
Before you start any treatment, you should read the manufacturers leaflet contained with the medication. This has further information and lists all the potential side effects.
Champix like all other stop smoking therapies will require a mindset and determination to stop smoking. It will take planning and willpower for it to be successful.
Champix (varenicline) mimics the effect of nicotine on the body and works in two ways:
1. It reduces the urge to smoke (cravings)
2. It relieves the withdrawal symptoms
It is thought to be the most effective medication for helping people stop smoking. If a person smokes a cigarette whilst taking Champix, it does not have the same satisfying effect. Champix blocks certain receptors in the brain that nicotine stimulates.
How to take Champix
You would need to decide on a quit date. Champix is taken as a 12-week course of treatment. The tablets are taken 1 week before the quit date. The regime is as follows:
- Days 1-3: Start 0.5mg once a day for the first 3 days
- Days 4-7: Take 0.5mg twice a day for the next 4 days
- Next 11 weeks: Take 1mg twice a day for 11 weeks
Take each dose with a full glass of water after a meal (breakfast and your evening meal).
Champix and driving/operating machines
Champix may affect your ability to drive and your ability to use machines. Do not drive or operate complex machinery, or take part in potentially hazardous activities, until you know how Champix affects you.
Never give your medication to other people even if their condition appears to be the same as yours.