Chantix (varenicline), a prescription medication, may help you quit smoking, especially if you have tried to quit many times before. Chantix works by blocking the brain's nicotine receptors, making it nearly impossible for a smoker to get the physical benefits associated with nicotine. The psychological fixations, such as mouth and hand movements associated with smoking, become an unfamiliar, useless exercise for a smoker. Chantix breaks the physical and psychological addiction, unlike any smoking cessation program offered before.
Step 1
Open your "Starter PAK" and take your first dose. Your Chantix prescription starts you on a PAK that contains four card packets, one for each week. Remove one card packet and mark the date you begin taking Chantix, directly on the card. Take the dose, affixed to the card under "day 1," with a full glass of water.
Step 2
Begin making small changes in your smoking and eating habits. Incorporate healthy meals and snacks into your diet to counteract any potential weight gain and drink plenty of water to flush the toxins out of your body. Exchange sugary, processed foods with fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Change common smoking patterns such as doing dishes after a meal instead of smoking, or drinking a glass of fresh orange juice instead of smoking when you wake up in the morning.
Step 3
Take the dose as directed on the pill packet each day for the first week and do not stop smoking. Although not required, Chantix encourages smoking during the first week of the program, so you gradually make lifestyle changes and naturally stop smoking. By the second week, you may find that smoking becomes an inadequate and costly habit, as you fondle the cigarette and find it only useful as an expensive hand gadget. Now, cigarette smoking only satisfies a mouth and hand fixation because you cannot smell, taste or respond to smoke the same way you did before taking Chantix. User experiences vary, but most users gradually stop smoking in the early weeks of the 12-week program when Chantix starts working, and many users stop smoking within days.
Step 4
Learn a new stress reducing technique as you take Chantix during week two. Open a new card packet for the second week, labeling the packet with the current date, and take the dose for each day as directed on the packet. The second week could be the hardest week out of the 12-week program, when smoking does not give you benefit, relief or comfort as it did before. Take a walk or use breathing exercises, inhaling from your nose and exhaling from your mouth, holding for five seconds between for each breath.
Step 5
Take the remaining two weeks left in the starter pack, as directed on the card packet for each corresponding week. Order a refill when you start the fourth card packet. This gives you seven days to get authorization from your doctor, if required by your insurance plan to pay for the order, or receive them in the mail if your drug plan mails prescriptions to your door.
Step 6
Open the Continuing PAK and take as directed. The Continuing PAK is the name of the refill for the Chantix prescription, for all corresponding weeks in the program after the Starter PAK. Each Continuing PAK contains four card packets, one for each week. When you finish three of the four boxes in the first Continuing PAK, order one more refill, and take as directed.
Step 7
Begin an exercise program or take up a new sport. Regular exercise will keep you from gaining weight, a common pitfall, and one of the reasons why smokers relapse. Cardiovascular exercise speeds up the metabolism, cleans pores and blood, and helps lungs expel tar and other poisons. Take a brisk walk daily, or join a tennis or golf club, where you can build a social life built around non-smoking associates and friends.
Tips and Warnings
- Ask your doctor for additional refills if you need more support. Your doctor may prescribe more Continuing PAKs after you complete the 12-week program. If you normally skip breakfast, you must eat this important meal throughout the 12-week program. Take the morning dose after breakfast on a full stomach, and the evening dose on a full stomach after dinner. Do not take this medication with a glass of juice or other drink that you have with the meal. Drink a full glass of water with each dose. For more ideas or tips on smoking cessation, refer to the guide located inside of the Starter PAK or read this information online (see Resources).
- It is normal to have withdrawal symptoms when you quit smoking. However, Chantix may have side effects that increase agitation and hostility among users, beyond the symptoms normally associated with smoking cessation. If you or a family member notice abnormal behavior, or experience hallucinations, paranoia, or other unusual thoughts, talk to your doctor or pharmacist immediately. Chantix may cause severe depression or suicidal thoughts.
