Just took my first dose of Chantix!

[Amyen123]

Hello! I just took my first dose of Chantix and am looking for continued support on this forum. Please help! 

[jillar]

Welcome amyen and congratulations on deciding to take your freedom back. Have you stopped smoking yet? If I remember correctly when I tried it I continued to smoke the whole first week but noticed I craved cigs a lot less after the first week or so and quit altogether. 

I managed to stay quit for three weeks and stopped taking it and almost  instantly went back to smoking so I HIGHLY recommend to stay on it for the recommended duration of I believe three months. Plus you'll love the dreams lol

You'll get as much support as you need or want here as well as a ton of info on our addiction plus a Social section that's pretty good at getting our minds off smoking for a while so take a look around 

[Doreensfree]

Hello and welcome aboard ...

Congratulations on the great decision to stop this horrible killer addiction...

I didn't use chantix...but I'm sure those here who did ,will be along soon ...

Read and learn all you can here ...watch all the videos.... understanding this addiction will help you through your journey ...

We have some great Newbies to travel along with ...

Looking forward to getting to know you better...

[c9jane29]

Welcome, and congratulations on the best decision you'll ever make. I didn't quit using an NRT, but many on this board have and I'm sure they will have lots of information to share.

The best armor to wear during a quit is knowledge. Know your enemy, nicotine. There is a wealth of knowledge here (the green tacks at the top of the main board) and whyquit.com

[Amyen123]

Thank you sooooo much to all of you for being so supportive! I am so glad I found this forum!!!! 

[Mee]

Welcome Amyen123!  So glad you found us and have decided to quit smoking.  We are here to help you on your journey.   Hang around and read the information here, play some games and get to know us all.  You can do this!

[Mac#23]

Welcome aboard Amyen123,

 You have joined one of the best support groups for nicotine addiction. Congratulations on your decision to be a non smoker. I have never tried Chantix because I quit cold turkey. From what I understand is that you need to follow the instructions on taking that. Take the recommended amount right up until the end. You will start to feel like you half kicked the habit after a few weeks to a month. Don't stop taking the Chantix until it's done otherwise it's a good chance you will probably go right back to smoking. Just remember that it doesn't matter which method you use to quit if your not 100% committed. You have to be ready and willing to quit. We will help you every step of the way. So, read all the articles and watch the videos on this site. Remember that knowledge is power in defeating the nicotine monster.

[Amyen123]

Thank you so much! I agree with taking the Chantix as prescribed. I think you take it for three months total. I can do this!!! I have wanted to become a non smoker for years and after talking to my son who has lived in Taipei for the last 4 years and hearing how happy he was with his life made me realize its time to quit. I want to be around for him! The worst part will be the mornings when I have my coffee. I think I will have to eliminate coffee for a while.  

[Doreensfree]

What I did was change my morning routine ...where I used to sit in my dressing gown and  have coffee and cigs before anything ..

I had a shower instead ...dressed ,done hair ect ....

Put some music on ...and get moving ....

It's that good to be alive feeling ....

Then I had breakfast....changing one or two of my coffee,s for fresh orange....

[Amyen123]

Those are awesome ideas! I am so afraid I will gain weight too. I am already overweight. I also deal with anxiety and depression. My smoking has been like a security blanket. Does that make sense?? But I realize it is definitely time to quit!

[jillar]

Don't worry about the weight gain right now, you will have plenty of time to lose any extra pounds you gain and you can also control a lot of that just by picking healthier snacks right? 

As far as your anxiety and depression, most who suffer from that have found that quitting actually helped it and they feel much better now  But in the beginning while your body is adjusting to no nicotine you may feel a bit more anxious or depressed from losing your "friend (smoking)" so if it's too hard give your Dr a call. They can a lot of times prescribe something temporary to help you until you start to feel better. And it's awesome to have everyone congratulate you on quitting  

[Amyen123]

Thank you! I am already on meds so hopefully those will help! I made a batch of trail mix to munch on and bought some healthy snacks too. I am so glad I found this forum!  You are so very encouraging! Thank you!

[Doreensfree]

We call quitting a journey ....most put on some extra pounds ...

But once your comfortable in your quit ,then usually it shifts to your weight ...

We do have a healthy eating thread ...to help you along ...

But healthy snacks can be a good place to start...

Jillar has also have you sound advice about depression...we have had quite a few successful quits with members who are sufferer,s....

Read some old threads too....there is tons of great information....

Upwards and Onwards ...

[Mee]

1 hour ago, Amyen123 said:

I am so afraid I will gain weight too. I am already overweight. I

Don't concentrate on the idea of gaining weight.  I used that as an excuse to put quitting off for many years.  Concentrate on the fact that you will be gaining life.  Not onlly will you be extending your life, but you will find yourself taking a more active part in life.   That makes it easier to shed any unwanted quitting pounds!

[Boo]

53 minutes ago, Amyen123 said:

I am so afraid I will gain weight too. 

 

A bit of exercise goes a long way in helping when you have a craving for a cigarette.  It doesn't need to be anything intense, just a brisk walk will do.  Physical exercise will keep the weight gain at bay and calm your mind during those challenging times early in a quit...two birds with one stone.

 

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on quitting smoking.

[Martian5]

Welcome aboard Amyen glad to have you along on this journey.  I did not use NRT but I know of many who did (those that were successful followed the complete plan) so it can work.  I too was worried about weight gain and I did gain weight but my doctor was ok with me gaining weight (I was overweight at the time) because she felt that the benefits of quitting would outweigh any weight gain.  Once I had quit for awhile I did more walking and to this day I still walk quite a bit and that helped control the weight.  After about 9 months I began to loose weight and I have now lost all the gained weight and a little more.  I was also worried about the coffee thing so I quit drinking coffee at the same time and really have only had 1 cup of coffee since I quit.  Anyway come back here often there is a lot of people here ready to help.  And do not forget the daily NOPE -- it really helped me, and I know others, get through the quit.  The journey may be hard a times but it is so worth it!!!!!!!

[Nancy]

Welcome Amyen,

I smoked for over 40 years and quit 7 years ago using Chantix.  If I can do it, you can, too!

[Amyen123]

Hello! Thanks so much for sharing! I am ready to take this on! What did you do to take up your time while not smoking? That is one of the things that I am nervous about. 
thank you!

[Mac#23]

You need to find something to take your mind off it. Try going for a walk, doing a large jigsaw puzzle, learning something new like a new language. Plus, alter or change up your normal routines so as to trick your mind and help lessen someone of the cravings. You can do this if you really want to because you are stronger than the addiction.

[Amyen123]

Thank you so much for saying that! I really needed to hear it because I feel so powerless over it!

[Doreensfree]

You can do anything you want ...we have had folks take up all kinds of hobbies ...

We  have had some learn to knit ,jigsaws,puzzles...Oh the world is yours ...

As been mentioned ...walking ....exercises......I learnt QI Gong ....Go to... you tube ...

It's a great gentle way to relax ,and good for your well being ....

The longer your quit ,the more energetic you become ... I am doing more now ,than never did as a smoker .

[jillar]

2 minutes ago, Amyen123 said:

Thank you so much for saying that! I really needed to hear it because I feel so powerless over it!

 

I felt that way too BEFORE I quit. I even went so far as saying that smoking was my legacy because I grew up surrounded by smokers but the truth is that we hold all the power. All we really need is self discipline and for me my support board. Once I joined a forum of people who had or were successfully quitting I knew that I was in good company.

No one knows better than we do what we go through when quitting. The journey is different for everyone but there's always someone amongst all of us who can relate to whatever you're going through at the moment  

[johnny5]

Welcome to the site, Amyen.  You care doing a great thing with quitting smoking. 

 

I made it a point to try to focus on positive changes I was noticing as my quit progressed instead of dwelling over what I felt I was missing by not smoking.  With time, you will see that you are really not missing anything good by quitting smoking.  Everything that comes with smoking is bad, whether it be diseases (which there are many), the financial cost, missing out on things by always ducking out for a smoke break, that horrible smell, etc. etc. etc.

 

Everything that comes with quitting is positive.  You will notice many great changes the longer you go smoke free.  It may be rough early on but it is worth the freedom you gain by quitting for good.

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by johnny5

[Nancy]

3 hours ago, Amyen123 said:

Hello! Thanks so much for sharing! I am ready to take this on! What did you do to take up your time while not smoking? That is one of the things that I am nervous about. 
thank you!

I walked a lot!  And took a lot of showers (you can't smoke in the shower)  An important thing I learned is that you still need to take breaks....just walk instead of smoke!  And if you feel a panic attack coming on:

• Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of four.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
• Hold for a count of four.
• Repeat 3-5 times, visualizing each number as you count.

[Amyen123]

Thats an awesome idea! Im on day three of my Chantix. I just have all these things running thru my mind of what I will do when that last cigarette is gone. I am trying to focus on the positive!