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Champix Fact Sheet

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 43 million Americans smoked in 2008. Although that is a reduction, many people are still struggling to break the nicotine habit. Even though two-fifths of all smokers have tried quitting smoking, the success rate is typically less than 5 percent if the smoker does not use some type of assistance. Champix is the European name of Chantrix, a drug that can help smokers break their habit.

  1. History of Champix

    • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Chantrix, the brand-name version of varenicline, which Pfizer developed, in 2006. Under normal circumstances, most drugs must go through an extensive 10-month review before being approved. Chantrix only required six months before winning approval. When the drug was approved in late 2006 by the European Union, it received the Champix brand name. Other than the name, the two drugs are identical.

    Use of Champix

    • Champix is not available in the European Union or the United States without a prescription. Physicians normally suggest beginning to use the medication about one week before you plan to smoke your final cigarette to make sure the chemicals are in your body before they are needed. You'll begin with a lose dose of the medicine and will increase the dosage over about 12 weeks. You should not be on the medication longer than 24 weeks.

    How Champix Works

    • When you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine quickly reaches your brain and tells certain receptors there to start releasing dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel good. What Champix does is stop those receptors from responding to the nicotine. That means you're not going to get that "rush" or "buzz" normally associated with smoking. Once the thrill is gone, the temptation to sneak a cigarette is going to be less and less. You also won't need to use nicotine-replacement products to gradually wean yourself off the drug.

    Side Effects

    • The down side to Champix is the number and severity of some of its reported side effects. Mild side effects include vomiting and nausea, which can be reduced if taken with food. However, some patients have reported serious disturbances to their sleep patterns, including frightening dreams and insomnia. Severe headaches, drowsiness and increased hunger have also been reported by users. In some cases, severe changes in mood have been associated with the medication, including an increase in depression. Between January and June 2008, more than 200 patients who were taking Chantix, the U. S. version of the drug, took their own lives.

    Black Box Warning

    • In the United States, the FDA is now requiring Pfizer to use black-box warnings on Chantix. This is the highest level of warning used in the United States on prescriptions. This change comes as of July 2009. The FDA is also warning patients to stop using the medication, if they start having mood changes, depression or thoughts of suicide. The FDA's action may be a result of the high-profile death of a musician who began acting violently after starting to use the drug.

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