What is Champix?
Varenicline Champix or Champix is a medication used to educate and treat people trying to stop smoking. Smoking cessation is often a difficult procedure because of the addictive nature of tobacco smoke. Tobacco, a naturally derived compound, contains nicotine, which is addictive and responsible for many health problems, including heart attack, lung cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer, and can even cause an individual’s death. The addictive nature of the smoke makes nicotine withdrawal a difficult procedure.
Champix belongs to a class of nicotine agonists that decrease the sense of satisfaction caused by smoking and aid in quitting the habit. In addition to working on the reduction of cravings, Champix is simple to use and more effective than other medications from the same group.
How does Champix work?
Champix reduces the cravings for nicotine and helps with the withdrawal symptoms faced by the user when they stop smoking. To achieve its therapeutic effects, it attaches itself to the same dopamine binding site as nicotine and blocks nicotine from causing dopamine release. This prevents the rewarding effects of nicotine inhalation and gradually reduces the urge to smoke.
What is an ideal dosage of Champix?
Champix oral tablets are available in 2 strengths; 0.5 mg strength tablets are available in a biconvex, white colored embossed form, and 1 mg strength tablets are available in a blue capsule form. Usually, 0.5 mg strength is used once daily in the first three days, gradually increasing to 1 mg once daily, followed by 1 mg twice daily. The dosage of the drug should be at most 1 mg, used twice daily. Care must be taken to limit the usage period to 8–12 weeks. In addition to proper dosage, counseling and support services should be provided to patients for successful smoking-cessation therapy.
In elderly patients and those with impaired renal function, care must be taken to regulate the dose and use no more than 0.5 mg tablets twice daily.
How to use Champix
Champix is a prescription medication, and its usage period and method are determined by your medical practitioner, keeping in mind your smoking habits and tolerance to the medicine.
There are three ways to use Champix.
- Set a quit date for stopping smoking. Start using Champix a week before the set date to help the medicine build up in your body before you quit. You can smoke in the first week of using Champix tablets, but stick to the quit date to effectively stop smoking with Champix.
- Start taking Champix and Varenicline and quit smoking within 8–35 days of initiating the use of the medicine.
- For smokers unsure of how to quit, it is advised to start taking Champix tablets and stop smoking slowly over 12 weeks of treatment.
Week 1–4: Try limiting your cigarette intake to half the usual number.
Week 5–8: Limit the cigarette intake to one-quarter of your daily intake.
Week 9–12: Further limit the intake till you has completely stopped smoking.
You should quit entirely by the end of 12 weeks, or even sooner if you feel ready.
How long does it take to work?
Champix Varenicline obtains maximum plasma concentrations within 3–4 hours after oral administration and reaches a steady state within four days. The drug gets completely absorbed after oral administration and has a comparatively low plasma protein binding of less than 20%.
How long does it stay in your system?
The elimination half-life of the drug is approximately 24 hours, and it has a high bioavailability unaffected by food or time of dosing. The drug is metabolized and eliminated from the body, mainly in the form of urine, After completing its half-life.
If you continue to smoke while on Champix, the nicotine boost you usually get is gradually reduced until smoking feels bland to you. Ultimately, you completely abstain from the habit.
What are the side effects?
The side effects associated with the use of Champix or Varecycline are:Â
- Mild side-effects – bad taste in the mouth, headaches, constipation, gas, appetite changes, constipation, diarrhea.
- Moderate side effects – vomiting, dry mouth, trouble falling or staying asleep, heartburn, abdominal pain, and toothache.
- Severe side-effects – sudden weakness or numbness of one side of the body, severe skin rashness, hoarseness, seizures, sleep-walking.
Varenicline side effects are usually mild and reversed after a while. In case your side effects persist or increase in severity, discontinue the medication and get urgent medical help.
How to use
Champix is a prescription-based medication and should be used per the physician’s advice to obtain the best results. Eligible candidates for the use of Chantix tablets are:
- Candidates above the age of 18 who are trying to give up smoking.
- Candidates who have failed at an appropriate trial of nicotine replacement therapy or combination therapy within the past year.
- Patients with otherwise sound physical and mental health who are not responding to other smoking cessation therapies.
To use Champix tablets in the best possible manner.
Day 1-3 -: use one 0.5 mg tablet once in the morning.
Day 4-7 -: use one 0.5 mg tablet in the morning and one in the evening.
Week 2-4 -: use one blue 1 mg tablet once initially in the morning, followed by two tablets, one in the morning and one in the evening.
What are the contraindications?
- Patients with diagnosed mental health conditions like depression or suicidal tendencies
- Patients with severe kidney or liver disorders
- Patients with epilepsy tendencies
- Pregnant or breastfeeding ladies with a history of smoking
- People with an allergic tendency to the medicine or its ingredients
Faq
Where can I buy Champix in UK?
Champix is a prescription-based medication in the UK, because of which you will need to contact your general practitioner or an NHS stop smoking service to obtain the drug and its subsequent refills. You can even order Champix from registered online portals licensed to dispense Champix and other smoking-cessation medicines.
Should I stop Champix if I feel nervous and depressed?
Though the incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders among users of Champix is rare, studies have reported severe side effects, including suicidal thoughts and erratic behavior, in some people taking Chantix to stop smoking. It is yet unclear whether the side effects are caused by the drug or nicotine withdrawal. However, to stay on the safe side, discontinue Champix immediately if you observe nervousness or anxiety with its use.
Can I take a course more than once?
The initial prescription for Champix is a four-week course of tablets. Patients must return to their general practitioner for a second prescription for the remaining eight weeks of treatment. After the completion of 12 weeks of treatment, an additional 12 weeks of treatment at 1 mg twice daily is sometimes considered “maintenance therapy.” This depends on your physician’s treatment plan and your overall response to the drug.
Is it worth using Champix tablets to stop smoking?
Studies have shown that Champix is the most effective medicine for people looking to stop smoking, with both medical health experts and smokers vouching for its effectiveness. According to clinical study data, Champix has been shown to increase your chances of quitting smoking permanently, which adds to its popularity.
What withdrawal symptom is a person likely to experience when they stop smoking?
- Craving urges, feeling irritated, cranky, or upset, exhibiting jumpy or restless behavior, having concentration difficulties, sleeping difficulties, appetite changes, having weight changes, having anxiety, and depression are some of the most common changes observed when a person stops smoking.
- These symptoms are worst within the first week after quitting, and drop gradually in intensity within a month.
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