I wish I had read your story before I started taking it. I have been smoke free for 58 days. I only took Chantix the first 30 days. I really only had mild side effects while taking it, vivid dreams and pretty much no interest in doing anything other than going to work and coming home. A small price to pay to quit right? I wanted to get off the Chantix asap due to not wanting to take a chance of it affecting me more negatively as I had read it did others. Evidently, the craziness starts AFTER you stop taking it. Now, I cant hardly stay awake past 9pm, wake up numerous times in the night, have no “joy” in life, am depressed and often cry for no reason, my husband is asking why I always come home in a bad mood when I never even realized I was. I get irritated at the smallest things and don’t enjoy anything I used to. I just want my life back! I still have not smoked, but, if I had it to do over I would never take Chantix again. I now just pray for God’s help with the depression and hope it will end soon.

Maybe my experience will educate someone thinking about taking this drug. I never had any psych problems before so there was no reason why I should’nt have been prescribed this med. Please think twice before taking this, as in, try everything else first.

Congrats to all and good luck to those trying to quit.

So I spoke with my Dr. about cutting the pills in half (if that was safe – he didn’t know…), called the Chantix line, took 50 minutes to get to the right person, had to listen to their “Chantix may make you crazy” message on each transfer. When the clinical rep on the phone could not tell me if it was safe to cut the pill in half or not and that I should “talk to my Dr.” when I just wanted to know if it was time release or not and that my Dr. said to call you… (you get the picture – no one there even knows the physical properties of the pill itself – there’s no way they know all the various mental side effects).

Stopped taking Chantix over a year ago due to several, frankly “crazy” episodes and then suicidal thoughts (I never had a mental health issue before).

Most involved hostility to people in public, basically what people would let pass and not say anything to outright “rude” people – I’d let em have it’ (verbally), it was not pretty (excessive profanity / threats to kick their ass; men bigger than me, women, little old lady’s, teen’s, groups of people – didin’t matter). – this usually ended when I “snapped out if it” to find lot’s of people just staring at me “drop jawed” and then I’d have to run out of the: grocery store, ballgame, party, wherever… Thankfully I never hit anyone (I was about to several times), people really don’t want to fight a “crazy” person apparently… It was kind of fun to tell em’ off but that is completely out of character for me…

So then after experiencing the horrible dreams and “lost time rages” the suicidal thoughts and actions started, I’d find myself preparing to do it and then just like the grocery store I’d “snap out of it”.

I immediately stopped Chantix – told my Dr. and started smoking again to replace whatever that crap started in my brain. The thoughts and hostility dwindled for the most part, but I’m still holding them back best I can… (maybe 40% as intense as when I was on it).

Problem is it’s been over a year since I quit and I’m stuck with this crap playing in my mind.

Anyhow, I only hope someone reads this and stays away from the stuff.

Apparently this whole “snap out of it” deal is what leads to the suicides, some people just “wake up” with a gun to their head – the others that did not “snap out” died, this is pretty much my story too… (fortunately I got rid of all my ammo when it started – glad there’s no big bridges around)

It was made originally for schizophrenics and the side effect was “they quit smoking”. I was (am) a respected professional, wonderful family, children, lots of friends, not crazy at all – now I am crazy, freaking nutso (but I play it sane), it’s becoming unbearable, I used to be a happy, optimistic person… Cant believe I opened up on the internet, typing this makes me want to seek professional help. Problem is, that’s what got me here in the first place…

NEVER take this drug, you’re better off smoking…

The first time was highly unsuccessful: I went from a pack a day to 2-3 cigs but didn’t continue my subscription past the first month.

This time I was committed and stopped all cigs after day 12 or 13. The dr wrote off the depression/suicidal side effects after I explained that my bro didn’t have them. I didn’t experience any negative side effects beyond nausea for most of the time. The nausea was wretched: it got to the point where I would dry heave and want to vomit but felt that I’d rather vomit for a few months then smoke for the rest of my life. I had no depression side effects and thought I was safe until the last 2-3 weeks.

I started having extremely lucid dreams, nightmares and daymares (like daydreams but horrid). Then I found myself thinking about suicide and a number of ways to do it. At first, I associated the depression with the problems I’ve been having with my girlfriend. In the last 3 days, I realized it was Chantix. I didn’t pick up my month 4 prescription (they say 40% chance of quitting if 3-month and 60% if 6-month) and the thoughts declined significantly. It took me awhile to associate the thoughts with Chantix because the depression/suicidal thoughts had such a late onset (2+ months).

Now that I’m aware of it, I’m debating whether or not to continue. I’ve never gone this long without smoking a cig in the last 11 years and never want to go back (some of my nightmares were about me smoking again!). I don’t like the horrible thoughts and need to decide whether I can handle them or not. I’m seeing the dr later this week for her advice. I’ll keep you posted.

I have had success with dealing with depression by taking a drug called welbutrin and have 9 months of sobriety. I am also taking a drug called suboxone that blocks the opiate receptors in my brain stoping with drawl symptoms and cut all the negative people out of my life. I am lucky to have a very strong support system and parents who are helping me through this and have allowed me to keep my embarrassing drug use secret from the rest of my family including my little sister.

My same doctor who has helped me regain my sobriety tells me Chantix works the same as Suboxone by blocking the nicotine receptors in your brain. She say’s that when these symptoms happen to people, it means they have some sort of depression and the symptoms are elevated and aggravated when you take away the nicotine from your brain which helps suppress those feelings.

There is a very negative stigma regarding depression and depression medication, but the new drugs that they have recently developed to treat depression have few to no side effects. I have experienced no negative side effects since I have gotten my medication balanced correctly and even have seen improvements in my energy, desire to socialize and ability to focus and retain information. My short term memory is still recovering from my drug use but has been rapidly improving the past two months. I have never put all this out there at once, but I feel like my story may help some of the people on this thread. Especially the last person…religion is good for some people and I am glad your beliefs help you deal with your troubles, but the symptoms and feelings you are describing sound very similar to the ones I had to deal with during the rare times I stopped using any drugs over the last fifteen years. I dont know you but urge anyone who has the feelings many of you expressed on this thread to at least talk to your physician, usually they can help you without seeing a “shrink” if you don’t want to see one or do not believe in therapy. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, I know that sounds cheesy but it is how I truly feel now that I have taken these steps in my life.