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The Almost War That Wasn't; Chantix And Quitting
Topic Started: Mar 22 2009, 08:23 AM (1,193 Views)
Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
A few of you know that I've been on Chantix for the past ten days. I smoked my last cigarette yesterday evening, at 7:00 p.m.

The only side effects of the Chantix have been very occasional, very mild nausea, some pretty vivid dreams (which I have, anyway...), and a little gas. (Bonus! :lol2: )

3/21/09: For the preponderance of threes and multiples thereof, it somehow seems auspicious, though I didn't intend it that way.

All I know, is that it feels like I have slipped my head out of a hangman's noose. My skin already looks pink, instead of having that wooden, greyish tone that most smokers have.

I had a shower three hours ago and I still smell like soap.

My fingers and toes aren't cold, and my hands don't smell like smoke.

I was having a bit of an "urge," last night; Not even a crave, really... But I went and cranked out 20 minutes on the treadmill. :) It felt good.

A couple of acronyms that I'm keeping in mind:

1. N.O.P.E. Not One Puff. Ever.

And this one, which is an original:

2. SAD: Sickarettes Are Death. (alt. Sickarettes Are Disgusting.)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Good luck, Frank! On April 1st, it will be nine years without a smoke for me. Trust me, you'll be so happy if you can make it stick.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Wow! Congratulations, Jon!

In twenty-two years as a smoker, the longest I quit was for eight weeks, and that was within the last couple of years, I think. I'm looking forward to this...

Have you read Allen Carr's book, "The Easy Way To Quit Smoking Permanently"? Awesome book... The guy was a 3-pack/day smoker for something like thirty years, and one day, he just quit. :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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George K
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Finally
Frank, Daughter #3 went on Chantix in January. Stopped cold turkey. No nausea for her, and an occasional dream. She got to the point in 3 weeks where she just stopped thinking about it, and in another two, she was finding her smoking friends "stinky". She's going to cut the dose next month, and she's thrilled.

Keep it up, man.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
:wave: Way to go, Frank. :thumb:
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks, George! Thanks, Sue!

George, this is like a miracle... I'm resolved to do the full 90-day course. My downfall in the past, has been getting cocky after 6-8 weeks, and going off of the Wellbutrin. (That's what I've used in the past.) This time, I'm going to do the whole course, and if I need more after that, then I'll continue with it until I'm absolutely 100% sure that I'm in the clear.
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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RosemaryTwo
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HOLY CARP!!!
Good for you. This can't be easy, but you're tough. Hang in there.
"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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Frank_W
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Thanks, R2! :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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George K
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Finally
Welbutrin and Chantix, from my understanding, work differently. Welbutrin works by reducing the desire to smoke, whereas Chantix works by preventing the nicotine from having an effect. So, if you have a smoke, nothing happens. No buzz, nothing.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stop-smoking/HA00020
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Yep.

The 'butrin and Chantix both make the smokes taste like ass, but the side-effects are the deal-maker/breaker:

The Wellbutrin side-effects that I experienced are:
1. Insomnia. Bad! No matter what I did, I was up and down all night. Screw that..
2. Sexual side-effects: Pfft.... It was like being a pr0n star: You can go and go and go like the Energizer Bunny, but... No climax for you! :weeping: That's a SERIOUS deal-breaker!
3. Cigarettes taste bad, but... If I felt like smoking, I could do it, and what's more, I could get used to the taste of them with the Wellbutrin.
4. Still had pretty killer craves.


Side effects that I've experienced with Chantix:

1. Some very mild and brief nausea.
2. Cigarettes taste awful and they no longer give the brain and the adrenals the big "high."
3. No craves. Zilch. Zippo. None. There are "urges," because it's been a 20-30 X/day ritual for twenty-two years, but they are surprisingly mild.

I am just thrilled... This is like a miracle...
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Mark
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HOLY CARP!!!
Good for you Frank!

Hope it works for you this time.
___.___
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o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Posted Image

Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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QuantumIvory
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Senior Carp
:clap:
Good for you, Frank. I quit cold-turkey about 15 years ago. It was the best thing I ever did and it will be the best thing you ever did...health wise, that is.

Hang in there!

(And whatya gonna do with all that extra money?)
"I regard consciousness as fundamental. We cannot get behind consciousness." -Max Planck

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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Man, I'm buying sh!t for the motorcycle, of course!! Hahahahaha... w00t!
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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brenda
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..............
Frank_W
Mar 22 2009, 09:30 AM
The Wellbutrin side-effects that I experienced are:
2. Sexual side-effects: Pfft.... It was like being a pr0n star: You can go and go and go like the Energizer Bunny, but... No climax for you! :weeping: That's a SERIOUS deal-breaker!
Hurray for you, Frank!! I'm proud of your determination.

Side-effect number 2 made me laugh. It sounds like a very cruel trick.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks, Brenda!!

Yeah... That side effect was appreciated by a certain lady. It was NOT appreciated by Yours Truly, though! Hrmph... :angry: :lol:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
I am glad to hear this Frank -- I wish you every success and a long, long life!
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks, IT. I'm kinda' hoping for a quick, intense life and a death by embolism or heart attack. Something nice and quick... Hee hee.. But I am pretty jazzed about quitting. :) :thumb:
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
I've been sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. I slept for ten hours on Friday night, had a motorcycle run on Saturday morning, and then came home and slept for five hours, and then slept for nine hours last night, and I just awoke from a four-hour nap.
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
You rock! Keep it up, man.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks, Jon. :)
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Frank_W
Mar 22 2009, 08:55 AM
Wow! Congratulations, Jon!

In twenty-two years as a smoker, the longest I quit was for eight weeks, and that was within the last couple of years, I think. I'm looking forward to this...

Have you read Allen Carr's book, "The Easy Way To Quit Smoking Permanently"? Awesome book... The guy was a 3-pack/day smoker for something like thirty years, and one day, he just quit. :)
I used Wellbutrin to quit. That, and a combination of pretty intense peer-pressure from Mrs. D'Oh is what worked for me. I'd smoked for 20 years. Now, I don't even think of myself as an ex-smoker except very occasionally I get a mild craving for the comfort of lighting up. I do occasionally have these dreams where I start again - it's such a massive relief when I wake up and it's not real.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Yeah... I've had a few of those dreams. Now that you've been quit for as long as you have, how do you feel? I mean, what physical changes did you notice?
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Frank_W
Mar 22 2009, 03:44 PM
Yeah... I've had a few of those dreams. Now that you've been quit for as long as you have, how do you feel? I mean, what physical changes did you notice?
I taste food more, I don't cough all the time, I don't have a cold pretty much the whole winter. Flying to Europe isn't the unbearable torture it used to be.

On the down side, I'm about 15-20 pounds heavier than I'd like to be, and I actually have to worry about eating too much - some of that's getting older too.

The real benefit to me is that I don't subconsciously plan my whole day around smoking. Particularly once we'd moved to Canada, where smoking indoors was much less acceptable than the UK, my whole life revolved around popping outside every hour, or catching a quick smoke walking from the car to shops etc. Standing outside like a moron at dawn in Ontario with the temperature at about -35 degrees was no way to start the day.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Thanks!! All of those things make sense to me.

As for planning the day around smoking, I've done the same things, and worse. Flying to Japan was always a huge torture. It never occurred to me to use those flights as opportunities to quit, either. Isn't that crazy?

And I'll go you one better: I am no better than the nastiest heroin junkie lying in the gutter with a needle danging from his infected arm. In the past, when I've tried to go cold turkey, after about six hours, I'd find myself digging madly through the garbage looking for one ancient cigarette butt that had a couple millimeters of tobacco left on it, just about frying my eyebrows off trying to light it, and then gagging and coughing my head off for the two mere drags that I manage to get, stubbing it out, and somehow convincing myself that it was good, and being able to gloss over the fact that I'd just failed miserably.

It's sick, sick, sick... If heroin can be said to be a monkey on one's back, cigarettes are like a Terminator with its hooks in the addict's face.
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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