I'm considering getting some Varenicline to stop smoking. Has anybody any experience with Varenicline for this purpose? Has it helped you stop smoking and did you successfully quit? What dose did you use? What side effects did you experience? Thanks!
Shit works, it's a bloody a wonder drug if you ask me. The first 24-48 hrs was a bit terse, just getting used to not smoking and going through withdrawals, but it really does take away the real cravings, still had a strong urge to smoke but at least was able to think rationally about it and fight the urges.
I started a course back in November, started off on .5mg for the first week then upped it to 1mg after that. The internet support recommended choosing a quit date somewhere between 7-14 days, I picked something like day 12, got to day six and cigarettes started tasting like shit and making me sick so I stopped there and didn't touch tobacco again until new years day, felt terrible from a coke come down and smoked one and a half roll your owns, but didn't have any burning urge to smoke again after that. I have had the odd bong with tobacco mixed in, the next day had mild cravings but nothing that couldn't be stopped with a bit of will power.
The side effects can take their toll, especially the disturbed sleep, I'd find myself in really vivid dreams but only half asleep, and waking up several times a night with really bad jerks/jolts where I'd damn near fling myself out of bed thinking that somebody was in my room or whatever. the first week or so I took temazepam that my doctor reluctantly prescribed me because I was also quitting pot, because I was a new patient he wouldn't give me any more (or at least I didn't ask, the clinic frowns on drug patients, they won't take junkies and stuff) so I got on to Phenergan 25's, two a night was enough to put me down enough to get a decent nights sleep.
I was unemployed at the time so messed up sleep patterns weren't a big deal for me, but if you are working I could see them taking their toll on your mental stability. The GP prescribes a months worth to begin and then you have to go back to get the next two months worth, just to make sure you're handling it ok, I only got two weeks or so into the second lot before going off it, mainly because I was sick to death of the disturbed sleep and intense dreams, plus I felt confident that I'd pretty much kicked the habit.
So yeah, the side effects are real but on balance giving up smoking is worth a few months of quirky side effects, I'd certainly recommend giving it a crack and seeing how you react to it. I smoked for 17 years and thought that I'd never be able to kick the shit. That being said, there really is a will power component, you really do have to want to quit and make the necessary adjustments to your life. Even now I still get impulses to smoke, but that's all it is, impulses and not cravings.
Good luck, smoking a horrible, ugly addiction, you'll never regret your choice once you've stopped.
