Being a long time smoker I have tried all methods to quit to no avail...zyban, the patch, the gum, inhalator, cold turkey.

I've learned of Chantix and am on a mission to discover whether or not it will interact with Atripla. (There are receptors for nicotine in the brain. When smoke is inhaled, nicotine attaches to these receptors. This sends a message to a different part of the brain to release a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine gives a feeling of pleasure. But it only lasts for a short time. The body wants to repeat this feeling. Based on research, it is believed that CHANTIX (varenicline) works by activating these receptors and blocking nicotine from attaching to them. However, CHANTIX does not contain nicotine.)

Can you help?

Thanks for your post.

I appaud your interest in quitting tobacco. For all the hyped-up interest of the effects of HAART on cholesterol and triglycerides (lipids), the real issue is reduction in cardiovascular disease. In my humble opinion, none of the lipid effects matters if we don't get a handle on smoking.

We've had very, very good results in our patients who have used Chantix for tobacco cessation (quiting). There's no obvious reason why you couldn't use your HIV medications with Chantix.

Best of luck; write back and let us know how it goes. BY