Champix (Varenicline)

Description

Champix – Helping you kick the smoking habit

Giving up smoking is challenging, but Champix can make it easier for you to stop smoking for good. All smoking cessation products require willpower and determination.

Champix is developed to help fight physical addiction so that you are left with only the psychological habit to fight. Studies have shown that Champix is more effective at helping you quit than relying on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches, gum and e-cigarettes.

For the best chances of kicking the habit once and for all, speak to your GP about local smoking cessation groups for support and motivation before you buy Champix online from Prescription Doctor.

How does Champix work?

Champix gradually shuts off the nicotine receptors in the brain until you no longer benefit from the nicotine in the cigarettes. Over time, your inclination to smoke it reduced until you can quit.

What is Champix?

The active substance in Champix is varenicline, used to help relieve the craving and withdrawal symptoms that happen when you give up smoking.

Your Champix treatment can last up to 12 weeks, but before you start, you should decide on a date to stop smoking completely, preferably sometime during the second week

If you resume smoking while taking Champix, the effects of the nicotine will be reduced.

How to take Champix

Always take Champix as prescribed by your doctor.

If you’ve stopped smoking completely after 12 weeks, your doctor could recommend a further 12-week course of Champix to reinforce your lack of desire to smoke.

Champix is available in two forms: a treatment initiation pack containing 11 doses of 0.5 mg and 14 doses of 1 mg, and a follow-on pack that can contain between 28 and 140 doses of either 0.5 mg or 1 mg.

Staying safe with Prescription Doctor

You may need to speak to your GP before taking Champix if you:

• Are breastfeeding
• Have heart, blood or circulation problems
• Have liver or kidney problems
• Intend to become pregnant in the near future.
• Suffer from diabetes
• Suffer from seizures or epilepsy
• You have a history of depression

Side effects of smoking cessation

As with all medications, Champix carries the risk of side effects. Stopping smoking also has side effects, and it can be easy to confuse the two.

To stay safe while taking this medication, ensure you read the accompanying leaflet thoroughly and ask your GP any questions you may have.

In the first weeks of giving up smoking, you will experience temporary side effects whether you take Champix or not. These are completely normal and are your body’s way of ridding itself of the toxins it has become used to ingesting daily.

Side effects of smoking cessation include:

• Cough
• Depression and/or anxiety
• Dry Mouth
• Headaches
• Increased Appetite
• Insomnia.
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Sore Throat

The side effects of Champix are different to smoking cessation side effects.

Side effects of Champix can include:

• An increase in the effects of alcohol
• Digestive problems
• Dizziness
• Heart rhythm disturbances.
• Hot flushes
• Joint and/or muscle pain
• Nose, sinus or throat inflammation
• Shortness of breath
• Skin problems
• Sleepiness

This is not an exhaustive list of side effects. For further information regarding the safety of this medication, you can refer to the patient information leaflet supplied within the packaging.

You can view the patient information leaflet for Champix online.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

You should seek your doctor’s advice before taking Champix during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

You should avoid taking Champix during pregnancy.

Champix may pass into breast milk. Seek advice from a doctor or pharmacist before taking Champix while breastfeeding.

Other safety information

Always seek your doctor’s advice before you buy Champix online.

Do not take Champix past the expiry date printed on the packaging.

Never throw away medicine via household or water waste. Take any unwanted or expired medicine to your pharmacy for safe disposal.

Always keep medicine out of the sight and reach of children and pets.