Champix is a brand name for the drug named Varenicline. This drug helps people who have a habit of smoking. This drug helps people in quitting smoking. Champix works by blocking certain receptors that flow to the brain by preventing nicotine from binding with it. Nicotine triggers the urge to smoke in a person.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved this drug which provides a legit license for this drug to get manufactured.

What is Champix?

Champix is the brand name of the drug named Varenicline. This drug helps patients to help stop smoking. The entire treatment is 12 weeks old and helps patients who are addicted to smoking by relieving them from cravings. This drug helps in minimizing the withdrawal symptoms of a patient making it easier for them to stop smoking. The first two weeks of Champix are followed up with two more weeks of smoking and a person usually leaves smoking in about 10 to 14 days after taking the medicine. It is not recommended for a person to smoke after the person has decided to quit date.

In case a person starts smoking after the quit date, the person does not tend to enjoy smoking as much as he usually does. This drug does not resemble nicotine replacement therapy and is very different from it.

Uses of Champix:

The drug Champix is usually prescribed as a smoking cessation aid. This drug helps in reducing the urge of a person to smoke and helps in relieving the withdrawal symptoms of a person. It can get very difficult for a person to quit smoking and this drug helps in relieving the withdrawal symptoms of a person.

This medicine helps adults in quitting smoking. This drug works by reducing the craving and withdrawal symptoms that usually happen because of smoking. People who give up smoking often feel affected because of nicotine withdrawal the symptoms of which can be frustration, sleeping problems, anxiousness, depression, decreased heart rate, weight gain, increase in appetite of a person. It is important to note that not everyone faces the same effect of nicotine and it can be different for different people. It is not recommended to start smoking again once a person stops smoking especially post quit date. Smoking after the quit date can decrease the enjoyment caused by the cigarette.

Champix Dosage:

This drug comes in many dosages and is taken as per the prescription given by the doctor. The different dosages that this drug comes in are 0.5 mg and 1 mg. The patient needs to be ready to quit smoking. Otherwise, there is no point in taking this drug. This drug requires a person to quit smoking in weeks starting from the day you start taking this drug. Taking Champix before the quit date requires a person to quit smoking within the next 8 days. The dosage of this medicine usually starts with a lower dosage and then keeps on increasing for a few weeks. The usual dosage of this medicine is .5mg once a day for three days in a row which is then increased to 0.5mg twice a day for 4 more days to come. One week of this drug increases the dosage of this medicine to 1 mg twice a day which is also called the maintenance dose.

It is essential to take doctors’ consent before switching to 2mg of Champix per day. It is important to take Champix for 12 weeks for it to be effective.

12 weeks is usually considered to be effective when it comes to a person leaving smoking.

Overdose of Champix: 

Overdosing on this medicine requires a person to consult a doctor or visit a hospital as soon as possible.

Missed Dose of Champix:

If a person misses a dose of Champix, it is important to take the medicine as soon as the person remembers it. If the time to take the next dosage is nearby, a person, in that case, should skip the dosage altogether and should wait for the upcoming dosage.

Side Effects:

Some of the side effects caused by Champix are listed below:

1. It causes stomach pain
2. Constipation, gas, indigestion, and diarrhea
3. It makes a person nauseous
4. Dry mouth
5. It changes the appetite of a person
6. It causes unusual and vivid dreams in a person
7. Sleeping disorders
8. It causes breathing problems
9. Flushing of the skin which includes rashing

Serious side effects caused by this medicine are listed below: 

1. It causes mood swings in a person
2. It causes suicidal thoughts
3. Swelling in the mouth, lips, tongue, face, and throat of a person
4. It causes sensitive skin which can be as severe as life-threatening
5. It can cause severe chest pain which can result in an irregular heartbeat
6. Fainting
7. It causes kidney failure
8. Blood disorders
9. It causes bleeding in the intestines and stomach of a person

Precautions:

There was a black box warning generated for Champix as this drug can increase the risk of mental health which is seen in people after taking this medicine. The side effects can be quite fatal in this case as a person can get as close as he can to getting suicidal thoughts.

It fluctuates the mood of a person and will end up making them feel depressed, hostile, and irritable

It can cause suicidal thoughts in a person who is already facing depression

One should avoid drinking at this time as it can increase the side effects caused by this medicine.

It can cause seizures in a person

It is important to learn if a person is allergic to any of the ingredients present in this medicine.

This drug can increase the risk of a heart condition

Going to a doctor usually helps in overweighting the side effects and positive effects caused by this medicine and a doctor usually prescribes this medicine only if the side effects caused by this medicine are way less than the positive effects.

It causes vivid dreams: This drug causes a person to have very unusual and vivid dreams. This drug can cause serious dreaming problems as there are times when a person will not know if he’s hallucinating or dreaming. It is important to consult a doctor if this problem becomes severe.

Pregnancy and Champix: Taking Champix while pregnant can affect the health of a child. Therefore, women who are breastfeeding should be careful as the side effects of this medicine can transfer to the infant.