Is Chantix all it claims to be?
When all other devices have failed, it has been found by some people that Chantix is the one that finally did help them to quit. Chantix is different than most stop smoking aids. It works as a nicotine blocker, which in turn blocks the absorption of nicotine to the receptors in the brain. This, over time, lessens the desire to smoke as there is less receptors available for the nicotine to attach itself to. Which, of course, makes you want that cigarette less and less.
Using this method has helped many people quit without difficulty. Not only that, it has helped a lot of them quit without severe withdrawal symptoms. Even long term, multiple pack a day smokers have found themselves to be successful. One thing you need to do however, is first check to see if your insurance company will cover the cost as many nowadays are reluctant to pay for smoking cessation products.
Since Chantix contains no nicotine, it is not necessary to quit smoking when you begin the medication. You will receive a starter pack that gradually builds up the medication in your system over the next two weeks.
With this in mind, it is important that you pick a day to quit somewhere towards the end of the two weeks, however there have been some who actually extend this up to three weeks, which allows the medication in their system to build up even further.
There are several side effects that have been experienced, but this can vary greatly from person to person, and are normally temporary. Extremely vivid dreams are most notable especially during the first few weeks of using the medication, as well as excessive gas, nausea and in some cases headaches.
Chantix comes with a very good, free online support system and is designed for you to start receiving support even prior to beginning medication. Daily e-mail updates are sent to your inbox that direct you back to the site for further support with projects designed to help you keep on track.
Chantix in itself works very well, however it may be more effective on smokers who are physically addicted to nicotine as opposed to those psychologically addicted as it seems to work much better on the former. Talk to your doctor and see. If you are more psychologically addicted, they may have a different medication which they would recommend for your situation.
As with any stop smoking aid, success comes only accompanied with a strong desire to stop smoking. If you don’t have the desire to finally quit smoking, there is no miracle pill out there that you can take and suddenly become a nonsmoker. All of the medications that are now in the market are designed to give us a little bit of an edge in our battle to overcome our smoking addiction, but not do it for us.