Chantix and Irritability: What Users Say

• Qan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

For Smoking Cessation "Took Chantix for less than 2 weeks before quitting cigarettes. Just finished my first week of no cigarettes and NO medication. I was very ready to quit when I started Chantix. Still craving but keep reminding myself of how far I've come and how I really don't enjoy smoking. I'm just bored. Find something to do - it helps. First day of no cigs or meds, I made it all the way to the store for a pack and by the time I got there, didn't want a cig. Side effects were irritability, sleepiness, and definitely weird dreams. Just kept telling myself the sooner I stop smoking, the sooner I can stop taking the meds."

• Wan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2018

For Smoking Cessation "I will be starting my 3rd month of Chantix in a few days. I’ve smoked a pack a day for 35 years. I’ve been diagnosed with stage 2 COPD. I’m down now to 5-6 cigarettes a day. I will smoke my very last cigarette tonight. However, the side effects as far as nausea have been very hard to tolerate. But I’ve learned from my doctor that I can take Zantac, and it works really well with the stomach upset. My dreams can be really vivid. I have some depression. I do find myself more tired and irritable, eating more and experiencing weight gain. The medication works, but you have to let it do its job, and you have to work with it. I’m stubborn, and I like smoking. I decided to try Chantix because I first read the reviews in here, and you all were my inspiration. I thank you for that, and I hope my quit date tomorrow, 12/20, is successful so that on Christmas, I may have the first few days of the rest of my life smoke-free to report to my kids. Thanks for listening, and thanks for your help."

• Sea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2014

For Smoking Cessation "Okay, so I've decided to share my experience. I have been on Chantix now for the start of day 4. It is irritating, I have been smoking, but I'm not getting the effect I normally would. The smoke feels different, tastes different, and I'm starting to feel like they are a waste of time or that I just don't want one once I start one."

• Anonymous
• January 24, 2016

For Smoking Cessation "I've been a smoker for over 10 years now and also a heavy drinker (borderline alcoholic). I've tried every way possible to quit with no success until Chantix. It's only been a week, but I have zero interest in smoking. I have had a few side effects: I'm extremely nauseous if I don't eat beforehand, weird dreams, slight irritability/anxiety, constipation, and a good amount of loss of concentration (forgetting to complete simple daily tasks at work). However, I feel overall great, the withdrawal is so minimal, the thought of smoking makes me sick, and a plus is I have zero interest in drinking either! One BIG suggestion is this medication really, really works wonders, but you have to want it and make the change."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 3, 2015

For Smoking Cessation "At 31 years of age and a smoker since I was 13, I didn't think there was hope for me. The habit slowly caught up to me, and I found myself a pack-a-day smoker for over the last 10 years. Smoking when I was happy, sad, or angry, it was a constant companion for so long, and I honestly thought I'd die of COPD on oxygen, begging for that last smoke. Chantix truly changed all of that. It completely eliminated the physical craving, leaving the rest up to me. How bad do I want it? I'm over a week deep. This is the longest I've gone in 17 years without a smoke. I owe my life to Chantix. I had some initial nausea and wild dreams, irritable...but I'm smoke-free. I can beat this. YOU can beat this. Good luck!"

• Ren...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2018

For Smoking Cessation "I had tried cold turkey several times. I was able to quit, but the desire to smoke never left. Was never willing to try the patch or the gum. The science behind Chantix made sense to me, so I tried it. I can easily say it was a miracle. I was on Chantix for two weeks, considerably less than the max time (12 weeks), but that was enough. It did make me mildly irritable and in a bit of a funky fog, but neither homicidal nor suicidal. But after two weeks, I decided it was enough. And I never had a craving after I quit. Never. The link between my brain and the nicotine was severed completely, and the habit went with it. It's been 10 years. :)"

• Ema...
• December 13, 2018

For Smoking Cessation "Please be careful with Chantix. I could tell it was starting to work within the 1st week but also noticed increased irritability and nausea as side effects. To me, that was something I could deal with. Moving on... I started my second week, and I felt a very deep depression setting in. I had feelings of anger towards my children. I also felt very sad for no reason. I couldn’t get anything done at work. I was irritated by everyone’s presence. The depression while on this medication hit me fast and hard! I have 2 small children, and I am their protector, I cannot risk losing my mind! I started losing my ability to be an adequate and involved parent. I didn’t enjoy anything anymore. For the safety of myself and my children, I have discontinued taking Chantix. I’ve read reviews of people having long-term effects on their brain chemistry after taking Chantix, and that’s not something I’m willing to toy with. I will have to use my own willpower to quit."

• tle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2014

For Smoking Cessation "I'm 31 years old - female. Been smoking 16 years, about a pack a day. I'm still smoking and just started my 3rd week on Chantix, however, I feel I do NOT need cigarettes anymore. Yesterday I smoked 1 cigarette and didn't enjoy any of it. I find myself only smoking still so that I find it more disgusting and no longer will want it (in the future). I have 4 cigarettes left in the pack and will NOT be buying any more. I don't think about running outside every 30 minutes to an hour. And when I do think about having one, I actually get turned off and end up forgetting about it. When I started Chantix, I wasn't totally ready to quit, but I'm there now. Side effects hit me about 2 weeks into it - mild constipation, quick to be irritable (but doesn't last), headaches (pain relievers help)."

• GRE...
• January 17, 2016

For Smoking Cessation "I smoked for 43 years, I got up to a pack and a half to two packs a day. I started taking Chantix on December 18th, 2015, my quit date was December 26th. I took about three draws off of a cigarette about a week after my quit day, and it tasted horrible and made me sick. The only side effect that I had was agitation, I only was agitated when driving and with one co-worker. I stopped taking Chantix after 30 days due to the agitation. I haven't smoked in 22 days, I continue to get the urge to smoke, but it passes after a few minutes. Grateful..."

• pin...
• June 17, 2007

For Smoking Cessation "My husband has been taking the Chantix trying to quit, and I came here because he has been experiencing depression, irritability, and lethargy. He has seemed more punchy about needing to eat (maybe the hunger?). I thought maybe the medication could be causing the depression, but that wasn't listed as a symptom."

• Ka2...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2021

For Smoking Cessation "I started taking Chantix on 11/14/21. I wanted to smoke less right away, and from the end of week 1 to about week 2 and 1/2, I was smoking 1-3 cigs a day. I was a pack-a-day smoker for about 20 years. I haven’t had a smoke since 11/30. I have had moments of strong cravings, but it feels more like it’s not that I want to smoke, it’s that I don’t know what to do with myself sometimes. Hoping that feeling goes away with time. It’s mostly been manageable…some mood swings, anxiousness, irritability, fatigue. I take it with food, so haven’t had any stomach issues. And the dreams. Holy crap, they are vivid and weird. I actually look forward to them! I still have some doubts here and there that I can stay smoke-free, so I’m gonna stay on for probably at least another month and hope to feel stronger. I don’t think I would have gotten this far without the help of Chantix."

• sli...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 24, 2014

For Smoking Cessation "I don't feel the need to smoke but feel withdrawals from the lack of cigarettes. A bit irritable, no bad dreams or anything like that. I am on my 11th day, and for the last 2 days, I have had 3 cigarettes total. Sometimes I feel an urge to do something or like there is something I have to do. I feel a bit confused at times. I have not taken my second dose of the day. I only take the second dose if I felt the urge to smoke, which now I don't feel."

• tak...
• May 2, 2016

For Smoking Cessation "Second time on Chantix after 3 years smoke-free. This drug is literally a life saver, completely makes smoking seem disgusting after a few days. Cravings disappear, and when you think you're gonna enjoy one of your last... you put it out in mortification, due to the gross smell and horrid taste. The nausea is a killer, along with an overall unpleasant feeling and crankiness that lasts the duration of Chantix use. The dreams are super vivid, borderline nightmares, but bearable. If these short-term effects are what I have to endure for deciding to pick up a nasty habit for the second time!!! So be it. Living to make sure there's a lighter in the car... is not living. And it only takes me the starter pack to quit - 2 pack-a-week smoker."

• ell...
• November 17, 2013

For Smoking Cessation "Was on Chantix for about two weeks. I did not take the PM dose, or I would never sleep. I did slow down and almost stopped within that time, but found I was irritable, cranky, and VERY depressed. The side effects were mostly emotional. I had to stop taking Chantix. When you wake up in the morning feeling like it was the night before and the 'sun' is not shining = entering deep depression, it is time to quit the medication."

• Wil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 6, 2013

For Smoking Cessation "It really works! I smoked or dipped daily for the past twenty years. I was on Chantix for six weeks and have been nicotine-free for five weeks. Crazy dreams and very irritable, so decided to stop Chantix. It does its job!"

• Cou...
• May 31, 2018

For Smoking Cessation "I have been a smoker for 10 years. I am at the end of my 4th week on Chantix and have been nicotine-free for 6 days! I still have the urge to smoke when I initially get in my car to go somewhere or after I eat, but the craving subsides surprisingly easily and rather quickly. I take one tablet in the morning and at night (be sure to eat and let your food settle before you take the morning dose to prevent the nausea!). I do feel more tired than usual and cranky during week 2, but not unmanageable. I've been having vivid dreams, but good ones! I'm dreaming in color and wanting to go back to sleep to find out what happens next! I've tried everything before Chantix. I haven't had any depression episodes, though it is a known side effect. No medicine is a one size fits all, so if you do take it or don't, understand that the reactions aren't the same for everyone. I would suggest if you try it to take it exactly as prescribed and visit your doctor regularly to monitor how it affects you."

• Kyl...
• April 26, 2017

For Smoking Cessation "I have been taking this for 3 days now. It has been helping me cut back tremendously. On a side note, it has made me feel irritable during the day, and I have had crazy dreams during the night. Nothing I can't deal with, so I am going to continue taking it."

• Nuc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 15, 2022

For Smoking Cessation "I used Chantix for 3 weeks and then quit upon realization that this drug was making me depressed and irritable. I found myself dwelling on past events that only made me more depressed. I definitely was not feeling myself. The drug does help with taking the urge for nicotine away, but please be aware of side effects. I can’t imagine taking this drug any longer than the 3 weeks I did. Diarrhea was another side effect. I started feeling like my old self the day after I stopped taking the medication."

• RJS...
• September 24, 2007

For Smoking Cessation "My husband began Chantix 3 months ago. At first, he only had the physical symptoms of nausea, gas, shortness of breath, insomnia, and active dreaming. He was somewhat lethargic and hungry, eating all the time. However, by the end of the 3rd month, he was extremely irritable, unable to focus on any one task, very negative, somewhat irrational, angry, every day was a bad mood. I would NOT recommend Chantix. I don't really think the Chantix helped him quit. He quit on his own."

• Thr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 23, 2017

For Smoking Cessation "Started working really fast. Went from a pack and a half a day to three cigs or less in a week. I was thrilled. Week two, I started getting really weird and vivid dreams. I also woke up one night, after going to sleep completely sober, with a fully prepped microwave burrito next to me that I didn't recall making. I found all this to be amusing, even enjoyable. Week three, I became very withdrawn. My girlfriend said I was becoming irritable, that I was hallucinating. She begged me to get off it, but I was blind to the symptoms she stated. I strongly suspect night terrors born from this drug and hallucinations."

• Bra...
• July 7, 2015

For Smoking Cessation "I started Chantix about 3 weeks ago, and I am now 48 hours without a cigarette. I am very proud I have lasted this long. The problem is I just want to sleep, and I am very easy to snap at people. The cravings are only really bad at night. It works though, been a smoker for 27 years."

• cat...
• September 28, 2007

For Smoking Cessation "I started taking Chantix after smoking for 15 years. I am halfway into week two. I have quit smoking completely, however, the side effects are awful. Headaches, tiredness, irritability, crazy dreams that seem real, sensations throughout my whole body, dry mouth, dizziness, constant feeling of hunger."

• Ore...
• October 20, 2013

For Smoking Cessation "I tried Chantix 2 years ago. I was 63 and smoked a pack to a pack and a half a day since I was 18. Had quit cold turkey twice for more than 2 years each time, but ended up going back to the cigarettes. No one ever told me there was support, so I just took it as prescribed. During the first week, I had NO ability to cut down, much less quit. I was going through a breakup of a 20-year relationship and did not get suicidal feelings, I got homicidal ones. I am so not a violent person, and wanting to hurt someone was something I had never experienced. I became really agitated and short-tempered. Finally gave up after 2 months (never did manage to totally quit smoking). It took me about 3 months to get back to normal."

• mil...
• July 16, 2011

For Smoking Cessation "My husband has been on Chantix for several weeks now. I requested that he did not go back on it. He took it about 8 months ago and became someone completely different. He was depressed and agitated, even came home one day requesting a divorce out of the blue. He quit taking the Chantix, and within days, everything seemed normal again. Now that he is back on it, within days, he informed me he wants a divorce because he is not happy with his life. He is depressed once again. He will not communicate with anyone and has also started drinking frequently, which he did the first time he was taking it. He even commented that his dreams are so vivid that he is having difficulty determining the difference between dreams and reality."

• swi...
• April 24, 2012

For Smoking Cessation "I am a 56-year-old RN, have smoked a total of 30 years with a 15-year break before starting again 5 years ago. I love smoking, so this has been difficult, but due to a strong family history of cancer and COPD, I am going to try and stick with the Chantix regimen. So far, my side effects have included vivid scary dreams, gas and bloating, distractibility/difficulty concentrating, irritability, and a 10 lb weight gain in 2 weeks on the medication. The weight gain bothers me the most, as I have gone up 2 jean sizes in that time period, but quitting smoking highly outweighs the side effects. My goal is to quit by my son's high school graduation, June 10th. Good luck to all who are pursuing this goal!"