I must have been delusional three days ago to think I could put down my cigarettes and instantly become a non smoker. In researching the stop smoking aids, I have come to the conclusion that unless it’s a product like Head-On, where you can apply it directly to your forehead, there are side affects, some actually worse that tar and nicotine.

I have a friend who went through most of the products out there and finally chose Chantix as her drug of choice. In the brochure the warnings said to “stop using this medication and get emergency medical help if you think you have used too much medicine, or if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.” But as you read more it also states to “stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any mood or behavior changes, or if you feel agitated, depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself“.

I had worked with this person for over a year, and know that she was an educated, stable person with a happy home life, and two beautiful children. After a week on Chantix, her personality changed drastically. This is my observation of one person, but after listening to her I decided Chantix was not for me.

Her week started out very well, she was calm, funnier than usual, no cravings, began to lose weight, she looked and felt great. Then she began to have vivid dreams, which at first seem perfectly normal and attributed to nicotine withdrawals, but turned ugly fast. In our conversations, she mentioned that she had thoughts of killing her husband. She began researching and came across this article in the New York Magazine, and it was exactly what she was experiencing. She immediately consulted with her doctor, and stopped using the drug . Click on link to read:

One Man's Experience With the Stop-Smoking Drung Chantix. http://nymag.com/news/features/43892/

More Warning Labels

Why are there warning labels on most all products we purchase? I’m just going to take a guess and say, some people are just plain stupid, and have no common sense. After reading the story about Chantix, I have decided to start reading the fine print on everything I plan on using to help me quit smoking.

Warning labels became much more popular after 1992 when Stella Liebeck at the age of 81 won $3 million from McDonald’s after a cup of coffee she purchased was spilled and caused third-degree burns on her leg. Gueez, who would have known that McDonalds coffee is actually hot?

I remember when the warning label on a pack of cigarettes used to say something like, If you smoke you’ll get lung cancer or your nose will fall off, but, in my hot little hands, I have a pack of Marlboro’s and all it says: ‘SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health’. I’m assuming if they listed all the health risks, a pack of cigarettes would come with a 500 page book.

Lysol Disinfecting Wipes has a warning “Hazaradous to human and domestic animals”,

Household bleach warns “do not discharge this product into lakes, streams or other waters” without the written approval of the Local Sewage Plant Authority or the EPA.

Glass cleaner warns “unplug all electrical items before using”, the emphasis on the word all. 

"Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." -- on a bottle of shampoo for dogs.

This is my fourth day in my quest to stop smoking, and it’s not going well. I ran out at 3am this morning and purchased a pack of cigarettes. I have to have at least one more cig as I continue to research stop-smoking aids.