Addiction - Chantix /Champix (Varenicline)

Forthesevenlakes · #1 01-08-2006, 08:28

swim posted something about nicotine-blocking drugs recently, and found this article tied in nicely with what he was mentioning. the use of the word "vaccine" in the article is interesting, in that it implies nicotine addiction is a disease meant to be cured. as a smoker, what proportion of smokers feel they are victims of a disease, and who thinks they brought their addiction upon themselves? for that matter, is any drug use just a disease needing a "cure" to most scientists, or can it have redeeming factors that mean that users do not desire a pharmacological "cure"? this drug could have many ethical/philosophical implications, and its not only interesting but important to keep posted on how these drugs work out when they are released to the public...

Posted 7/31/2006 7:49 PM ET <span class="pageTools">| swapContent('firstHeader','applyHeader'); By Mary Specht, USA TODAY
Smokers who have tried everything to kick the habit have one more option: Chantix, a stop-smoking drug that works differently from others. It arrived on the market Monday.
The medicine's mechanism — it partially activates nicotine receptors in the brain — is unique among smoking-cessation drugs. It levels out the peaks and dips from the roller coaster of nicotine addiction, making cigarettes less satisfying and mitigating the discomfort of missing a smoke.
After a year, about 22% of patients who took Chantix in clinical trials were still not smoking. Fewer than 5% of smokers who try to quit on their own can last a year without a cigarette, says Thomas Glynn, director of cancer science at the American Cancer Society.
But an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month cautioned that Chantix may go the way of other stop-smoking drugs, which fared better in trials than in the real world.
For example, when nicotine gums, patches, lozenges, inhalers and sprays first arrived more than two decades ago, trials often showed comparably high quit rates to Chantix, says Robert C. Klesges, lead author of the editorial and a professor at the University of Tennessee's Health Science Center.
But data now show only about one in 10 smokers who use the nicotine-replacement products can remain smoke-free for a year. The difference is that people in drug trials — like the one that tested Chantix — are usually healthier and more diligent about sticking to their drug regimen than the general population, Klesges says.
"Each time one of these new (stop-smoking medicines) comes out, I think there is a rush to try it," Glynn says. "But it's going to be different for different people."
A third of patients experienced nausea, serious enough in about 3% of patients that they left the trial. Other side effects include constipation, gas and abnormal dreams.
But such side effects didn't bother trial patient Brenda Moore, 39, of Beatyville, Ky., who had smoked for 30 years. Chantix eased her cravings and made her wonder what was ever so appealing about smoking: "The nicotine wasn't giving me that rush that it did, and that made it a lot easier. And once the rush was gone, all you had was that taste (of the cigarette) in your mouth, and it was gross."
Patients take a pill once a day for the first three days, then twice a day for the rest of the 12-week treatment.
Nearly 70% of America's 45 million smokers want to quit, according to American Lung Association data. Other stop-smoking drugs in the pipeline could provide them even more options.
Acomplia, a drug available in Europe for weight loss, also has shown potential for helping smokers quit, but the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved it for either use in the USA.
Some nicotine vaccines are in the works, including NicVax, which could make patients unable to feel a nicotine high. They're at least two years from the market, Glynn says.

**Micklemouse** · #2 01-08-2006, 09:17

See here also -

new medication for smoking Cessation

Not the nicest medication in the world...

Forthesevenlakes · #3 01-08-2006, 09:24

seems to show a side effect profile as large as antabuse. as far as swim can remember, cold turkey didnt lead to flatulence and abnormal dreams...

but certainly, these new drugs will cure us all of our vices, i'm sure =]

**MrG** · #4 24-05-2007, 06:52

Ok, so SWIM stepped up to the plate a few years ago and quit his 10 year, 20-a-day habit by reading Allen Carr's Easyway book, yay SWIM!

However, SWIM's Wife kinda bombed on the book (it suits some people better than others), and SWIM had read some fairly negative things about Zyban and didn't want to put her on that either.

Last year SWIM read about a new pharma product called Chantix in the US and Champix in the EU. He read about how it was designed, not to act as a substitute for Nicotine, but to block the cigarettes from stimulating the brain's nicotine receptors. Effectively this means that the user can quit smoking, while still smoking!

Having found a suitable supplier for the 12 week course of tablets (not cheap BTW but what price health?), he waited for them to arrive and made sure darling wife followed the dosing instructions to the letter.

The first week is a titration dosing method, this means that the dose starts off small and then increases to the full dose for the remainder of the 12 week course.

First week was a breeze as Wifey continued to smoke whilst taking the tablets (part of the recommended strategy for this product) - so as she is smoking, the tablets are slowly increasing the amount of nicotine receptor blocking they are doing until, by the beginning of the second week, she is not getting any perceived benefit from smoking at all.

Second week, at full dose, they find that each tablet *must* be taken with at least *some* food otherwise she ends up vomiting 20 mins after taking it. She continues to smoke.

Third week, she is starting to get used to having a small bite to eat before each tablet (one in the am, one in the pm). Starts to complain that the cigarettes don't taste the same any more. SWIM notices that, unless wifey gets a "trigger" moment (after meals, sex etc) she is sparking up less and less.

Fourth week, wifey mentions that she has been getting weird dreams for a couple of weeks but nothing to worry about. Wifey goes the whole day without realising that she hasn't sparked up once. Goes to spark up just because that weirds her out and finds that the cigarette "tastes like crap and isn't what she actually wanted". Puts said cancer stick out after two lugs.

Slow, dawning realisation that she might actually be a "Non-Smoker" !!!

Having accepted her fate, she succumbs to the truth - after 15 years of smoking she has, through the magic of pharmaceuticals, been turned into a fully paid up member of the ex-smokers club.

She completes the rest of the course having only had to remind herself on a couple of occasions to stop reaching for the, now missing, pack at trigger points.

Success. No pain. No screeching, banshee, psychotic bitch cold turkey style withdrawal. Yay!

Points to note:

1. Chantix/Champix is pricey.
2. It is supposed to be prescription only, but can be relatively easily found for purchase on the interweb.
3. The full dose is quite rough on the stomach initially and should be taken with a small amount of food and plenty of water to help it stay down. By the fourth or fifth week though the user usually doesn't experience the assocated nausea anymore.
4. Weird dreams apparently
5. The user can choose any time during the course to actually stop smoking.
6. The user usually complains about how cigarettes just don't "do it" for them anymore and ends up stopping regardless of any planned quitting date.
7. By the time the user has completed the 12 weeks they are usually fully out of the habits associated with being a cigarette smoker.
8. The tablets do not, allegedly, obstruct the users enjoyment of their evening joints.
9. Whilst on the course the user can easily distinguish the enjoyment of smoking a dope filled fatty versus the hollow, empty feeling they get if they try a lug on a cancer stick.
10. *** Warning *** Whilst the user can still separate the two types of smoking experience once they have completed the course, it is still important to recognise that they will, should they smoke dope regularly enough, experience the minor nicotine pangs following a heavy session. This will, allegedly, be relatively easy to ignore as long as the user is aware of the side-effects of smoking tobacco laced blunts. Maybe a herbal alternative would be better as filling for a Camberwell Carrot.

So, as long as we don't hear that they find this product has some hideous long term side-effect, it would appear that there is, finally, the perfect product to help smokers quit whilst they smoke!

Cool.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Well written and informative, thanks
	The Withnail ref made me smile! Good post - been wanting to hear experiences of this med for a while!
	Great information thanks.

Lunar Loops · #5 31-05-2007, 12:08

Sounds almost too good to be true. I wonder just how effective it is over the long term and whether or not it would be just as easy to fall back into old habits twelve months down the line.

Anyway, good news for those in the UK wishing to avail of this 'treatment', it now looks like it is going to be available on the NHS. This from the Guardian:

NHS to prescribe pill that eases smokers' cravings

John Carvel, social affairs editor
Thursday May 31, 2007
The Guardian

A prescription-only pill with a high success rate in helping people to quit smoking is to become available on the NHS after a decision yesterday by the government's drugs watchdog. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence gave draft approval for the health service to provide varenicline, which is manufactured by Pfizer under the brand name Champix. Trials showed the twice-daily pill provided relief from cravings and withdrawal symptoms experienced by smokers in the weeks after quitting.
The manufacturers said it also reduced the satisfaction smokers would get from cigarettes in the event of a relapse.

During the trials, 44% of smokers had quit by the end of a 12-week course. This compared with a 30% success rate for the anti-smoking drug Zyban and 18% for smokers who were given a placebo.
The recommended 12-week course of treatment costs about £163.80.
Giving draft approval allows NHS trusts or professional bodies to register objections before a decision in July. NHS trusts would then have three months to make funding available. A spokeswoman for Nice said: "Having looked at all the evidence, our independent committee has concluded that varenicline appears to be a good way to help people who want to quit smoking."
Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London, said: "This guidance gives smokers who are serious about stopping another choice from a good range of clinically proven treatments. Smokers who combine treatments with the right support...could significantly increase their odds of successfully quitting for life." A ban on smoking in public places comes into force in England on July 1. A survey of company managers by the Chartered Management Institute found yesterday that few were preparing to implement the ban. It said most companies already had guidelines banning smoking at work. Those that do not face a penalty of up to £2,500 if the law is flouted.

**MrG** · #6 31-05-2007, 12:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by shroomonger

The recommended 12-week course of treatment costs about £163.80.

Yeah, if you're the NHS. SWIM had to pay way more than that. Bastards.

**Micklemouse** · #7 31-05-2007, 12:39

See also Chantix - New stop-smoking drug shows promise, but so did others & the link within.

beentheredonethatagain · #8 17-10-2007, 22:12

This medicine has already help three people I know well to kick their cigarette habit, the stuff works.
a lady I know " Jill " smoked three packs per day. She was being told how well this works from a co worker,
so for fun ( she didnt think it would work) she got some and begun to take as directed, the following day she went for her morning smoke, lit it and was truly turnned off by the taste. she threw her smokes away and hasnt looked back. Then she told some other friends and they did it too. Three smokers stopped like it was nothing. this is true , Beentheredonethatagain has seen it for himself...

This is a brief run down on the stuff , its called Chantix.
***this was taken off of their website
CHANTIX is a prescription medicine to help adults stop smoking. You may benefit from quit smoking support programs and/or counseling during your quit attempt. It’s possible that you might slip up and smoke while taking CHANTIX. If you do, you can stay on CHANTIX and keep trying to quit.
The most common side effects include nausea (30%), trouble sleeping, changes in dreaming, constipation, gas, and/or vomiting. If you have side effects that bother you or don’t go away, tell your doctor.
CHANTIX should not be taken with other quit smoking medicines. You may need a lower dose of CHANTIX if you have kidney problems or get dialysis.
Before starting CHANTIX, tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or if you take insulin, asthma medicines, or blood thinners. Medicines like these may work differently when you quit smoking.

nEone · #9 18-10-2007, 02:34

Chantix is the brand name for a chemical called Varenicline: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varenicline

Manufactured by Pfizer and was approved by the FDA in May, 2006. It's available in the US and the EU.

thewomaninagreenhat · #10 21-10-2007, 02:53

I just started taking this. Today is my first day. I have smoked cigs for 25 years. Wish me luck!

Reputation Comments on this post:

good luck

beentheredonethatagain · #11 21-10-2007, 05:58

You got it!!!always the best for you. it's always good to see the title Donating Newbie, I wish you and your green hat the very best , keep us posted please to your progress, I know the drug companys will thank you LOL LOL LOL! but really we are in need of some more info on Chantix

thewomaninagreenhat · #12 23-10-2007, 19:09

Im sorry that I havent been back to post about my experiences yet. My aunt died from cancer yesterday, and it has been very emotional and busy around our family. I have a brother-in-law close to death from cancer right now as well, so things are pretty tough here.

Anyway, today is day 4 for me on the Chantix. I think it is too early for it to really be doing anything, so perhaps things are just happening from determination and will, but I DO feel some differences!

I notice a bad taste in my mouth about 15 minutes or so after taking the pill, but it goes away fairly quickly.

I seem to not need to smoke as much too. I light up and end up putting it out half way through, rather than smoking the entire cig. Also, I have gone to bed a couple of times, and then realized while laying there, that I did NOT have that "last" smoke of the day. I ALWAYS have a last smoke before going to bed! Now I have gone to bed a couple of times without even thinking about it!

I do still want to smoke, and do still smoke whenever I feel the need for it. It seems hard to believe that in a few days I will be at my 1 week mark, and should be finished with the cigs. I have enough cigs left to have my usual dose of a pack each day until the end of this first week. Im hoping that I wont need to buy more.

I will come back in a couple of days and post about any new developments!

beentheredonethatagain · #13 23-10-2007, 19:32

I am sorry to hear of your loss. It is never easy losing family. Stay strong and get plenty of rest. too much stress is bad for your pain as well as your nerves.

I am glad to hear that your smoking less, the medicine must be doing some good. When you can , keep us posted. Thanks and take care . BTDTA

kneal6 · #14 03-11-2007, 14:06

Just to provide a counterbalance here, this drug destroys the dopamine receptors in your brain that make you enjoy the nicotine. But what other parts of the brain does it attack? Loads of people have reported adverse reactions like depression, aggression, etc. (see here or google it) It's not been out very long so the long-term effects are not well known, who knows how this affects your brain's reaction to other drugs/sex/general happiness?

Drug companies are set up to sell you drugs, they routinely lie about adverse effects, and it's in their best interests for you to be sick and unhappy so that you buy more drugs from them. There's too many drugs coming out for doctors to really know anything about them other than what the drug companies tell them, they often help to cover it up as well. Look into the HPV vaccine, loads of women have been paralyzed/disabled by it and the doctors report it as caused by something unrelated so that they don't have to pay compensation and the drug stays on the market. This is routine, there's so much money in the big drug companies they can get away with (literal) murder.

I'd steer well clear, but that's just my opinion, YMMV and all that. Also, I'd be very interested to know the long-term effects with regards to recreational drugs, mental health, etc. I think this board could provide a unique insight into this. Please report back everyone who has taken this!

Reputation Comments on this post:

	good advise
	i agree

thewomaninagreenhat · #15 04-11-2007, 18:45

Ive been taking the pills for a couple of weeks now. Last night I smoked the last cig that I had. I cried when I lit it. Dumb, but true.

I have been very grouchy feeling, depressed, angry, anxious, well, just not feeling very good mentally. This is partly because I went a couple of days without my Paxil as well, probably. I dont know.

My husband says that maybe Im not ready to totally quit, and that I shouldnt stress myself out so bad over it. He thinks since I had cut down to 5 or so cigs a day, that I should just get another pack and keep cutting it down until I feel ready to go all the way with it. I could hug him till he is squished into nothing for giving me an out, a way to get another pack. I feel like such a failure too. This feels like when Swim used to wait for the dopeman to come around with her coke or meth, whichever was easiest and fastest to find, waiting for this pack of cigs to get home to me.

Last night after that last cig was finished, I went and got rid of all of my ashtrays, and then went to bed. I thought that when I woke up, if they werent in front of me, that I would be able to do this. I have hardly thought about anything but cigarettes for days now. I just dont know if I can do this.

If I dont do it, there is a much better chance that my cancer will come back. If it does, how could I look into the faces of my children, when they are crying over me being sick, knowing that I could have maybe prevented it from happening?

How can I ever get through the day with all of this bad feeling stuff inside of me, knowing that there are more days ahead just like it? I hate myself today, and I dont really like anyone else either. I am even mean to the cats.

I need a smoke.

I am a failure.

beentheredonethatagain · #16 04-11-2007, 19:03

okay your a failure at smoking, or not smoking.

You are success @ being a loving wife, mother ,friend , Drugs - Forum member.

What did you think , are you Wonder Woman ? if the answer is no , then lighten up on yourself.

It isn't a reflection of your worth as a human-being, it is a reflection to the addictive traits of tobacco.
I would suggest that if you are able to continue the decline in usage, to do that. Even if you stay at this amount, it is much better than before.

Take it easy on yourself . It sounds like you have been through some things health wise, being a nervous and stressed Womaninagreenhat is bad in itself.

Paracelsus · #17 04-11-2007, 20:43

kneal6: Chantix doesn't destroy dopamine neurons. It is a nACh agonist (the receptor nicotine binds to). Chantix doesn't destroy the 'pleasure center' in the brain.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for pointing that out to him. I hate it when noobs turn up to post outlandishly spurious statements in order to t...

kneal6 · #18 24-11-2007, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paracelsus

kneal6: Chantix doesn't destroy dopamine neurons. It is a nACh agonist (the receptor nicotine binds to). Chantix doesn't destroy the 'pleasure center' in the brain.

With respect, there's no way you can be at all sure about this. It hasn't been out long enough for them to know exactly what it does long-term. It DOES permanently change the way your brain works, does it not? History is full of accounts of drug companies downplaying the side-effects of their drugs, they are after all in the business of selling them to you and it's in their best interests for us to be unwell. If you want to be a human guinea-pig for them, fair dues, just realise that's what you are. No different to doing RCs. Their's plenty of reports on other sites about this affecting people's mood/psyche, and it's a bit naive to think we know everything there is to know about how the brain operates, and this drug is going to do this one thing to mine and nothing else.

**MrG** · #19 05-11-2007, 07:56

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32312

Paracelsus · #20 24-11-2007, 23:52

Quote:

With respect, there's no way you can be at all sure about this.

Of course not. I made a statement judging from available information, while you invented a statement, having NO information to back it up.

Quote:

It hasn't been out long enough for them to know exactly what it does long-term. It DOES permanently change the way your brain works, does it not?

Rather amusing. First, you say that we don't know what it does because it's new, and then you claim that it surely 'DOES' cause permanent changes in brain function.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Abso-fucking-lutely. Can't stand users who post supposed factual comments based on nothing but hearsay and subjective op...

kneal6 · #21 25-11-2007, 07:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paracelsus

Of course not. I made a statement judging from available information, while you invented a statement, having NO information to back it up.

I notice you haven't provided any of that information, just a blind statement. Maybe I'd have changed my mind if there was anything but drug company propaganda to base it on.

Here's some of my info anyway

Champix:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healt...62339020071120
http://whyquit.com/pr/101406.html

NHS guidelines for champix:

Quote:

4.3 Discontinuation of varenicline
At the end of treatment, discontinuation of varenicline was variously associated with increased irritability, urge to smoke, depression, and insomnia in up to 3% of patients. The prescriber must inform the patient accordingly and discuss or consider the need for dose tapering.

from http://www.newwaysclinic.com/champix_side_effects.html:

Quote:

Champix pills are not as successful as claimed and have been on sale since September 2006. As with Zyban they have some serious and unpleasant side effects. There are 165 potential side-effects listed on Pfizer's "Full Prescribing Information" sheet. Although Pfizer's Patient Information sheet mentions vomiting, nausea, abnormal dreams, sleep disturbance, and constipation, it fails to alert smokers to less frequent yet more serious risks such as kidney failure, suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, psychotic events, joint pain, muscle pain and arthritis.
Some people found that after they stopped taking Champix:

the urge to smoke returned, as with NRT
they felt irritable
they felt depressed
they had sleeping difficulties.
As with Zyban, Champix must be used in combination with motivational support techniques.
There are also some people who aren't suitable for this type of treatment.

There are 165 side effects associated to taking champix so it is important for you to know. The most common side-effect is nausea, other side effects include:

Headache
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
Abnormal dreams
Sleepiness
Dizziness
Change in taste
Dry mouth
Disturbances of the gut such as constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, indigestion, flatulence
Changes in appetite
Airway infections
Mood swings
Changes in sex drive
Tremor
Restlessness
Awareness of your heart beat (palpitations)
Skin reactions such as rash or itching
Increased urination
Chest pain
Increased blood pressure

From http://www.quitguide.com/stop-smoking-aids.html:

Quote:

Varenicline, from big drug co Pfizer in Connecticut, is now approved by the FDA and being pushed on to the market. Called Chantix in US and Champix in Europe, this now joins Zyban as one of two non-nicotine drugs prescribed as stop smoking aids.

Chantix blocks nicotine from entering relevant parts of the brain, thus eliminating or slowing down dopamine production, which is the reward chemical normally triggered by nicotine.
Chantix tablets are taken twice daily for 12-24 weeks or longer, and Pfizer claim a 22% success rate up to one year.
Despite Pfizer trumpeting their 'wonder pill' in their press releases, the figures they claim are obtained from firstly eliminating any smokers from their trials who had previously failed trying to quit, and then all smokers were also given counseling sessions and in some cases nicotine patches.
Their website states 'frequent' side effects include: nausea, headache, vomiting, flatulence, insomnia, nightmares, dysgeusia (food tastes vile), diarrhea, gingivitis, chest & back pain, dizziness, anxiety, depression, emotional disorder, polyuria (excessive urination), menstrual disorder and hypertension. To top it off, about 1 in 1,000 patients get to go on an "euphoric trip," like losing their mind!
A Pfizer smoking cessation expert said longer-term results are not proven, but given the difficulty of quitting the habit for good, they acknowledge it may take smokers 10 attempts.
That seems like a long time to ingest drugs into your system in the hope of it doing something for you!

There's also plenty of posts on message boards reporting violent mood swings etc but at this point it's late and I'm too tired to find them again.

Various other Pfizer dodgyness:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/42922.php
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/04/05/16.php
http://www.weitzlux.com/lawfirmceleb...rial_472.htmll
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538091
http://www.mynippon.com/vioxx/2005/0...-lawsuits.html

Quote:

Rather amusing. First, you say that we don't know what it does because it's new, and then you claim that it surely 'DOES' cause permanent changes in brain function.

What I said was that there's a mountain of evidence to suggest drug companies deliberately put out very misleading information. Actually, I think I was wrong in assuming that it's effects continue after stopping the drug as it seems to be much less than a permanent fix. Maybe our fellow forumites who've taken it can enlighten us, I'm genuinely interested in it's effect on the brain re other drugs, and let's face it, they're hardly going to give the people in the trials a line and ask them what it's like are they?

Look, I realise it's not the done thing to come on a drug forum and say a drug is bad, but there's no-one on this planet that's been taking this drug for 40 years and so we can't know what the long-term effects are, and it's obvious we can't trust drug companies, look at what happened to all those people on Zoloft! Using Champix is akin to using a RC, in fact even more dangerous since pharmaceutical companies are in the sick people business. Basic capitalism.

There's a wealth of information out there about the drug company agenda for anyone who's willing to look. That's all I'm saying. I think it's your turn to provide some proof of long-term safe use.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good information

**MrG** · #22 27-11-2007, 08:12

Quote: