Chantix (generic: Varenicline) is a new stop smoking pill that is FDA approved that can improve a smokers chance to quit. It is difficult to quit because of the addiction to nicotine, which is the chemical in cigarettes that gives you pleasure signals (dopamine) when you smoke.

How does it work?
Chantix is designed specifically to target nicotine receptors in the brain and block nicotine from attaching to your brain by binding to the receptors themselves. Although Chantix does not contain nicotine, it still excites the receptors and generates up to 60% of the dopamine levels of nicotine. This quit smoking drug is similar to ‘nicotine replacement therapy’ (NRT) which in theory help smokers stop by providing an alternate source of nicotine but at a reduced amount.

What is the success rate?
If strictly comparing Chantix to a placebo (sugar pill) and Zyban (another nicotine-free replacement), it does show a better success rate, but out in the community, it seems to work 23% of the time if used by a select group of smokers. The 23% success only applies to people who are:

• Older than 18 and less than 70
• Have been smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day
• Weigh more than 45kg and have a “body mass index” (weight in kilograms / height in meters squared) between 15 and 38. (If you are 5’7” you cannot weigh above 242lb)
• No heart problems or blood pressure more than 150/95
• No major depression or a panic disorder
• No significant medical disease
• Have not used Zyban or another NRT and failed before.

How do you take it?
The company recommends starting 1 week prior to your quit smoking date. 1 course lasts for 12 weeks, where the dose is increased over the first few days.

What are the side effects?
In the Oncken study, 1 in 3 experienced nausea, 1 in 3 had insomnia, 1 in 5 had abnormal dreams, 1 in 10 developed constipation or flatulence. An online survey at wrongdiagnosis.com found joint and muscle pain to be the most common complaint. Read the patient information sheet. There is also concern that there is a dependency transfer from nicotine to varenicline although no data currently supports it.

Benefits?
Chantix is taken 2 times a day which is exceedingly easier than chewing gum, and it doesn’t have a visual component that makes you stand out in public. Taking a stop smoking pill like this does cut out the harmful side-effects of cigarette smoke and would be a better choice even if there was a dependency transfer.

Conclusions:
Varenicline is an efficacious, safe, and well-tolerated smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. Varenicline’s short-term and long-term efficacy exceeded that of both placebo and Zyban (Jorenby 2006). Chantix is a new stop smoking pill which surely has its place in smoking cessation and if you want to use it, make sure you fit the study population mentioned above and have more than 15 one-on-one contact with your physician over the year (as the study population did). The success of using this new pill alone is low (7% success across all NRT) but when used in combination to will power and support groups, it is a powerful tool. 1 in 5 will cease smoking after 1 year under the right conditions. Jorenby also concluded it to be much better than Zyban.

Individual Reviews:

1. “I quit regular Chantix use because of bad heartburn/indigestion after a week, but that went away after I decided to start using it again 6 weeks later. So I’m back on again and got another one month prescription. I figured since my insurance pays for it and it was advertised as something that really works, why not?” Annonymous, USA
2. “I used Chantix. I started it 8 days before my quit and had no side effects at all, except for the vivid dreams. After one month I decided that I didn’t really want to be on it anymore, for no reason other than once I had educated myself about nicotine addiction, I felt I didn’t need it. I weaned myself down gradually, after a month I cut back to 1 pill a day and after two weeks of that, 1/2 a pill a day for about 2 more weeks. I’ve been off of it completely for 2 weeks now and I feel great… Definitely, I did not have the awful withdrawals that cold turkey will give you. I am not smoking after over two months and I think Chantix was a real help to me, whether it was in my head or not. I do however, think that cold turkey is the best method IF you are educated about the addiction. I think this only because once the nicotine is gone, it’s gone! It’s all mindgames after that, and with education you can beat them.” Bev, Massachusetts