are always under scrutiny we have to wonder… The same things came out when Zyban first came out on the market for stopping smoking and all new drugs will always go under the microscope it’s just the way of life… However smoking is a her killer I think… For those that have, or are having issues on the drug please seek medical advice, how do we know that it’s definitely the drug that’s causing the problems in the first place and triggered what might have been dormant in the body and a chemical reaction has occurred that could have occurred with another drug.. I’m no medical expert but we need to have proof in the pudding before accusing…

  16. I was prescribed Champix by my doctor last December. While it certainly made me stop smoking as advertised, by the end of the 2nd week of taking Champix, I started to become very depressed and I noticed that my ability to deal with stress had greatly diminished. I have no patience for people any more and get annoyed at the least little thing. My patience has totally dried up and i am very critical of just about everyone. My marriage ended 20 years ago thanks to my husband having an affair. I had dealt with the pain and had moved on years ago and made a happy and very productive life for myself and my 2 children. Out of nowhere, all the old pain and bad memories have come flooding back and I am terribly hurt when my children welcome “the other woman” into their homes and she now calls my first grandchild “hers”. It is causing so many problems in my relationship with my children as they think I am jealous and insecure. I only took Champix for 15 days over 8 months ago and it is still affecting my brain chemistry. I am scared that i won’t go back to the happy person that I was. I have briefly thought of doing myself in when things get really bad after a fight with my daughter as I think I must be a terrible person and I really don’t want to continue like this. I haven’t been to the doctor as she will probably push some other pill on me and I am terrified that it will only make things worse.

  17. Peta, consider this.

    “The study found that 90 percent of suicidal behavior or depression reported to the FDA were related to Champix…”

    Lynda, hang on in there. Keep telling yourself that this is not YOU, it’s the drug. The usual result is that the bad effects disappear after a time. Sometimes quickly, some take longer but they usually go.

    Peta said: “For those that have, or are having issues on the drug please seek medical advice…”

    …trouble is, the medical profession know very little about it. Quite a few sufferers have taken print-outs from this website to their doctor or prescribing nurse to alert them to the horror stories being reported by smokers. Lynda is right to be concerned, some doctors insist the smoker stay on the drug and then prescribe some other pill which is supposed to treat the bad reaction, but has Champix EVER been tested for safety or efficacy WITH another drug? NO! So the patient is a guinea pig in a whole new solo drug trial, and no-one has a clue what will come of that!

    Having said that, if Lynda doesn’t get her doctor to report the bad reaction through the official channels, it “never happened” and the drug company gets away with that one without even a black mark against the drug. This is WRONG. Already, there are more serious concerns about Champix (Chantix) than any other drug on the market, and that’s just based on the official complaints so far. If everyone who had suffered a bad reaction had made sure it was officially reported right from the start, this evil drug would have been withdrawn years ago, and what has happened to Lynda (and many others) would never have happened.

    Lynda, you are not a terrible person, you are the innocent victim of an evil and unscrupulous company – Pfizer – who have covered up the true extent of the horror all along. Fight back. Report it, and don’t let your doctor dissuade you or give you any other mind-affecting pills. Champix could have killed you, and if you had done yourself in, that would be one more murder by Pfizer. Don’t let them get away with it. You are NOT alone.

  18. I took champix for 19 days. stopped taking them as i got really moody. Im still so angry all the time,i just cant perk up. Im off the champix 5 days.I feel like i want to smash everything in sight.

  19. After having many doubts due to a history of depression, I began taking Champix and have been amazed that it made me feel calm and reduced my feelings of stress and agitation and eased my stiff neck and back. Apart from a bit of nausea and vivid dreams, which are weird but not disturbing, I remain symptom free. This seems to suggest the opposite of what other people have experienced. All that I can add is that smokers often have unresolved issues and untreated depression and maybe the Champix triggers these in a similar way that entering therapy can also make a person feel worse as they deal with buried issues and emotions. Maybe it is a case of the drug affecting different people in different ways. My doctor advised me to stop taking the medication if I had an adverse reaction. I also wonder whether it is the Champix or grieving the loss of the cigarettes/addiction that causes the adverse reactions. Many people find themselves affected emotionally as they withdraw from an addiction.

  20. chris60, you are clearly unaware of the extreme severity of some of the side effects, or you would never suggest that the cause is stopping smoking or underlying issues. It also appears that you are still on the medication. Many sufferers report side effects starting after some time – some only on a second course of Champix, when they experienced none with the first course. Put simply, you should not have been prescribed that drug with a history of depression, it is against the guidelines and you are the guinea pig. Pfizer are covered if anything happens to you: they warned you.

  21. Chris, let me get this straight…. you are complaining at chris60 because he does NOT have a problem with the drug??? What is wrong with you? You want opinions from people but only if they agree with you?

    Well, I come from the same point of view as chris60. Been under serious treatment for Major Depressive Disorder for 6 and a half years. Hospitalised twice. Received also one series of Electrical Shock Treatment. Am still on Trazodone, Epitec, Faverin and Zopiclone.

    I have also been smoking 40 cigarettes a day for over 20 years. I started taking Champix over a month ago. Almost immediately my suicidality DEcreased, and I experienced a reduction in my usual depression symptoms. Before the main activity of my life was sitting in a chair, which was right next to my bed. I couldn’t bring myself to do much more than that, even though I am a single mom. Now I go for walks with my daughter, play with her, cook, visit friends, and LIVE. I have quit smoking – am at 15 and a half days now, which was just plain impossible before.

    I do understand that there may be people for whom Champix does not work and who should not take it. But I also take offense at the notion that the drug should be banned for all. I have no connection with the drug or any employees other than what I have stated, but I am incredibly grateful for it.

    P.S. It was prescribed to me by my psychiatrist, who is very well respected here in Cape Town.

  22. I completely understand that you REALLY don’t want there to be a problem with this drug. My advice is: read no more about it.

  23. Glad I’m not being ridiculous … Taking champix for 9 days and today I decided I’ve had enough. The last 4 days have been a write off. Worst is the immense lethargy and nausea – even if giving up smoking is hard I think I’d rather try cold turkey. Feeling also like I’m undoing all the hard work ive done through my twenties getting my head sorted. And i haven’t been to the loo in days! It’s strange not to know what is a side effect of nicotine withdrawal and what’s the champix. Really don’t feel the full extent of these side effects was clear to me when I started – def didn’t sense that drinking was a definite no no

    Anyhow the plus side is I’ve given up – 3 days. I’m super determined this time but now I’m also determined to do it on my own (with Allan Carr).

  24. I have been a big bag of crap, and mood swings like crazy. Today is my first day of zero smoking. Ive read all the replies and feel like im having some of the symptoms. Ive got 3 days worth of pills left, think im just gonna finish them and deal with this! So excited to not smoke!

  25. This one came in by email:

    Chris wrote:
    I have started chantix a week ago and have not tried to quit smoking but have slowed down considerably. Though today i could not get my “buzz” from my cigarette i did find myself being much more angry about insignificant things
    that piled up very fast and would not go away. If i continue with chantix is it possible that i may go on a murder spree or kill my dogs or some other crazy thing? Or is it just my brain blocking nicotine and going through withdrawals like pharma tells me?

  26. The fact is, Chris: no-one knows what you might do, but YOU will be held responsible. Bloody hard to prove it’s the drug.

  27. aaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhh I am so angry. stressed, lost all patience, hate my job, paranoid that my friends hate me, hate my life, taking it out on my lovely boyfriend, I just can’t deal with any stress and keep thinking how much easier it wud be for everyone if I just ended it.luckily I am strong enough to fight these horrid thoughts. on the plus side I havent had a fag in over 3 wks, only got a couple of days left of champix left, going to chuck them away and rely on will power. hope it doesnt take long to get back to my usual happy, laid back self :-/

  28. Hi everyone, I just got my medication in Sydney, contemplating of NOT starting the medication after reading responses on few web-sites.

    Can I suggest everyone to attend some sort of meditation, especially yoga.

    This is because yoga teachers preach about self-love, acceptance, breathing and being in the moment. I also appreciate their speech on controlling our negative self talk and how postures affect our body.

    I have been attending bikram yoga for 6 years,
    it’s not easy however it has helped me to resolve many personal issues, take care and look after yourselves

  29. Wow this is scaring me, have taken champix twice with reactions of crying suicidal thoughts etc but thought just give it a go one more time, thd packet has been sitting here for a couple of months but it actually scares me to think that i might kill myself dr said to half tablet and make sure people around me know im on these , which is how i stopped last time when my partner said get off them that is what is making u like this , so not sure whether to chance it again or go to hypnosis a couple times a week, bloody cigarettes:( also have two other smokers in house

  30. Raelene, who said you would need to go for hypnotherapy repeatedly? Most of my smoking clients are done in two hours – a single session. Might need another if they relapse later: some do, some don’t. Other smokers in the house isn’t a problem if the therapy is successful.

    Champix can kill, usually doesn’t work and even when it does, doesn’t necessarily last… not worth the risk.

  31. Hi all, I’ve just been reading through this site, and I don’t think champix is just causing short term problems, I had taken champix about 2 years ago and been through a lot of symptoms I have read, and this last 9 month I have been battering a bad anxiety disorder, it’s taken over my life and I’ve only just realised but all the dates add up and point bk to when I started taking champix, there’s no proof but I just know it!! I will mention it to my doctor but does anyone know, can this be reversed? Is there a so called vaccine ??? Please let me know.
    Regards
    David

  32. Help ive been taking champix for the second time i stopped taki g it two days ago. The reason being i was becomi g more and more aggressive and nasty. And really horrible . Not like me huh huh. My husband left me even tho he was supposedly supporting me ln the no smoking bit. Aggressive angry. Upset. Suicidal. I want to scream shout and literally kill someone. Not that i will i am unhappyy. Im so volatile i cant believee my own reactions. I need help fast. I wl go buy sum fags rro. Garage rather than kill myself or upset others.

  33. Took 12 days of tablets 4 years ago and stopped smoking after 4 days with no side effects. Didn’t smoke for 3 years then went back on smokes last year. Started a new course of champix last Friday. Started having trouble sleeping, got depressed, weird nightmares, constantly thought about ending my life, skin felt irritated, confidence got destroyed, lost my appetite, felt sick all the time, started having paranoid delusions which has effected some relationships I have with people and constantly couldn’t stop thinking about stuff.

    Stopped taking the tablets last night. Still feel a bit strange but I feel more happy today, my brains not thinking as much, appetite slowly coming back, feel less irritated. If that is the price to pay to quit smoking then I would rather stay smoking.

  34. my lovely husband,the kindest most wonderful man I ever met,took champix for 4 weeks. It stopped him smoking but at what cost? He became very depressed whilst on the drug, cruel verbally and acting without compassion. We knew something was very wrong so he discontinued taking the drug. Unfortunately the problems didn’t end there. He became manic for weeks and really touchy, quite paranoid and taking simple comments the wrong way. 7 months on, things are still really difficult, I have witnessed the calmest man become unpredictable and deluded. I think champix has shifted the delicate chemical balance in his brain. he doesn’t realise the change I don’t think and thinks it’s me. This began when he took champix and there is little doubt in my mind, this drug has to be the cause

  35. Second time I have used this drug to give up. I have been having same problem’s as some of the people on this website. Going to see doctor at 5pm today. Can’t carry on feeling the way I do. Cant sleep. Angry. Loss appiete. Weird things going on in my head. Joints ache. Even my eyes dont seem right. Doc is saying should carry on taking champex. Will see what he says today. Will let you know.

  36. I am taking chantix and on week three, I have nose bleeds out of nowhere, and this horrible itching rash on my legs from knees to ankles, it itches so bad I scratch til I bleed, and today I had the worst stomach pain ever, my stomach seemed to get bigger and bigger, I could not even button my pants which normally fit loosely, it was so weird, the first week I took it I cried constantly and spent most of the time fighting with my husband. Has anyone else had these symptoms? Is Chantix the cause of these symptoms? and what can I do to relieve them?

  37. The official guidelines say to STOP taking the drug if there are physical symptoms such as Marshella describes or serious disturbances to mood.

    The official guidelines also say to “consult your doctor” but the trouble is, the doctors seem to be seriously – dangerously – ignorant about the way this drug can affect some people. In addition, in some countries it seems that doctors are paid a fee for prescribing, which gives them a financial incentive to suggest that you continue taking it.

    But if the drug seriously harms or kills you, no-one is going to blame the doctor. You have all been told lies about the success rate anyway, which is only about 15% – it is NOT worth the risk. Get off it, whatever your doctor says. They only know what the drug company has told them anyway, the entire system is corrupt as hell.

    Finally, make sure these bad reactions are reported through the official channels – insist that the doctor does that – or else nothing is recorded and the drug company can pretend it never happened. USE THAT ANGER POSITIVELY: this drug is killing people and it could have been you.

  38. I took Champix for 7 weeks, starting last October, I had discussed with both my doctor and NHS stop smoking service the fact I have previously suffered clinical depression and both felt the risks were little and encouraged me to take it, from the offset I started having crazy dreams every night, the tablet made me queezy when I took it, after 8 days I stopped smoking, and it was like I had never smoked, 28 years of smoking erased from my brain, I even commented to a friend I had Been brain washed!! By week 3 I had a terrible headache that didn’t go away for 2 weeks, and my periods started going crazy, very heavily bleeding for over a week at a time and lots of pain, I was advised to take half the dose, this stopped the headaches, but all other symptoms remained, I then started to become irritable, couldn’t think straight, tearful for no reason, withdrawn, paranoid and very angry, at 7 weeks I walked out of a meeting at work after calling everyone c**nts, stopped taking the tablets and had 3 weeks off work, I could hardly think straight, felt unsafe driving, very short fuse, I felt out of control and dangerous. After 3 days of not taking the tablets I experienced a horrendous day which resulted in a 2 hour long panic attack, hallucinating and shaking and being terrified for no reason, I generally believed I had actually damaged my brain and might be this way forever but this subsided after a few days, but left me in a black depression. I went and got anti depressants off my doctor and now 3 months in, feel like a normal person again. I think the fact that this drug is so easily available is terrifying, I had a friend staying with me at the time I was on theses tablets, had I been alone for any length of time I dread to think what I may of done. I have not touched another cigarette and have no desire to do so!!!

  39. I agree something needs to be done about this !! I frst took champix five years ago – all fine no side effects and gave up smoking for two years. I started on Champix again in Jan 13 – for the last two weeks I have headaches everyday, I feel as though my brain is damaged, I am not thinking straight; I can’t even articulate correctly at work and everyone is asking what is wrong. I am completely paranoid this is completely out of charecter and I feel my mind is working so fast I am going to explode – this has never happened before in my life (Iam 44). There is no reason for any of this; its toatlly out the blue – I was going to ask the doctor to put me on valium because I feel as though I am going mad but reading the symptoms on here – I have them all – I am going to stop the champix. Thats the only thing thats changed in my life – not other medicaton etc!!!

  40. Hello, I took champix for approx 2.5 months back in Oct 2012 (although some days I only took half as they made me feel so sick), i havent smoked since and thought they were brilliant. about 2 months ago I started to feel depressed and suicidal and constantly thinking of horrible scearios about my family dying etc. Do you think this could be champix side effects even though I havent taken them since approx Dec 2012?? What I’m reading scares me as I dont want it to get worse. I’m seeing my GP this week. I’m still not smoking or wanting to smoke. Thanks for any advise

  41. Hi Becky,

    yes it’s quite possible. We have had reports before about the side effects only kicking in when the person stops taking the drug, and also some time after stopping. Your GP may be unaware of these facts.

    The striking thing about Champix side effects is the wide diversity of them. This drug affects people in totally different ways, so any individual doctor is likely to encounter only some of the side effects, and therefore may well be dubious about a totally different case.

    Don’t be surprised, therefore, if the GP is quite insistent that it couldn’t be Champix. Read around the other blogs and see what other smokers are reporting, such as these comments for example.

    Why not print off these comments and some from my site and show them to the GP? They usually only know what the drug company (Pfizer) has told them. The GP also needs to REPORT the side effects through the official channels, otherwise Pfizer get away with it AGAIN.

    Wishing you all the best for a full and speedy recovery Becky.

  42. All drugs can potentially have side effects. I have recently started taking Champix and I’m being careful not to confuse the effects of nicotine withdrawal (which is a real thing) with the effects of this medication.

    Drugs like this represent a threat to you because you are a hypnotherapist, true? I’m guessing that’s why you are so keen to tell everyone the ‘truth’ about it.

    This article amounts to little more than scaremongering. Rather than trying to help poeple, this whole site is about you making money from them with your ‘truths’. You hack,

  43. I am on day 14 of champix and so far so good. I don’t enjoy cigarettes anymore and my behaviour is still what it was before I started. Have had a weird dream or two but nothing serious. Hope I am one of the lucky few who is able to quit without any hectic side effects.

  44. Scott, whatever you do, don’t read any of the smokers’ comments here.

    Mitchelline, I hope so too. And I hope Scott doesn’t get a terrifying wake up call either. I’m not offended by his attitude because there was a time when I didn’t know about any of this either.

  45. Took champix for about 30 days faithfully in august 2010 quit smoking around day 17. Stopped taking it after my emotions became so too unstable and eratic and I felt I was a embarresment to my family. There very next week I cheated on my wife and quit my job of 14 years. I knew that it was the drug but didnt know what to do about it. Today, almost 3 years later I can still tell things are not the way they should be but I am still trying to live with it. Im ashamed and dont want any attention.

  46. My fiancé the non violent very switched on and self controlled type took champix he got through 6 tablets. I didn’t know he was taking them it was his 3rd day in he choked me in our car I front of our 3 year old I thought he was going to kill me It was like he wasn’t there and he wasn’t going to stop!. I was scared for my life. My friend opened the car door after about three minutes of this fight going on. Later that night he fought with his mother I don’t know the particulars of that (shes a bitch anyway) He came home and he continued to be violent he was beating me in the front yard and the neighbour choked him till he passed out.

    This is not my fiancé! he is he doesn’t do this he drove to his bosses at 5am and told him to jam his Job up his arse! A job he had spent 2 years trying to get with top dollars. I came home at 5pm the next day not knowing what to expect. He was sitting in our bed crying with snot and saliva dribbling from his face I was unable to speak to him he was a incoherent mess he didn’t remember anything that had happened For The last 3 DAYS and had no recollection of the night before! He was only taking the drug for 3days. He told me he was prescribed that and tamazepan and had been taking both! I had heard horror stories and told him it was the champix and prob a combo of both that and tamazepan. He threw the pills in the bin. We went for a 2 week vacation that night to get away! He recovered fine and hasn’t smoked since its been 6 months. So I guess it did what it was supposed to In The end. I have never been scared for my life but I was when he had his hands around my throat that night

  47. Ive just started on Champix 3 days and havent noticed anything so wanted to know a bit more info on the product.although i smoke im really healthy well above average for my age but i honestly cant see this product working il keep you podsted

  48. I finished day 10 last night of Champix and for the tenth day in a row violently vomited late into the night. This has been literally twice a day of throwing up for 10 days. I have also had problems with short term memory, forgetfulness and a constant headache and basically my brain has been sluggish to the point where I forget who I just talked to on the phone. Insomnia as well. I quit smoking on day 1 but day 4 and 5 I smoked as I was out socialising – although they tasted funny. I now haven’t smoked for five days. (However I was only a 2-10 a day smoker with the occasional 20 on a night out – so apparently not classed as a heavy smoker.) I think the non smoking is obviously attributed the drug so it does work in that way but I’m wondering whether it mainly works by making you too ill to smoke? I rang the doctors today to say I want to stop and is it ok to go cold turkey and they did their best to convince me to stay on, as it was the best way they know of to stop smoking – the nurse told me the Doc wants me to break for a couple of days and then start again and to at least pick up my prescription as I won’t get another funded in a year. I told them that it is not worth it – my body is obviously rejecting it and I should listen to it – violently vomiting, being in bed for 10 days, losing my memory, not being able to think what I need to do for work, can’t sleep, sore head and eyes, feeling blue. They said that the symptoms are common and all meant to pass after two weeks. However, after reading all these posts it is obvious that there could also be very scary long term effects that cause severe mental issues and other damage a few months or years from now and I certainly don’t want to continue to blow any more brain cells! I see from the above posts that it agrees with some people better than others and clearly does the job in most cases of stopping people smoking (for a while as it seems heaps have started up again)- but I do wonder whether those people ‘happy’ with the drug will also look back in a year or so and attribute their depression or psychosis or other problems to taking Champix too? And the ones who are cured of their depression and pain from taking it how long do you intend to keep popping those pills and what happens when you stop – will you be worse off than you were before? I’m not willing to risk the unknown in this case. The thought of taking another pill this morning makes me want to puke so thats it for me – lets just hope 10 days of them isn’t enough to cause long term damage!

  49. It is now Day 12 – second morning without Champix. Now I am suffering the nausea that they say is a common side effect – ha ha – this is a lot easier to deal with than the severe vomiting of the previous 10 days, but worrisome that I am still feeling ill. Certain foods I vomited up last week on the pills make my stomach churn now when I go to eat them. At least the acid taste in my throat from yesterday seems gone. On a good note I went out last night and avoided temptation to smoke and even tolerated the smoke around me. Although, it was tempting and the only resolve I had to stop me was the thought that the last 10 days of misery should not be in vain. I also avoided nicotine patches, as according to all the info my body should be nicotine free now, so why get myself addicted to that again? I even allowed someone to smoke in the car (hopefully for the last time) stayed inside the bar and fought against my usual need to get away outside and get a change of scenery and my space from the loud music and crowds (I find I am much more sociable and likely to have a conversation with someone new when outside as well – maybe because we have our dirty little habit in common to break the ice!). Anyway I held out on going outside until the end of the night even though my two friends went out 2 or 3 times for a smoke together. This was a big accomplishment. My sense of smell was heightened and the smoke on others bodies when they came back inside was really sharp and offensive on the nose. This renewed sense of smell reminds me of giving up last time when I was so conscious of the smell on myself I would rinse my mouth out with soap and put my head under the rest room hand dryer to get the lingering smoke smell out of my hair. I had actually thought a few weeks back that it was strange that I didn’t seem to smell of smoke that much – guess I did to the non smokers though, perhaps they were just too polite to mention it or had got used to it! On a bad note I had problems socializing and even forming thoughts to make words last night. At one stage my friend asked me what I was doing at work and the right front top of my head hurt little sharp pains for a moment as I tried to think and draw up some memories of what I had been working on (from bed!) in the last 10 days. Nada. Then we spoke about what was happening to me right now and I started to tell her how I had forgotten we were going to this event tonight and had double booked because I’ve been having memory problems. She told me to stop. I’d already told her this. Twice. Then I had a headache mostly down the right side from the level of my eyes to above my ears and behind, which then spread a little to the left in the same area. I mentioned this and she said isn’t that where your emotive part of your brain is? I then cried. I didn’t even know until the tears actually came out that I had got emotional over the fact I was obviously losing my short-term memory and couldn’t form thoughts. Now typing this I realise the only way I have been able to function to a point over the last 12 days has been that when I work on my lap top and get distracted the window or page I am working on gets minimized so I find my way back to it eventually after going off on a tangent elsewhere! Today seems a little clearer so far…

  50. I am extremely distraught,my mum died 3 weeks ago she was 68. She has A Fib and an enlarged heart. The doctor prescribed a second packet of champix she died shortly after taking the 3rd tablet. She was found dead in the chair with the champix leaflet next to her. She had had a normal morning hung out the washing gone to the local shop which she would not have done if she felt unwell. In the previous week she had felt really unwell when we were shopping she insisted on going home and not hospital and calmed down at home, she told me the day before she died she had gone funny again but not as bad as the first time. I actually said its probably a side effect of the champix not your heart. The post mortom said she died from heart disease and no concerns with the smoking pills. But I’m angry and upset I feel she shouldn’t have been given the tablets with her condition. The doctor said he couldn’t understand why she died.

  51. The terrifying fact is, many of the doctors prescribing this drug are ignorant of facts that are well established because the only information they are going on is the literature supplied to them by the manufacturer.

    If that’s not negligence, I’d like to know what is.

  52. This was emailed to me by Christine today:

    Christine wrote:
    Hi there

    Just to let you know i have been using champix for six weeks now all fine, then
    today while driving i started to lose concentration a
    All my arms and legs went weak i was i a sheer panic but could not speak to my
    husband to explain what was happening my head was aching so badly too.

    It has scared the life out of me to be honest i dont know what to think.

    Chris”

    I know what to think, Christine – get off it quick. I’ve been hearing these stories and reports since 2008. Six years down the line you wouldn’t think they’d be giving this stuff to anyone. But they are.

  53. i have been taking it for 4 weeks now and i stopped smoking on day 15 , i found them great in the begining , a little sleepy and very weird dreams but that was OK.I now find myself not even recognizing my behavior anymore, i feel scared most of the time, paranoid and very delusional which i only just realized really, i do not sleep which is making the problem worse .. i have had some trauma in my life in childhood and these tablets seem to be bringing all those old feelings back up.I think i will stop taking them as i do not even know who i am , i wasn’t like this before the tablets , i have had suicidal thoughts and horrible rage and discord ..yep these are not for me and i would say if you have had ANY mental health/trauma problems ever just do not take them.

  54. I had a cousin who lost her sh*t on Champix. She was hoarding knives in her room, garbage piled upon garbage to the point where you couldn’t open the door, knives stashed in her Father’s truck and a book in which she had written out things about her past and what was going to happen in the future (and everything written out about the future happened 100%). One day she got this voice inside of her head that was telling her that her Mother killed her Father and that her Father was already dead so she should kill her Mother.. She hopped into her Father’s truck, sped down the highway and everyone who passed her was “looking at her like she’s crazy and that she should die” so she was swerving into vehicles until she got to town. A friends house was a couple blocks in and she thought she was safe at the friends house so she went inside and asked for more knives, but her friend phoned the police. My cousin’s brother had managed to see his Father’s truck speed through intersections and he followed to the friends house, blocking the Champix Cousin from getting out of the street until the police came. She stood at his window with red lipstick smeared on her lips and was smiling until the cops came. It took FIVE beefy police officers to take down and subdue a “4.9 120 pound girl…. She told me she felt like a goddess and that she was being singled out by the government because she knew too much… Now she was blamed for her pyschotic break, NOT the drug which is incredibly unfortunate because now she has court conditions to keep her on more psychotropic medication…. The system is so fucked.

  55. I first took champix in 2011 and was lucky enough to have no symptoms and even helped me along losing 2stone. I finished the course and i was smoke free until 6 months ago, which was due to my marriage break down.
    Im now onto my 3rd week course Nd have been quit since day 4. Unlike the first time round, ive been feeling depressed and paranoid and have no energy what so ever. The horrible taste in my mouth is foul and i slept for around 2 hours in total last night which does not go well with an early rise and school run.

    Althought this has been happening to me i would much rather this for another 9 weeks then be smoking again and so far this has been the only thing that has ever worked. Im a chronic asthmatic so you can imagine how much i need this.

    Good luck to everybody using them i hope it isnt too bad for you and helps you in the long run xxx

  56. Do not take this drug..DO NOT…do-not. A close friend started seeing his own self dead around hosis house…1 month now and still scared to stay alone.Dont trust it. Please.dont.

  57. Hi all. Sorry to hear so many of you having such negative side effects from taking Champix. I am only on day 4 and I am feeling fine. I smoked 20+ a day, (had a 26 come up on the carbon monoxide reader when I went to see the stop smoking nurse).
    Anyway.. I’m still smoking but nowhere near as much – not out of choice, it just happened. I’m feeling very positive about it all to be honest.
    I have a great frame of mind (used the Allen Carr method) to prep before starting champix- I think this has helped IMMENSELY and the champix is just a little extra help.
    I’ll let you all know if this changes, but to be honest I am enjoying the experience. I am feeling like myself, I have fun with the kids, work hard, work out and just continue to live as I did before but without the need to go for a smoke all the time.
    Allen Carr + champix = great chance of quitting. FOR ME. Those of you who have been suffering, then I really do feel for you. Do what is best for you- everyone is different.

  58. This came in 22.09.15:

    “My daughter committed suicide in January this year after taking this champix in 2012 and reporting to her doctor that she was suffering from dreams urging her to kill herself.

    Only just had inquest and coroner never even mentioned it
    although in doctors report to the Court.

    Is there a class action in Uk to sue Pzifer. I would be grateful for your help as I can only find class actions in USA.

    Eileen”

    I’m no legal expert, so if anyone can help out with more info please do let us know.

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