Champix Details

Champix is a brand name for a drug named varenicline, which belongs to a class of drugs for  smoking cessation. It basically helps patients when nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is not enough or inappropriate to quit smoking. Together with patient counseling and education, Champix can help achieve smoking cessation among adults.

 

How does Varenicline (Champix) work?

Whenever we inhale cigarette smoke, the nicotine binds with the receptors and triggers the release of dopamine, a  natural chemical that brings happiness or feeling good.   Although its mechanism of action is not fully established, Champix was still designed to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings by blocking these nicotine receptors in the brain. It aims to decrease the pleasure from smoking by blocking the effect of nicotine inside the body. 

Shortly after smoking, the nicotine and dopamine levels start to drop. It tolerates your craving and withdrawal feelings to make you crave for another stick of cigarette. Champix is believed to work at these receptors that are affected by the nicotine you get from cigarettes.   

The Benefits of Champix

The main advantage of Champix therapy is it helps patients quit smoking after nicotine replacement therapy has not totally become effective enough.  

How to use Champix

For the first three times, Champix 0.5 mg is used once a day. For the fourth time, it will be increased to 0.5 mg twice a day for the next four days. Then, the maintenance dose is 0.5 mg twice a day or 1 mg twice a day until the therapy can be stopped. The maximum dose allowed for a patient is 1 mg two times a day.

Champix must be taken orally with a glassful of water, after meals.   It is intended to be used with proper counselling and education in how to quit smoking. There are three known different approaches to setting a date for quitting smoking. It is sometimes called 'quit date'. Depending on which will work best for you, your doctor can employ 1 of the 3 methods below: 

 

1. Fixed quit approach – is a method that starts the treatment for 1-2 weeks of Champox before the date of expected quitting, but the treatment will be continued generally for 12 weeks.
2. Flexible quit approach – This method will start the Champox treatment where the doctor will set the date to quit smoking. It usually falls between 2 and 5 weeks following the day 1 of the treatment, and must be continued for up to 12 weeks. For patients to succeed in this endeavor, it is highly recommended to extend another 12 week-period of Champix therapy to reduce the chances of smoking again.
3. Gradual quit approach – This is the gradual method of Champix therapy to decrease smoking within the 12-week goal. If results are promising, the patient may quit smoking any time before it reaches 12 weeks. But then again, a continued treatment to take Champix for another 12 weeks may be observed to complete a total of 24 weeks.

Your physician may order a 'taper-down' procedure to gradually reduce the dose of Champix as you get near to the end of the therapy to avoid withdrawal symptoms and chances of smoking again.   There are patients who fail to quit smoking after the 12-week therapy. But the journey doesn't stop right there. They can try the treatment again as long as they have been identified to show the considerable reasons why they failed.

It must be noted that Champix is taken as directed by the doctor. If you miss a dose, you may take it as soon as you remember as long as it is not yet the time for the next dose. But if your next scheduled dose is too close to the time that you remember it, just skip it and do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed.  

Where to Buy Champix Online

If you are in the United Kingdom, you are entitled to buy Champix online here at Undoctored. First, you will need to schedule an online consultation with our medical doctor before we process your order. This online consultation is observed for your own safety.