What is Champix, And How Can It Help You Quit Smoking?

My good friend Matthew F Knouff and I have smoked ever since I can remember and last year, we both decided that enough was enough, and that we would try to qudrit smoking, and lead a healthier life. I had tried and failed many times before in terms of quitting smoking, having used patches, vaping, cold turkey and even the nicotine gum, in an effort to kick the habit. This time had to be something different and so I went to the doctor and was given some tablets which would help me to finally give up. The tablets were called Champix and they helped me to finally give up the habit. One year on and I am still smoke free and so I wanted to share some info on these wonderful tablets.

What Are They About?

Champix is the brand name for a drug called Varenicline, this drug is a very potent and intelligent drug which manipulates the pathway of your brain’s receptors. The idea of this drug is that it trains your brain to dislike the taste of cigarettes, helping you to quit once and for all. But the downside to the drug is that it has the ability to form a dependency on the patient and can quickly become addictive. It is generally advised that unless one wants to end up in a drug rehab, this drug must be taken only in safe doses.

How Do I Take Them?

When you first start taking the tablets, you will take a tablet of 0.5mg for the first 4 days, to allow your body to get used to the drug. After day 4, you will begin to take 1mg per day, then 1.5mg per day, before finally reaching the 2mg per day which you will go on to take for the next 3 months, one tablet in the morning, and one at night.

During the first week of taking the tablets, you will continue to smoke as normal before halving how many cigarettes you smoke, for the second week. The reason behind this is that the tablets need to essentially tell your brain, what it is that they should dislike. After the second week, you will quit smoking altogether and then continue to take the tablets for 2 and a half months.

Do They Work?

Based on the evidence of both myself and 6 of my friends who have all used Champix I would absolutely say that they work and none of us have returned to smoking since.

Any Side Effects?

As we mentioned before, this is a very potent drug and because of that, it is important that you seek a doctor’s guidance before you get started. The worst side effect that I suffered when taking these tablets was some vivid, lucid and pretty dark dreams which I had. Whist I was lucky, there are some reports of people with depression who have had relapses after taking the drug, as well as other who have had worse experiences. In the main, most people do not experience any symptoms other than a little bit of dizziness after taking the drug, and some strange dreams like myself. If you are taking Champix, speak to a medical professional to ensure that all is well.