Varenicline and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Kai...
• October 8, 2015

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "Today is my 6th day on Chantix. I've been smoking for 13 years. I'm 25 years old. I've noticed a small cut down in my normal pack a day, and I am more likely to have a cig than smoke the whole thing. Everything tastes different, and I am very tired. No vivid dreams, surprisingly, but I have a lot of trouble falling asleep. I really need this to work. I have been using my inhaler a lot the last month or so, crossing my fingers it works for me."

• aje...
• October 5, 2011

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I would recommend this medication to anyone. My doctor advised me of the side effects, but I really wanted to quit. I have smoked for 22 years, and I have a new grandson in the house. The only side effect I had was constipation, but it was something I could deal with. Always take this medication just after a meal, so you won't feel sick. I learned that the first week. I have been quit for 34 days, and I have been off the medication for 1 week. It suggests a 12-week treatment, but I knew I was ready. All of the anxiety, mood swings, and insomnia come along with nicotine withdrawals, but this medication makes them so much easier to tolerate. Hang in there, the first three days are the worst, but if you make it a week, don't turn back. GOOD LUCK."

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2010

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I have been a pack-a-day smoker for 25 years with no real desire to quit until I had a health scare in December. Luckily, it ended up being just a scare, but it did send me the message that I needed to quit smoking. I started Chantix on 1-23-2010 and quit on 1-29-2010. The Chantix has been helpful, but I still wanted to smoke up to the very last cigarette, even though it wasn't as pleasurable. I was able to minimize the nausea by taking it after a meal and drinking lots of water, but the vivid dreams really affected the quality of my sleep. At this point, I have already decided to taper off the Chantix due to the sleep issues. This week, I am only taking one 1 mg pill per day, and next week I plan to go to one-half of a 1 mg pill and then stop."

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2010

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I'm 27, female, married, student, smoked a pack a day. We quit at day 6, and it gets easier every day. You realize your triggers and find other ways to deal with the stress. It's not too different than quitting cold turkey. It's comforting, though, to know that even if you caved in and smoked, there would be no relief. My advice: Take with food and give yourself time to take it slow while the nausea goes away. Staying busy helps. I haven't had a problem with depression, but I've been emotional. Nightmares aren't a problem. I haven't felt rested since I started. I had a problem with sleepwalking. The 'sleep disturbances' are scary, but I say it's worth it as long as they don't become dangerous. I've been counting calories to help with weight gain."

• xok...
• July 16, 2011

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I have only taken one pill so far. The first night I experienced insomnia, dry mouth, and all day I couldn't eat. I guess it's acting as an appetite suppressant for me. I also have been extremely irritable. I am 22 years old and have been smoking for 5 years. I am a 1 1/2 pack smoker a day, and just after 1 pill, my smoking cravings are cut in half. Will continue to take."

• Anonymous
• February 7, 2012

Varenicline "I have been a smoker for 35 years, tried cold turkey, patch, classes, nothing worked. Chantix is amazing. Yes, I feel tired, trouble sleeping, but do not have the slightest taste for a cigarette. Now the amazing part: 35 years heavy drinker, have not had a drink in 1 month. Just lost my taste for alcohol. THANKS, CHANTIX."

• hap...
• January 12, 2012

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I'm a 30-year-old female who smoked a pack a day for 13 years. Started taking Chantix in December for a total of six weeks. I was already taking Cymbalta 60 mg and Klonopin 1 mg at night, so my experience was great. I've been smoke-free for 12 days. I still think about smoking occasionally, but disregard it because my health is more important. Sleeping was hard, so I took the Klonopin and melatonin at night. Dreams were AMAZING! I wish they were as real as they seemed because I would be cruising on a brand new ATV that I won right now! LOL. I substituted with Orbit gum, Twizzlers, pretzels, and healthier choices so I wouldn't gain weight, and I have actually lost 10 lbs! I have since quit the Chantix as of a week ago."

• Lil...
• October 5, 2011

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I rated this medicine a 10 because, in my opinion, anything that can help me quit smoking without wanting to kill my family and friends is great. I was a pack-a-day smoker for 20 years. I tried in the past to quit smoking, but I could never last more than a day before I picked up a cigarette. With the Chantix, it made it easier to talk myself out of wanting it. The craving was there, but it made it less demanding, so you could say no. After the 3-day hump, I pretty much had the confidence to just say no. I'm now 8 months smoke-free and loving it, the extra money we save is going to our family vacations. My worst side effect was the insomnia, but by the time it hit, I was smoke-free for a month, so I just stopped taking the pills."

• exc...
• October 21, 2011

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I have been smoking for 20 years now, and a few years ago, I quit cold turkey, but a couple of years ago, I was under a lot of stress and started smoking again. I was only smoking 1 pack a day, and my kids wanted me to quit again, so I asked my doctor, and she put me on Chantix, and I am on Day 5 morning pill. The past few days, I have had real bad headaches and insomnia to the point I can't fall asleep until 4 or 5 in the morning. And I also have noticed that I have been getting agitated with my husband and kids more than I used to."

• tac...
• February 16, 2011

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I just reached day 28. I have insomnia and the occasional stomach ache. I do have the occasional 'vivid dream,' but not too much out of the ordinary. I was a pack-a-day smoker for about 10 years. Since the end of week one, I have had maybe 4 cigarettes. By day seven, I was down to 4 a day. This worked great for me, and I plan on taking it till month three, then I'm going to go it on my own."

• Jim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2015

For Smoking Cessation "Day 5 and things are going better. Puking, insomnia, bad dreams, loss of appetite, tremors, lack of energy, etc. Nasty stuff. Stuck to it and it seems to be leveling out. Still smoking about 5 a day. Will report back after week 2..."

• bub...
• February 27, 2008

For Smoking Cessation "I am on my 4th day on Chantix. My doc put me on .5 mg twice a day right away. Then to take it for a week and on the 7th day go up to 1 mg twice a day and then quit. The first day I felt really strange. Now, I have been having terrible insomnia, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and depression-or just don't feel like doing a thing. My dreams have been so cool. But I always have cool dreams. But I can feel my urge to smoke going bye-bye. We'll see how it goes."

• Wic...
• March 28, 2012

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "This is the second time I have quit on Chantix. The first time was 2008 for 8 months, and I went back to it when I had a really big change in my life. So now I'm trying again, and today is two months no smoking! Side effects are lousy; insomnia, weight gain, water retention, and yes, these are actual side effects from the medication and not a result of quitting."

• Int...
• March 21, 2021

For Smoking Cessation "Just tossed the remainder of my pills after four weeks. This is my second try on Chantix. The first time, I had few, if any, side effects. That was about one year ago. I had completely quit smoking after staying on the medication for three months. I was off cigarettes for four months before relapsing. I decided to try again. Well, after one week, when starting the full dosage, I noticed some nausea and began to have trouble falling asleep. During the next two weeks, I was feeling really ill, not sleeping well, and having very vivid dreams. My smoking, however, had been reduced to 1/4 of what it was before starting. Mostly because trying to smoke made me feel even sicker, but I was determined. Then came the side effect I never saw coming. I developed a high-pitched ringing in my ear. I now have it 24/7. Tinnitus, which can be drug-induced."

• Int...
• March 21, 2021

For Smoking Cessation "Just tossed the remainder of my pills after four weeks. This is my second try on Chantix. The first time, I had few, if any, side effects. That was about one year ago. I had completely quit smoking after staying on the medication for three months. I was off cigarettes for four months before relapsing. I decided to try again. Well, after one week, when starting the full dosage, I noticed some nausea and began to have trouble falling asleep. During the next two weeks, I was feeling really ill, not sleeping well, and having very vivid dreams. My smoking, however, had been reduced to 1/4 of what it was before starting. Mostly because trying to smoke made me feel even sicker, but I was determined. Then came the side effect I never saw coming. I developed a high-pitched ringing in my ear. I now have it 24/7. Tinnitus, which can be drug-induced."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 19, 2013

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I've been smoke-free for 4 years - took Chantix for two months, and although I had some insomnia and strange dreams when I could sleep, I had no wish to smoke!"

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 19, 2016

Varenicline for Smoking Cessation "I quit smoking thanks to you from 2008. I am happy. The only side effect was insomnia."