Hi gang! I know I haven't been around a lot but I did want to check in. I've stayed away because the constant reading about smoking and talking about smoking were making me want to smoke! Yep, of course I'd be opposite to everyone else in the world.
Anyway, I've been quit for 2 months and 1 day! Hurrah! Totally smoke free, not even one cheat. This is a major miracle for me.
I wanted to share my Chantix weaning procedure in case anyone is interested in how I did it. I took the Chantix as prescribed for 1 1/2 months. I didn't want to refill it for month #3 because it's $100. I've read a lot about some people having increased cravings and depression when they stop the Chantix cold turkey (as the drug company advises). Not wanting to mess up my quit I decided to wean myself off. My doctor agreed that it would be OK.
For the first week I took my regular 1 mg in the morning and took 1/2 mg in the evenings. The next week I took 1 mg in the morning and 1/2 mg in the evenings every other day. The 3rd week I didn't take an evening dose at all, but kept the morning dose at 1 mg. Next I cut the morning dose to 1/2 mg for a week. Then 1/2 mg every other day until I ran out.
I'm happy to report I've had no ill effects - physical or mental - during this weaning period. No cravings, no increase in thoughts about smoking, no depressing or anxiety.
So, I'm smoke free and chantix free. Yippee! I will say that the Chantix was a miracle for me. The only side effect I had was insomnia, nothing else. I had no physical withdrawal symptoms when I quit smoking and my cravings later were mild and I was able to easily distract myself from them.
I know that it's only been 2 months, but I'm confident that this is my last quit and I've never felt this way before. I feel free as a bird, no longer chained to those smokes.
I hope this little story gives some encouragement to someone. Stay strong gang!
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/1/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 63
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,071
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $252.00
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 3 [B]Mins:[/B] 46 [B]Seconds:[/B] 45