Trying to Stop Smoking But Chantix NOT Working

Quick question........ I have been on Chantix for a month and cant stop totally. I have heard you have to stop completely for 90 days or you cant have the wls. Is this true? I am doing evthing but still light up ev now and then. I know you heal slower and such ... but i've had like 7 major operations and never had a problem. I really want to have the surgery but am worried about this topic.

You may want to talk to your PCP about stopping Chantix anyway.  My sister was on it and was told by the PCP that there is new evidence that it causes suicidal ideation and some other not-so-friendly side effects.   She is stopping by occupying her hands doing puzzles, of all things, when she would have previously picked up a cigarette (like after dinner).  She wants to have WLS, and cannot as long as she is still smoking.  Smokers do not wake up as well after surgery and also you are more prone to ulcer development if you smoke.  In the last week, I've seen a patient who had to come back into the hospital 2 years postop to have an ulcer repaired.  Yep, she was still smoking.  I've seen patients have to be put on a ventilator postop because they were compromised -- yep, smokers.   I wouldn't go forward until you've kicked the habit, however long it takes.  You don't want to go through this major surgery only to have complications that you may have been able to prevent by kicking the habit. 

Rae, Let me say to you, I understand your pain , for  people who have never smoked, they just don't know how hard it is to stop smoking the wonderful little devils .... so I say to you ( not knowing you at all ) .. if you are a christian, go to church tonight and get down on your knees and ask the Lord to help you...  I will tell you also I was 320 pound and I smoked, I was able to give up the smokes and have my RNY --- Honey TRUST me it is worth it , trying writting down how important this surgery is to you,, all the reasons you want/ need to lose , look at it remember WHY you need to stop.  IT is so hard but you must do it if you want this surgery, no doctors will do you if you smoke, so right now decide-- 1) smoke 2) stop smoking and have gastric by pass. lose lots of weight and become a sexy hot woman 3) keep smoking and gain more weight 4) try Weigh****chers one more time. Good Luck

I took Chantix and it works but the reason i had one every now and then is the social part of it.    Think that is as bad as the addiction.   Since surgery, I was dumb enough to start again and again, I will be taking Chantix to quit.    Good luck and try to keep yourself out of the social situations where they are available.    I have quit at least 4 times and as long as a year but need to kick for good.   I would definitely try to stop at least 2 months prior to surgery and would discuss with your surgeon.   It all comes down to the anesthesia. Take care and God Bless,  Pam

Hey, Girl. Be really careful with the Chantix.  My best friend took it and it did help her quit smoking but after the Chantix she went into a major depression.  She is now on antidepressants....just to control the terrible anxiety that was her reaction to Chantix.  I felt terribly for her because it was not like her at all.   I hope you will be able to have your surgery soon, and I wish you the best of luck.

This may sound like crazy advice I am giving you but just quit one minute at a time.  Set your mind to quitting and reinforce that decision with only positive thoughts throughout the day.  I quit 8 years ago when I bought a brand new house.  I didn't want to yellow up my walls or stink up my new house with that awful stale ashtray smell and I knew that I wouldn't be disciplined enough with myself to make myself go outside to light up.  I was a pack a day plus smoker when I quit.  I took Zyban for one month which really helped me.  Yes, I did crave them for a while after I went off the drug but I just reminded myself every minute of every day why I wanted to quit.  I have only had one ciggy touch my lips in 8 years and that was to light one up for my Aunt who had Parkinson's and I sat for 10 minutes at her house one day watching her try to light her ciggy but shaking so bad she couldn't do it.  So I lit it for her.  Other than that, I haven't touched one.  Some days I still miss them, I ain't gonna lie about it, but deep down I know that I never want to get back into that habit again.  I breathe so much better, don't cough like I used to, and am never short of breath from normal everday activities.  YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, it will be one of the hardest things you will ever do but you are so worth it.  Please don't give up!!!  Good luck to you. Hugs, Donna :-)

You can do this!  I wa a very heavy smoker for many years (I do nothing in moderation!) and haven't had a cigarette for over 12 years.  I did ask God to help me on a daily, crave-by-crave basis.  I used that Nicorette gum for a few days just to get me through the detox period (it's only 3 days... the rest is just habit) but you can get hooked on that as well so watch out for those replacements!  Change your routine.  If you drink coffee in the morning, drink tea for a while.  Find something to do with your hands... crochet, needlepoint, pottery, whatever.  Shell nuts!  LOL  You won't have that horrible smoker's cough and all the colds and bronchitis all the time.  You CAN do this but only if you WANT to!  There is plenty of online support to be found as well.  There is NO easy fix, you just have to go through it one minute at a time, but they do add up.

You have to take Chantix longer than a month for it to work.  YOu also have to want to quit. IF you have this surgery, your surgeon will tell you the most dangerous thing after surgery is red wine and cigarettes...its not worth tearing a hole in your pouch and dying.  I took Chantix for almost 2 mths, then realized I had only had about 3 cigarettes one day, the next 1..then I was like, whats the point?  I quit smoking and stayed on the Chantix for a few more weeks, then I started getting wierd dreams and it was freaking me out, so I stopped taking the pills...but it works.  You also have to WANT to quit, not just b/c its a surgery requirement, or nothing will help you quit. Good luck I was a pack a day smoker for 15 yrs....quit August 31st and feel GREAT!

My sister-in-law was in a smoking sessation group that took Chantix.   They all decided to let the medication work and they would gradually stop.  My sister-in-law set a date.  On that date she threw away everything in the house that reminded her of smoking as well as her cigs.   She stayed on the medication another two weeks and that was it.  She had been smoking for over 30 years.   The others in her group are still smoking.  She is the only one that was able to quit.  She has not gained any weight and she looks and feels so much better.  It has been 6 months now and she is doing great.  Good Luck to you.  Set a date and then throw them away.  You can do it!  Keep your hands busy--take up a craft or go work in your yard.  Do something that interests you.  Don't let yourself get bored!

You can do this.  I used Chantix to quit and haven't smoked in 6 months in preparation for the surgery.  I set a quit date of 8 days after I started the Chantix.  I also got a nicotrol inhaler but I do not like the cartrages - they make me cough - so I put a small piece of a cotton ball in it and I smoke that - especially in the car which was my biggest obstical.  That really helped me as much as or maybe more than the Chantix.  Chewing gum also helps.  Good Luck!  and keep trying to quit - you can do this!