Friday, January 04, 2008

Rough Night

The Chantix dreams and nausea are back in full form. The nausea is probably due to not remembering to take the Chantix right after I eat, but it's also making me a little dizzy. Not remembering to take it may be a sign that I'll be ready to go off it when 12 weeks is up - we'll see.

Bret came home from work early yesterday due to an ear infection. He went up to Prompt Care to get an antibiotic and the doctor told him something about the Chantix that I haven't heard yet. First off, he said that Chantix is the only drug he's seen that really does help people stop smoking and that's he really impressed with the success rates. But he also said that after 21 days, you don't really need it anymore because by then the receptors in your brain have returned to normal. You're basically taking the drug at that point for psychological assurance. I hadn't heard that before. Has anyone else heard this?

So, not only is the nausea back, but the wierd dreams and insomnia are, too. Last night was rough. It was freezing cold in our bedroom, Bret was snoring and kept poking me with his foot (which makes me jump a mile high) and I couldn't fall asleep for anything. And that was with ear plugs in. So I took my pillows and camped out on the couch with a sleeping bag and laid awake for another hour, wishing I hadn't taken the ear plugs out because our wall clocks wouldn't stop ticking. If I hadn't been so cold, I would have thrown them into the garage. Once I did fall asleep, I woke up a short time later due to some crazy dream that I can't even really remember now.

Life must go on, though. The kids and I have a lunch date at Mickey D's at 11am with Shawn, so I must run. We're going to motivate each other into going back to the gym. She's been better about it than I have and it should make going back more fun. Here's a little preview of what Monday will be like.

4 comments:

Mz Diva said...

Lynda, that is interesting that the receptors are set after a certain period of time. I will have to do further research on that. I am sorry you are feeling bad! I ALWAYS eat something lite like a yougert and never feel nausea and have only had two weird dreams (and I LIKED them!) I was sorry to seem them end! The gas side effect I had was embarrasing to say the least but it went away after the first three weeks...I ahd to pretty much take a bottle of Gas-X! I get it back every now and again but fortuntly there have been no more side effects. Hope your feeling better! I am happy thinking about all the money I am saving! That was my GETQUIT message for the day.
Peace,
Diva

MamaFlo said...

What the doctor said may very well be the truth BUT when I was tapering off, I was impossible to live with, angry all the time, cried at the drop of a hat, etc. I'm weening myself taking a full dose in the AM and a half dose in the PM (i've done this for 3 weeks). On Sunday I start half dose AM & PM and I will try this for 3 weeks, then go down to half dose 1x a day.
I'm also going to start this coming week replacing my psychological need to smoke with walking, when I get the urge for a cigarette I will get on the treadmill instead (this way I don't have an excuse if it's wet or cold outside). I'm figuring my desire at this point is just wanting it for no other reason than it's what I reached for so many times a day for so many years. I need to reprogram myself to want exercise instead.

Stay Strong and KEEP WARM!!!

maggie said...

Sounds like a very long night! Hate those.

It's interesting to hear the doctor's take on Chantix. I do know that I did notice some difference when I went off, so it's not like it just quit actually doing anything after 21 days. In addition to blocking nicotine receptors, I thought it also affected other things. I would have to re-read all of it again, but I do know that success rates seem to be higher the longer people are on Chantix, at least up to the 3 months. Perhaps this is all just Pfizer's suggestion to make more money, but I really think it's more than that considering how I felt on Chantix and also once completely off Chantix. It was still doing something for me even at the end. I'd be curious to hear what other doctors or pharmacists have to say. If it turns out to be true, I guess a lot of people could save some money. I'm still skeptical, though, and I'd never heard that take on it until now.

Hope you get better rest this weekend!

lynda w said...

I'm skeptical too, Maggie. I hadn't heard this before and it just seems that doctors vary in how much they really know about the drug. We get a different take on it from every doctor we talk to.