Bipolars: Stay the hell away from Champix/Chantix

By PurpleSage Friday, October 19, 2007

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I'm bipolar and have been taking 200mg Lamictral and 25mg Seroquel for about 2 years now, with some success. Recently I decided to quit smoking and to make it more likely that I'd succeed I started taking a new quit-smoking medicine, known as Champix or Chantix. After 5-7 days I started having the manic trip of my life, stronger than any I had ever experienced. I spent a month in a state of total euphoria. And this in spite of the fact that my mania normally expresses itself as rage and irritability -- this is only the second classic manic episode I've had in my LIFE (the first was triggered by a SSRI). Jesus was I happy! Of course, everything came crashing down, and I'm dealing with a brutal depression and more intense suicidal ideation than I can remember ever having. EVER. So be warned, bipolars - avoid Champix / Chantix like the plague. Better to smoke yourselves to death -- you'll probably live far longer that way. (NOTE: Of course this drug is not contraindicated for bipolar - it's new, and drug companies invariably do trials on people who are healthy in every way)

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Anonymous

10/20/07 12:02am

I TOTALLY agree. Two weeks ago I started taking Chantix, and it did the exact same thing to me. The day I started the blue pack, I had to quit taking it. I probably don't need to quit now anyway...sometimes I feel like cigarettes are the only thing that keep me a little sane...haha!

Eric

10/20/07 3:49am

Hi Purple,

I can understand your frustrations of having a medication send you flying. The thing for all of us to remember is that medications will effect all of us differently…what works for one doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for another. This is where a close relationship with your psychiatrist is crucial.

Another good thing to have in place is to have a friend or family member that you trust have the information that you are going to try a medication change. The people closest to you will see the changes better from being around us more often than you or your psychiatrist. That’s why I used the word can trust because if things start to go a little haywire, you need to listen to them.

On a lighter side, my nephew is up for the weekend and as part of a school assignment he had a list of interview question pertaining to smokers and smoking. One question was why don’t you quit? I responded that I had either read or heard where second hand smoke kills more people than the smokers themselves. I had decided it was safer to continue smoking than take a chance on second hand smoke.

Another was what was the cost of a pack of cigarettes when you first started…I hated to show my age, but back then it was 23 cents a pack. I now go to the Indian reservation and by the cheap ones that I am sure is floor sweepings.

There was an article awhile back on the effects of nicotine in relationship to mental illness’s. I know for me it somehow calms me down a bit. Here in NYS, they have cracked down and made all the people that are impatient go cold turkey…smoke free area. From what I hear, they are building a new wing for mental patients and have already incorporated into the design, a high fenced area on the roof top for smokers.

It’s kind of funny how they read us the riot act on reason to quit as they write out our prescriptions that have a mile long list of possible side effects that could kill us. Go figure. I’m a smoker and proud of it.

PurpleSage

10/22/07 5:41am

The thing for all of us to remember is that medications will effect all of us differently...

Generally, that may be true. But I can guarantee you that 2 grams of cocaine will send you on an insane manic episode, to be followed by hellish depression. The same can be --and often is-- true of other pharmacological agents. Others will vary by user, of course, but there are some things that everyone needs to watch out with.

This is where a close relationship with your psychiatrist is crucial.

Again, this is good general advice, but believing it to be a panacea may well get you killed. My doc is as up to date on the latest research as can be (he designes clinical trials, among other things), and he said he has yet to see a single article published on Champix / Chantix and bipolar, or any other mental health disorder. There may be several reasons for this -- it's a very new drug, big pharma always tests on what are essentially platonic populations (no kidney, heart, liver, bone, skin, lung, or brain problems), and so the first you ever hear about a lot of these sometimes deadly interactions is when a large enough population of users begin killing themselves.

Another good thing to have in place is to have a friend or family member that you trust have the information that you are going to try a medication change.

Yet again, excellent general advice!

But in this case, who would have thought that a stop-smoking aid would cause suicial mania? Theoretically, Chantix / Champix doesn't even touch receptors associated with any mental illness!

I've probably been bipolar since I was an early teen, and was diagnosed only about four years ago. In all that time I had had exactly ONE classic manic episode, when an idiot psychiatrist who though I had classic depresion prescribed an SSRI for me. Before that, all my intense mania (and it was very intense indeed) was expressed as irritability, insane rage, and so on. I could literally not understand bipolars who stopped taking their meds because they missed the mania!!!

Champix / Chantix caused what was only the second classic (euphoric) manic episode of my life, and it made the first one pale in comparison! And the come-down -- the depression -- has had me so suicidal that I was about to insert a knife in my throat twice.

Even now, with lithium added to the mix, I'm finishing the process of making my will out, and I'm in my early 30s.

In short, folks, STAY AWAY FROM CHAMPIX/CHANTIX UNTIL STUDIES ON IT AND BIPOLAR HAVE BEEN DONE!

There was an article awhile back on the effects of nicotine in relationship to mental illness's. I know for me it somehow calms me down a bit.

Exact same thing here, oddly enough. Or not so oddly. I stopped smoking for about 2 months, and for whatever reason the idea of coffee (of which I drank about 2 quarts a day, espresso style) began to absolutely revolt me. I was also diagnosed as ADD, so going cold turkey on all that was hell.

As of yesterday I started smoking again. I feel like **** psychologically, since this was such a big achievement (almost 2 decades of 3-4 packs a day!), but even my psychologist recommended it! He said some sort of drug to up my dopamine (Wellbutrin, Ritalin) could well push me over the edge into suicide right now, but nicotine and caffeine were safe, so if I have to make a choice... choose life.

minnow

10/28/07 1:08pm

I had a really similar experience with Chantix last winter ... bonkers! And not in a fun way.

I did quit smoking in January though. I saw a hypnotherapist for 2 visits (the first time didn't take) and she made me a CD of the session. Primarily a relaxation tape, but it actually worked.

So many drugs have bizarre effects on bipolar people. I didn't know that steroids could make you really sick til my GP put me on them for a short course. Yikes...

minnow

10/28/07 1:16pm

Just wanted to add that I hope you are feeling okay -- don't beat yourself up too badly about smoking right now. There's that medicinal/chemical reason that so many bp people smoke, and if you feel like quitting later you still can. Honestly. The stress over it is probably less healthy right now than the smoke!

11/12/07 8:27pm

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor polymorphism is associated with risk factors for bipolar disorder. Furthermore, the cholinergic system is highly implicated in this psychiatric condition. It would be a uniquely bad idea to fool around with the cholinergic system in any way under any circumstances using any drug if you suffer from this psychiatric condition. It could screw you up in more ways than you've thought of. Acetylcholine's role in wound healing may have something to do with the self-cutting behavior exhibited by some bipolars, actually. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are abundant in the skin. BAH! THIS MENTAL WANDERING! MAKE IT GO AWAY! GRAH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! I also strongly suggest you avoid smoking and the consumption of caffeine, which indirectly affects the cholinergic system, if you are BPD. However, I wouldn't suggest trying to quit either cold turkey: the withdrawal symptoms could throw you into a manic episode or the worst depressive episode of your life. Don't fool around with your cholinergic system. It doesn't work the way most people's do.

11/12/07 8:51pm

Excuse me, I got the acronym for the disorder wrong. BPD would be Borderline Personality Disorder. No relation that I know of.

Hailey

6/ 4/08 4:59am

Very interesting for nicotine addict here. I have recently seen that the supplement N-acetycystaine helps with depression;have you heard anything about this. Also, if I would like to improve my knowledge on neurotransmitters, axis, isomers and mood disorders; would you have any recommendations for reading. Thank you for your intersting sharepost.

Anonymous

11/19/07 10:41pm

THIS IS THE ONLY SITE I COULD FIND THAT HAD ANYTHING NEGATIVE TO SAY ABOUT CHAMPIX. SO FOR EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO HAS ADHD, ADD OR WHO IS BI-POLAR, TRUST ME AND DON'T TAKE THIS PILL. HAD I NOT STOPPED TAKING THESE PILLS, I WOULD HAVE LOST MY FIANCEE, MY JOB, MY FRIENDS AND MY SANITY. IT COMPLETELY CHANGED MY PERSONALITY, TOOK AWAY MY MOTIVATION, MY ABILITY TO MULTI-TASK, AND MY WILL TO LIVE. SUICIDE LOOKED LIKE THE ONLY WAY OUT. THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. THE ONLY THING THAT I HAD CHANGED IN MY LIFE IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS WAS THAT I STARTED TO TAKE "CHAMPIX". SO I THOUGHT INSTEAD OF KILLING MYSELF THAT I WOULD TRY GOING OFF THE PILLS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW QUICKLY MY LIFE TURNED ITSELF BACK TO NORMAL. WITHIN TWO DAYS I NOTICED A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY THAT I HANDLED LIFE. EVEN MY PATIENCE LEVEL WAS BACK. MY FIANCEE DOESN'T WANT TO LEAVE ME ANYMORE, AND I'VE MADE A REAL IMPRESSION ON MY BOSS. "BACK TO MY OLD SELF" BEAUTIFUL.

TRUST MY EXPIRIENCE WITH THIS AND DON'T TAKE THEM. CHEW THE GUM, WEAR THE PATCH, OR JUST KEEP SMOKING. IT'S BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE.

DAVID.

Angie

11/28/07 11:30pm

PurpleSage,

I came across this post and it was just in time, for I was about to ask my doctor about Chantix next week. I've quit with the patch twice, but never more than 4 weeks. My BP is severe enough that I am disabled from my work as an RN and on Social Security now.

My cravings to smoke are definitely related to my moods. I never started until I was 34. That was also when I started to drink, and had my first major manic episode.

It is all brain chemistry. I was doing fine for the most part until my early 30's. Poster child for healthy lifestyle, and thriving on my high-stress job and four kids at home. Then I felt like the Queen of Vice: hiding smokes, beer, ****, etc. I felt like I had an evil twin.

So any systemic drug that works on the brain's network should be avoided until we know how it will affect us. I'm so sorry you had to go through hell and I hope you're doing better. THANK YOU for the warnings and advice. My threshold for mania is low enough already.

Angie

11/28/07 11:33pm

I forget we're all rated PG here. **** stands for p*rn. maybe that will pass?

Duncan MacKenzie

12/ 5/07 9:17am

I am 49 and been living with AIDS for over 10 years now.

Over the last 5 or so years I have been acquiring more and more chest infections and have developed 'claudication' (a circulation problem) in both my legs.

For roughly the same time I have been having panic/anxiety attacks, although these have been relatively infrequent...until recently that is.

A friend of mine told me not long ago that he thinks I am (and have been for a long time) 'borderline bipolar'. (I wonder if thers is such a thing as 'borderline' with this condition ?

Anyway, because of my worsening vascular and lung problems, I began, just over 2 weeks ago, a course of Champix in order to help me give up smoking.

At first it worked like a dream - I had almost no cravings whatsoever for nicotine and I quit easily for 10 days.

However I did experience some intense dreams and disturbed sleep patterns but decided that these were well worth putting up with in order to kick the nasty smoking habit which is threatening to kill me - sooner rather than later.

BUT on the 10th day I began to have very bad and repeated panic attacks and I stopped taking the Champix (having read the posts on this site).

That was three days ago and I am still having repeated attacks.

I saw a phsychiatrist last week and when I explained to him that I thought there my be problems with Champix and mental health issues he asked me what Champix was ! It has been available in the UK for over a year and this Professor of Psychiatry had never even heard of it !

All I can hope for now is that these dreadful panic attacks will disappear since I stopped taking the drug but, of course, I will still have to try and stop smoking.

Thanks to all you guys for your posts

ctrygirl

3/30/08 8:13am

I had toyed with the idea to quit smoking....and well....i just never really WANTED to to be honest and even though i know the risks....however, i enjoy smoking for it DOES calm me down no matter what they say it is SUPPOSED to do....of course i know all things affect all people differently...

but i so have a beef with this non smoking everywhere thing....i mean think about it when is the last time you've heard of a smoking driver KILLING someone because he went out and had a cigarette, YET YET YET bars are wide open, people hop in cars after drinking and people die.....many many each year.....and yet they ban smoking,,,,,hmmmm to me that makes NO sense, go all the way or not at all, but again focus group...and mass media...and well, we all know how i feel about mass media and their trumped up stigmatisms and often misled reporting.....BUT BUT BUT I do not in anyway deny that smoking is BAD for sure sure sure...but, so is drinking, and uhm i don't see any drinkers stuck on top of a roof, or under a special shelter area...nope....they walk freely about festivals etc with beers in their hands (which is fine with me until they get behind the wheel and endanger my grandchild......at least i can control where i smoke and keep that second hand smoke from the kids, or those that don't smoke.....but i think it should be OUR choice....but that is just me)

THANK you for the post on this....i had no idea....and pdoc just told me that i should stop smoking for it can make some of my phsyical conditions worse and so on....and yes it can.....but now i am fully eyes WIDE open on what NOT to try....thank you for i'm rapid and mixed mood cycling and the Mania i experience is way beyond explaination....wild and so intense.....sure don't need anything enticing it to get worse! I think you saved a lot of us with this post!!
thanks again

ctrygirl

12rant

9/18/11 6:25pm

Most sites I've read so far were in favour of Champix, but of course they had Ads for selling it!!!!! I was going to pharmacy tomorrow to get some. Thanks for your honesty. As I have BPD and it's under control, I'll spring for the Nic Patches as I no I can handle the limited side effects of them. P.S. Healthe Canada has warnings out on Champix.

Thanks and good luck to you all.

12Rant

Bipolars: Stay the hell away from Champix/Chantix

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