Chantix and Dreaming

CHANTIX (Pfizer) is one of the new medications designed to treat addictions. CHANTIX was first approved to treat smokers, and is a twelve-week program designed to support the smoker physically while the GETQUIT™ Support Plan offers smokers both emotional and moral support while giving them an opportunity to record progress and call a cravings hotline when the need arises.

This drug has been shown to be a very effective aid for smokers who are determined to quit, and has very few side effects. The side effects that it does have diminish over time for most patients on CHANTIX. It works by blocking the nicotine receptors in the brain; this prevents the smoker from enjoying the cigarette.

Most recently, CHANTIX was studied for its possible use in alcohol treatment. Rats who were induced to have an alcohol craving had that need cut in half after being treated with CHANTIX. However, the drug will not be available for humans until after new studies, human trials, and FDA approval.

Side Effects

Some of the side effects of CHANTIX are nausea, sleep disturbance, flatulence, constipation, and other minor events. Some who experience sleep disturbance reported insomnia, but others claimed to have had changes in dreaming. While this can be viewed as a fancy term for overly vivid dreams or even nightmares, it could be a contributing factor in the category of insomnia.

Dreaming is an important part of sleep, and disturbances can bring about insomnia in many ways. First of all, whatever is causing the insomnia may also be causing the dream changes. On the other hand, if one has constant nightmares, going back to sleep is not necessarily an attractive option.

Anecdotes on the internet and forum posts seem to list reactions like “strange dreams,” “weird dreams,” and some graphic descriptions of some of those nocturnal mental meanderings. Some claim they are innocuous, but others complain of them being intensely frightening or just bizarre, almost like an altered state. These are simply the claims of people on forums and blogs who know they can say just about anything. So, if you are considering taking CHANTIX, please take these claims with a very large grain of salt. Also, read other research and studies on the drug before deciding not to take it based on the reports of changed dreaming and insomnia, or any other side effect.

This drug is one of the most promising on the market for smokers as well as drinkers. It could be a breakthrough drug to support recovering alcoholics because it is not metabolized in the liver, an organ that takes a lot of abuse from alcohol. Also, because it’s only a 12-week program, the side effects will go away once treatment is stopped, so a few side effects that diminish with time and will disappear is a good tradeoff for the benefits of kicking habits.

Remember that when recovering from any addiction that there will be some withdrawal symptoms. It’s important to be able to distinguish between withdrawal and side effects; however, both will disappear over time and you will be left with better current and future health--it only takes 24 hours for the body to begin recovering from smoking.