http://smokenders.com/

My husband and I stopped smoking with Champix, back in November 2010. Unfortunately, our stop smoking specialist did not take into account that my hubby had depression and was taking 50mg Sertraline each day. He had also had a recent one week course of steroids for a chest infection and a course of antibiotics. On 6 December he had his first psychotic episode. It was devastating to see my quiet and loving husband turn into an argumentative tyrant, refusing to reason and physically threatening me when I took him to hospital.

He had more episodes during December and I began to research Champix, among friends and on the internet. I quickly realised that people with a known history of depression should not take the drug. We both stopped taking Champix after I realised that my husband was having more episodes and his behaviour was getting more bizarre. He began to lose huge amounts of short term memory and our GP refused to let him drive.

I cried for him on Christmas Day. He was so sad and his speech was slurred and incoherent. On Boxing Day he refused to believe he had experienced such feelings, so I filmed one of his episodes. He was distraught when he saw how angry, irrational and unpleasant he was. He cried when he became aware of the stress this placed on me.

Further psychotic episodes occured in January and our GP referred my hubby to a Neurologist. By February I became increasingly fraught with the snailpace of the NHS, so I demanded a mental health assessment be made. Hubby has finally been allocated an appointment with a psychiatrist.

His symptoms have now subsided and it has been over 3 weeks since his last episode. Yes, we are both smoking. It would have been impossible to endure the last 3 months battling with this confusing illness without going cold turkey.

I have no idea what the immediate future will bring, but, I would never recommend Champix…. particularly if there is any history (past or present) of depression