Hello.how are you and must be doing great...well i went to my gp and told her about smoking stuff and she prescribed me champix...this medication is very hard like gives u so much depression,,mood swings,nasuea etc(that i was already having because of hep c tx)...but i am taking it as i wanna get rid of cold turkey...but nowadays going through rough days of my life..plz pray for me keep intouch...lvs and hugs...bye

I have been a smoker since I was about 17; I am 31 now.

I am Asthmatic and am at the end of week 6 of Treatment. (I know I know; stupid to smoke while asthmatic)
I was smoking over a pack to two packs a day; now I smoke about a half pack a day-making a full pack last just under 48 hours; I also try to only smoke half a cigarette and try to go longer in between; making myself smoke outside has also helped. (I live in New England where our winters are pretty cold :) )

I am hopeful that soon I will be able to cut back enough to just stop.

I don't know what my docs would suggest about tools (meds) to quit while on treatment; when I asked about having to quit when I first started tx my NP laughed and said one thing at a time ok? She said it would be great but for me not to stress over it too much; though I am pretty sure they have a script waiting for me for an inhaler for down the road in tx. She did tell me to be sure to let her know if I started to become shorter of breath more than usual.
I will quit hopefully soon but like treatment I am taking it one day at a time.

zyban and wellbutrin are the same thing. just another name. fyi....

Well, smoking is harmful at any time as we all know, but my doc does not decline to treat hep c patients on this basis and I'll bet only the most dogmatic docs would.  There are certain aspects of tx that could be worse due to smoking but from what I have read there is no definitve info. on smoking effecting SVR results.

Interestingly, when the nurse pract. went over the "rules" of tx. she said you cannot use marijuana b/c it can effect tx results.   My 80 year old father, who has never smoked a doobie in his life, had previously advised me to get some pot for the tx nausea.  I had to tell him "Sorry, pops.  No pot for me."

But back to smoking, if anyone had a foolproof system for quitting he or she would probably win a nobel prize.  Whatever works.  I have to admit to a smoking jones myself, and what I did was cut back gradually in the months leading up to tx.  On tx I have limited myself to 5 ciggies per day, but frankly, most days I no longer even smoke that many b/c they no longer taste good.  I am hoping to cut back to zero by the time tx is done.

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t45937541/smoking/

Hi, I started by accident. When I was working in a closed office I decided to have a cigarrete before I showered and not smoke until I had been home an hour or so. So what they did was give me 11 hours without smoking, and really it was great knowing I wasnt one of the people walking in after break reeking! So then I would go to sleep about 6 hours, so now that is 17 hours without smoking, not bad for it happending pretty much accidentally. I decided to take a nap before work to lessen how many hours I was smoking.  i have gone 30 hours since starting that job. Lost the job so now I set up my schedule to stay busy for a few hours at a time, and if Im tired or lazy take a nap to stretch the hours! I really can tell how much less nicotine my body is screaming for. I should start treatment I guess now its next week, so by then I should be good to go. Its been easier to count hours not smoking instead of cigarettes smoked during the day.

well thx for great information..i will talk to my doc for that for sure and actually i talked to my nurse that its upto u..u wanna stop then go ahead...i tried with zyban but it did not work for me ...but i will keep on trying...thanks...i hope i can get treated....

Hi Tanya, I'm sure smoking isn't good while on tx. A nurse told me that anything chemical you eat, drink, smoke, or put on your skin is absorbed and has to go through your liver.

I was lucky enough to be able to quit almost five years ago using the drug Chantex (sp?) to lessen my desire to smoke. I used it for three weeks and didn't like the sx, so I quit taking the drug at that time, but did not pick up the cigs after that.

However, that was four years before my hep-c tx and I'm not sure if a doctor would want someone taking Chantex along with treatment for hep-c. Like hep-c treatment drugs, Chanex has side effects which can lead to depression and such. So even tho I'm not a doc, I'm guessing something like chantex may multiply the depression already felt with your hep-c drugs.

The other possibility I can think of that some people I know have tried with success, is using those smokeless, vapor type cigarettes. I think the filter gives you a little nicotine while you wean yourself off the smokes. And whether with Chantex or any other method, I think one has to want to quit for it to work. Also, I was on an anti-depresant called wellbutrin for awhile that is marketed under a different name as a drug to aid in stopping smoking. I'd say give your doc a call and ask if there is something that would work for you. Hugs and luck with quiting.

Randy

hello can anyone advise me that is smoking is harmful during tx and if then is there any other way to quit..i tried medicines ,patches....i succeeded twice but again resumed......i m on 3rd month hep c tx and i m 28 yrs old...thanks