For many people, the idea of quitting smoking cold turkey can be too daunting to even attempt. That's why medications like Chantix have been created: to help people quit smoking. But Chantix works within the brain, and can cause some serious side effects when you stop taking it that anyone interested in using it should be aware of.
Function
Unlike nicotine patches, pills and inhalers, Chantix does not facilitate any kind of progressive "weaning off" of nicotine. Instead, it targets the nicotine receptors in the brain and then blocks nicotine from reaching them. This stops your brain from releasing dopamine (the pleasure hormone released when a smoker receives nicotine), so your brain eventually stops reacting to cigarettes and no longer craves them.
Effects
Negative side effects can occur when Chantix treatment is ended. Some patients have claimed to suffer from anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, mental and emotional instability, unexplained anger and depression. Some have also said that the cravings they had for cigarettes were twice as bad once they stopped taking the medication as they had been before they started.
Expert Insight
According to Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Chantix, at least 3 percent of patients who take the medication are expected to suffer from negative side effects when they go off the drug.
Considerations
Though Chantix treatment is usually prescribed to end abruptly, many patients have claimed to have a better experience (with fewer side effects) by weaning themselves off the medication, just as they were weaned onto the medication when they began taking it.
Warning
Because Chantix works on the brain and is created to affect dopamine levels (which cause pleasure and happiness), some patients have experienced anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts at the beginning, middle and/or end of the treatment. It is important to discuss your mental-health history with your doctor before you begin taking Chantix, and to let him know of any medication you may already be on for depression or related mental disorders; that medication may react with the Chantix and cause heightened levels of anxiety and/or depression, or even suicidal acts.
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