Varenicline Smoking Cessation

What is varenicline?

Varenicline is a stop-smoking alternative to Champix. The active ingredient, varenicline, is commonly used to help people give up smoking because it reduces nicotine cravings, the addictive substance found in cigarettes.

In the UK, you will need a prescription from a doctor or medical professional to get varenicline.

How does varenicline work?

Varenicline works by binding to the receptors that would usually bind to nicotine. Doing so means that varenicline works just like Champix and:

• reduces nicotine cravings like other nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) do
• blocks the rewarding effects of nicotine to stop you smoking

When you smoke a cigarette, nicotine attaches to these brain receptors and releases dopamine, also known as the ‘happy chemical’, giving you a sense of reward. It’s this feeling that urges you to continue smoking.

Varenicline works by binding to these receptors, preventing nicotine from attaching to them. This lowers the rewarding effects of smoking and reduces the cravings and withdrawal symptoms you might experience when you don’t use quit smoking aids.

Varenicline dosage

Varenicline is available in 2 dosages:

• 0.5mg white tablets
• 1mg blue tablets

Before you take varenicline, you need to decide on a date during your second week of treatment when you are going to stop smoking - between days 8 and 14. If you cannot commit to quitting smoking within 2 weeks, you can choose your own quit date within the first 5 weeks of treatment and write the date on the varenicline pack as a reminder.

Varenicline tablets are colour-coded: white represents the 0.5mg dose and blue represents the 1mg dose.

You must start with the white tablet and progress to the blue tablet.

The usual varenicline dosage is as follows:

If after 12 weeks of varenicline treatment, you have quit smoking, your clinician may recommend taking 1mg of varenicline twice a day to prevent you from returning to smoking.

What if I take too much varenicline?

If you take more varenicline than you have been prescribed, you should seek urgent medical advice and take your varenicline box with you.

What should I do if I miss a dose of varenicline?

If you forget to take varenicline, you must not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.

It’s important that you take your medication around the same time each day, so if you do forget, take your missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it's within 3 or 4 hours of your next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next tablet as normal. You may find it useful to set an alarm reminder on your phone to help you remember to take your medication.

How effective is varenicline to help you quit smoking?

Clinical research shows that varenicline helps 44.4% of people successfully quit smoking. Further research shows that with varenicline 32.4% of smokers successfully quit smoking and remained abstinent compared to 6.9% of people given a placebo.

Overall, a Cochrane review concluded that varenicline is amongst the most effective quit-smoking interventions, alongside Cytisine, nicotine e-cigarettes, and combination nicotine replacement therapies.

Where can I buy varenicline online?

You can buy varenicline online from Prescription Doctor using our online consultation service. To buy treatment online at Prescription Doctor you’ll need to:

1. Fill out a short online medical questionnaire for our clinicians to review.
2. If approved by 3pm, your treatment will be dispatched, ready for next-day delivery.
3. If your treatment is not approved, you will receive a full refund.

Varenicline side effects

Common side effects include:

• Nausea
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Vivid or unusual dreams
• Constipation
• Gas

Varenicline warnings

Varenicline isn’t suitable for everyone. Do not take varenicline if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.

Before taking varenicline, tell your doctor if you:

• have ever experienced depression or suicidal thoughts
• have any heart problems
• experience seizures or are epileptic
• are using any other quit-smoking aids

Varenicline and other medicines

You should tell your doctor before taking varenicline if you are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medications or any herbal remedies as these may interfere with how varenicline works.

Can I use Varenicline if I’m pregnant or breastfeeding?

Varenicline should not be used if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant.

If you are breastfeeding and want to quit smoking, speak to your clinician before taking varenicline, as a small amount of the active ingredient can be passed onto your baby through breastmilk.

Varenicline alternatives

Varenicline isn’t the only quit-smoking aid available. Varenicline is a stop-smoking alternative to Champix which is no longer available. However, Champix and varenicline contain the same active ingredient, in the same dose, and both work in exactly the same way. Varenicline is the generic Champix which means it is branded differently and is likely to be cheaper than its branded alternative.

At Prescription Doctor, we also offer:

• Cytisine: works in a similar way to varenicline by binding to nicotine receptors to block the rewarding effects of smoking.
• Zyban: acts on the neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for nicotine cravings and withdrawals. It contains the active ingredient bupropion hydrochloride.

Sources

• Cochrane Library, 2023. Pharmacological and electronic cigarette interventions for smoking cessation in adults: component network meta‐analyses
• emc, 2023. CHAMPIX 0.5 mg and CHAMPIX 1.0 mg film-coated tablets (Initiation Pack)
• NIH, 2016. Varenicline for smoking cessation: a narrative review of efficacy, adverse effects, use in at-risk populations, and adherence.
• Pfizer, 2023. Champix patient information leaflet