I was told yesterday by a prominent shrink here that smoking is a form of self injury, right up there with cutting, burning and trich.

I then asked her

"Who told you that? A salesman for Chantix?"

Seriously though. It messed up a friend I have in real life pretty bad. He is a 3 pack a day smoker, he is down to 2 packs and says this stuff is terrible.

The TV commerical for this crap is a joke - It claims a success rate in the 40% range - But if you listen to the commerical carefully, you only get that success if you have some other type of support - Doctors should be encouraging people to the the non medicated supports rather than prescribing something with all this side effects!

I will never use an antidepressant again.

I was on Celexa for 2.5 years. It numbed my ability to see danger and take care of myself. It caused a fast weight gain of 30 lbs in 5 months (which is what caused me to stop using it).

Life on celexa was happy. I became involved with people in a lifestyle that I would never had entered - had I not been without my normal "fight or flight" defense mechanism.

I wonder if the problem with America's outrage is connected to our use of "happy pills", alcohol, drug addiction and sex addiction.

I am concerned that we are being fed drugs that cause us to be more "susceptible" and "open" to mind control.

The use of subliminal perception is back in vogue. We are propagandized to be perfectly thin, wealthy, of popular political persuasion, and somewhere - in the world of media today - darwinism is back in fashion. Dog eat dog. The fittest shall survive.

Those who are vulnerable and hurt, either due to life's disappointments, or lack of ability to measure up to the media world of perfection, are easy prey to an industry that creates a need and then feeds it.

Perhaps we should take a look at conspiracy theories. A new coined one - "Darwinian Consumerism" comes to my mind. Create the need....Feed the need.... Satiate the Greed.

Beware of changing your mental states with any addictive fix. Alcohol, drugs, sex - all mask our fears. Maybe if you are hurting - it is your body saying our culture is out of whack - not our selves.

I quit smoking with the nicotine patch after several years of listening to testimony from people trying to get social security disability for emphysema. These people usually were disabled. Smoking is dangerous. However, Chantix also seems to be dangerous too. As those of us who have given it up know, a drug that makes you not want to smoke must be doing something pretty powerful.

I've finally found a link to start my comparison of tobacco ads with the current round of direct to consumer drug ads. I'm sure lots of you already know that tobacco was initially advertised as good for your health, complete with "clinical" studies to back these claims up, a link to some cig ads:

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/adexhibit/cigarettes.htm

And you know how nice and eager the tobacco companies have been about pulling their product now that it's harmful qualities are a matter of public policy. Look for big pharma to continue to fight just as dirty as any tobacco company ever did.

I think it is extremely important that people be warned of other side effects when using Chantix. I think it is a great drug for most people, but they certainly need to do more research.

I have quit taking this drug b/c it literally made me have disturbing thoughts. While taking this drug i got so angry at our youngest baby that I wanted to spank her. She is only 5 mo. old, and is our second kid. I am used to baby's crying, it does not bother me. I have quit smoking before and never had these side effects. It was definately the Chantix that gave me these crazy thoughts. There is no doubt in my mind. Now that the drug is out of my system i feel normal again, and do not experience any of those emotions that i did on the medication. I really fear that someone will take this drug and hurt someone while doing it. If I had been told that I may have side effects like I did, I would have recognized what was happening much sooner. I consider myself very strong psycologically and emotionally, and I feel that these traits are the only thing that prevented me from hurting an innocent child. I'm worried that someone without strong control over their emotions will not have the restraint i did, and will hurt an innocent child or someone else. Please pass this info on. People must be warned about these side effects.

I agree with anon. I have tried Chapix twice(stupid me). The first time I had severe depressions and was very irritating. I contributed that to the fact that my father was dying of cancer. I did not manage to quit. I started on Champix again for 2 months ago. After a week I started to feel miserable and irritated. I combination with alchohol it had some weird side effects(dont drink while on champix). I quitted after three weeks after I had read comments from other users with similar symptoms. I still have problems but feeling that the stuff is getting out of the syste. Be careful with that pill !!!!!

I have been using Champix for seven weeks now and have stopped smoking for 5 glorious weeks. I've had NO side effects and no cravings. This drug is a marvel for those of us who are addicted and want to stop. I say yeah for Champix and I hope their stock soars.

Hi, Iam in the UK. My boyfriend went beserk on Christmas after drinking alchohol & he has been taking Champix for some months. He beat me, & completely trashed my home causing loads of damage...he was on a rampage for about two hours. I was taken in an ambulance & the police took an hour to get to my apartment, by which time they found him unconcious after taking an overdose of around 50 paracetamol & co-codamal. He survived but I have remained split up with him. I have pressed charges. I've now found out it could have very likely been the Champix has caused temporary psychosis? As far as I know, he had no history of mental health problems or violence. Please contact me if you can offer any advice for me. Many thanks!

chantix worked fine for me. you people are goobers. ya gotta want to quit in order to quit..

I'm in the UK. I gave up smoking on Christmas day. I started on Champix three days before then lost the desire to smoke. I couldn't believe it and was so pleased. However, at the end of January I noticed that my state of mind wasn't right - I became very hypa and agitated. to be brief, I thought I was going loopy. I was getting more aggressive and wanted to kill everyone. (I'm middle-aged and female). I am very aware of myself and very much in control of my emotions - a strong character, down to earth with my feet firmly on the ground. I also became weepy, which is just not me. I stopped taking the pills as I knew it could only be the drug that was causing the psychosis. I must add that I was taking only one a day, not the recommended two. It took a week for the drug to clear my body - now I feel back to normal and still of the fags I'm happy to say. I have made an appointment with my doctor just to give him feedback of my experience of the drug. The Doctor should be informed enough to spell out this dangerous side effect rather than just say 'stop if you get unpleasant symptoms'. While mentioning the experience to a colleague, she told me that a neighbour of hers developed psychosis and was fantasising about killing the kids and her husband. She is now back on the fags and is on anti-depressants, having never needed them before. Fortunately, I stopped taking them within three days of me having weird thoughts so I'm fine now and feel much better. I am very grateful, though, that the drug did take away the desire to smoke. I have spent thirty years trying to stop with every available type of help. I would say, be very careful and STOP immediately you start to have strange moods and thoughts. As for Jason's comment above, I've worked in re-habs and I've never met an addict who doesn't want to quit heroine. Get real man! it takes a lot more than the desire to quit a very powerful substance (including booze).

I have been taking Chantix for 4 weeks and like many people was happy that I had no cravings after about 4 days of taking it. However after about two weeks I noticed that I was feeling wound up all the time...I put this down to the withdrawal of the cigarettes...but steadily over the last two weeks I have felt angry at everything...I am usually a very level headed person...who can see the funny side of most things and is able to laugh at herself and the dilemmas in life...but my sense of humour is now very negative...everyone bugs me and I just don't want to be nice to anyone...I just seem to of lost my sparkle and zest and my mood is effecting my family and friends...I am checking in with my doc and getting some advice...I do not want to take this medication anymore and I do not want to smoke...I am going to try hard to find another way...but I am very concerned that people who take this medication are not told of this side effect as it is a real issue as I see it...I hate to think that someone who already has an angry disposition would be put on Chantix and suffer the same side effects....this is a tragedy waiting to happen...be careful...

If you feel like that, stop taking it. Don't wait till your Doctor appointment. I stopped taking the drug a few days after noticing that my thinking was going off track. The nicotine is out of your body in days so you won't need any other method if you had the Champix for four weeks. The rest is in your head. I'm still off the fags. It's not without effort but I know that the demon will be there for a long, long, time and that's what I keep telling myself, so it's a matter of ignoring the demon.
So far, the money I've saved has paid for this year's holiday. I don't cough anymore. My skin and eyes are much clearer. I don't get breathless walking up hills, and my energy levels have shot up. There are too many positive reasons to be a none smoker, and only negative reasons to start again. Ok, so I've put a little weight on but I am already dealing with that now that my body has got over the shock of not having the nicotine. I have now stopped much of the nibbling of food, and I walk rather than drive when it's not too far a journey. Good luck.

Please nobody ever take this deadly drug. I was a perfectly normal live life to the full 39 year old woman, thats up and till a week ago when i started champix.I have cried now for the last 7 days and feared for my life. This drug as completely ruined my life. I have never ever suffered depression in my life until i took this pill. I couldnt even dress myself, care for my children or communicate with the outside world. These should be banned. My husband took these tablets and burnt them on sunday, and the sooner they out my system the better. I just hope I can pick up my life again......

I have been taking Chantix for 11 weeks with no side effects at all. I have had one craving with was quickly curbed. I have noticed no mood swings nor ill thoughts. I can breathe again!

It is scary to me that drug reaction is so different between people. More research is really needed to find out what causes these life altering side effects then screen people before prescribing.

i have been on champixx for five weekks and i have had no bad side affects. BUT o my god have i got bad wind its driving me mad and my girlfriend and you no its bad when you cant stand tou own. my doc said try one tablet a day nd trust me if that does not work im off them thats how bad the smell is. SORRY for being so crued

i to used champix after 3 weeks i beat my husband for 3 hrs for absolutly nothing iam now single champix has ruined my life

Champix quickly took me to a dark, sad place. Everything that used to make me feel good, was making me feel bad. I felt the same aching sadness I felt when I had my baby premature, & he died during the birth. I have been off champix for two weeks, & still feel paranoid & sometimes sad. My memory of the last month is a blur. I cant concentrate, I cant find anything, I cant do simple maths. People try and blame it on nicotine withdrawal, I have been smoking since I stopped taking champix & already felt miserable on champix, before I stopped smoking, as have many people. If you are taking champix DONT DRINK ALCOHOL. It has set off alot of people phsycotic episodes & been the result of a couple of the suicides, self harm, & harming others. I though I was loosing my mind after 4 drinks. Please be careful if you are taking Champix, it has ruined lots of peoples lifes, and has temporarily ruined mine. If you dont believe my story, google Champix & read other's stories

Champix is a very strong drug that messes up your mind. It did help me to stop smoking and I have not smoked now for 11 months but the side effects are no fun at all. It ALMOST removed my need to smoke but it was as if the world outside my head was not real and I was not able to remember things as I should.After the initial low dose start period I was having nightmares that were so vivid I was almost unable to tell if the things in the dreams were real or not. I stopped taking it at that point and went cold turkey.