Ok I have some disturbing news! I've been away visiting family for the past 3 weeks in England and had an awful time emotionally. I didn't smoke or chew nicotine the whole time but I found myself really getting quite depressed and wanting to go back to tobacco again - the whole time I was there.

I realized that tobacco is an antidepressant of sorts (and nicotine) so that may have been part of the reason I started thinking this way.

The other thing that disturbed me though was my personality was going weird. After about 3 weeks on Chantix (or even sooner but that may have been nicotine withdrawal) I was slowly getting more and more unlike my normal self. I was incredibly irritable with people, or down, or just headachy and tired. I shouted at my Father out of the blue and made a lot of snyde comments at my husband. It was scary.

During the trip I decided to try to cut down to 1.5 mg (from 2mg) of Chantix and OMG - 2 days later started having awful panic attacks. I couldn't work out if I should cut down more or go back up - I went back up and the panic went away, but I was gradually getting more and more depressed.

It seems a few others have had problems on Chantix. I quit the pills when I got home and am back to smoking. Anything to save my mental state. I have never suffered from that kind of weirded outness. Guess I wasn't ready after all.

It is an experience I will NOT be repeating (the Chantix that is). I am waiting for the Chantix withdrawal to kick in - apparently it is very unpleasant.

So this drug can be bad although it did get me through the initial withdrawal - but then is awful and eventually made me feel so bad I turned back to the smokes.

I hope anybody else trying this drug doesn't have these problems - I have heard for many people it is da bomb. I also think nothing is going to be effective in the long run if you aren't rock-solid on quitting.

I think if and when I have another go at ditching nicotine I will put myself on St Johns Wort (have taken before) because it takes the brain 6 months to change it's structure after withdrawal from nicotine - that is 6 months of low dopamine and possibly serotonin levels - correct me if I'm wrong - but that means giving up smoking is like giving up an antidepressant so I will take a natural one which doesn't destroy my lungs.