Day Five...The family is still alive!

Ok..Today is day five on the Chantix. I am doing well and am distinguishing between habit and the actual NEED. I suppose I should give some information on Chantix and why it works so good. I, in NO way, profess to be an expert and anything that I write here should be discussed with your personal doctor. I have gotten the go ahead and my husband has as well, BUT we have talked to our doctor. There are certain people who should NOT take Chantix so please check the web site and talk to your doctor to see if it is right for you. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let me explain the difference between Chantix and all the other stop quitting products on the market...well..maybe not ALL the products but the most popular!

Chantix works differently than the gum, lozenges and patches. Chantix has NO nicotine. It works by targeting receptors in your brain that nicotine targets as well. From the Chantix web site it says that they believe that those receptors block the nicotine. There are some side effects but the only ones that I have experienced is slight naseau and strange dreams. I have found that if I take the Chantix with something to eat that it lessens the nausea. The dreams started when I began the second week of treatment. In the first week you go from 0.5 mg the first 3 days and then 0.5 two times a day starting the 4th day to the 7th day. On the second week you begin taking 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night. The strange dreams started when I increased. Small price to pay, I believe, to be healthy and able to breathe when I go up and down steps or walk up the driveway to the mailbox. Or any other activity, for that matter.

As your body adjusts to the dosage amount and less cigarettes you will still feel some slight withdrawal symptoms. NOTHING like going cold turkey. Yesterday I was feeling a little shaky and out of sorts and my hubby said he was feeling a little funky as well. It passed and wasn't something that lasted all day. At least not for me. Today I don't feel the shaky and the funky feeling comes and goes but it isn't bad. We are still working on the every two hours without a smoke but I am going to try to extend it to three at least once today in the hopes I can prepare for tomorrow.

Chantix claims their quit rate is 44% which is awesome when compared with other quit meds. Chantix has a cool web site that helps you and you check in daily and do some activities. You can also sign up and have someone call you or you can call them if you feel the need to light up. One of the things to remember with Chantix is that it is very important to follow through with the 12 week plan, which means taking the meds for 12 weeks. I didn't do that the last time and I seriously think that it contributed to my starting to smoke again. If you are a heavy smoker or have been smoking a long time, give yourself a chance and do what the doctor asks. You are worth it! The benefits far outweigh any excuse you can come up with!

The cost of Chantix is fairly expensive when compared with other quit smoking aids. My husbands insurance (BCBS & Medicare) covers some of his and we paid $60 for a 4 week supply. Four weeks is considered the Starter Pack. My insurance (CHAMPVA) does not cover it at all and I paid $109 for my prescription. You will pay the same thing for weeks 5-8 and for weeks 9-12. Now...I smoked about a pack a day and I'm not sure what cigarettes cost where you live, but here in small town Alabama we pay about $3.10 a pack, on sale. It's cheaper if you buy more than one pack so we buy three packs each and it comes to about $21 for each visit. So the math tells us that we are spending about $168 a month on cigarettes. (That hurts to see it written down. What I could do with an extra $168 a month!) So..we pay one dollar more for the Chantix for two more months and we are able to breathe better and we are smoke free! I think I would pay more than that if it works!

I'm not being paid by Chantix to write this blog and they might not appreciate me blogging about them but I think it is important for more people to know about this medication. I know way to many people who have taken this medication and have remained smoke free. It isn't for everyone but it is worth looking into!

More later...