I seem to be getting numerous emails from people who write saying that they are off smoking for a significant period of time and want to know why they are just now getting an increase in cravings. I started a new process on how I handle these questions. Before answering, I send out an email asking the following question:

"Before I address your craving issues, can you clarify for me whether or not you quit cold turkey or whether you used in quitting medications—and if so, when you got off those medications?"

A few times now I have gotten responses back that they had quit by using Chantix and were now off Chantix for what is usually a short period of time.

Here is the response that I have been sending back to these people:

I am going to attach a number of articles that addresses craves and thoughts people get after quitting. These articles are based on people who have quit cold turkey. People who quit with the use of quitting aids often encounter very different kind of experiences. People on nicotine replacement are basically still feeding and active addiction, and thus, they may very well have withdrawal kind of urges that can last for the full duration of use, plus the seventy two hour period following the day the actually stop delivering their nicotine.  

Chantix is a little harder to explain—for while it does not have nicotine in it, it does in effect mimic most effects of nicotine. Also, it has a much longer half life than nicotine. Where nicotine’s elimination half life is about two hours, Chantix is twenty four hours. Because of this difference, I don’t actually know how long physical kinds of craves may last after you finally quit.  

So I can’t really say what is normal for Chantix readjustment time periods as compared to what is normal for nicotine readjustment periods.  

Again, the articles I am going to attach will explain why it is “normal�?to have smoking thoughts after quitting, mostly due to psychological triggers.  

I can’t say for sure that what you are having is from the “normal�?psychological triggers or whether there may still be an organic basis for your urges. Either way though I suspect they will gradually improve over time. 

Hope this material helps. 

Joel