Varenicline 0.5mg / 1mg Tablets – Stop Smoking Treatment (2- or 4-Week Supplies)

Varenicline is a prescription-only medicine that helps adults stop smoking. It acts on nicotine receptors in the brain, easing cravings and withdrawal symptoms and making smoking less satisfying if you do smoke. It was previously sold in the UK under the brand name Champix, which is no longer available; we supply generic varenicline. At Ways Pharmacy, varenicline is supplied as part of a quit plan, only after a pharmacist has assessed your smoking, health, mental health and medicines and confirmed it is suitable for you.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Complete a short questionnaire and confirm your identity by uploading photo ID or showing it on a video call. The questionnaire covers your smoking, previous quit attempts, health, mental health and medicines.
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video to confirm whether this medicine is suitable for you. They agree a quit date and plan with you and ask about your mental health before varenicline is supplied.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you select the pack and check out on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends advice only — you pay nothing and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Once approved, orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from our Holborn pharmacy.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

Varenicline is supplied in stages. Before each further supply, the pharmacist reviews your progress, side effects and mood, so please order your next supply a few days before you need it.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Start 1 to 2 weeks before your quit date, and stop smoking completely on the quit date you agree with the pharmacist
• Days 1 to 3: 0.5mg once a day
• Days 4 to 7: 0.5mg twice a day
• Day 8 onwards: 1mg twice a day
• Swallow the tablets whole with water. Taking them after food with a full glass of water can help with nausea.

The usual course is 12 weeks, supplied in stages: the starter pack (11 × 0.5mg and 14 × 1mg tablets) covers the first 2 weeks, then 2 or 4 weeks of 1mg tablets at a time after each review. A typical 12-week course — starter pack, 4 weeks, 4 weeks and a final 2 weeks — costs £279.96 at current prices. If you have kidney problems, the pharmacist may advise a lower dose. A further course may be considered if it is clinically appropriate.

See our stop smoking service for other options, and our nicotine replacement products.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Anyone under 18, or who is pregnant or breastfeeding — nicotine replacement therapy and support are usually recommended instead
• Epilepsy or a history of seizures, or a current or past eating disorder
• Severe or unstable heart disease, such as a recent heart attack or unstable angina
• Severe kidney or liver disease
• A severe or uncontrolled mental health condition, current thoughts of suicide, or mood changes that need specialist assessment
• Going through alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal
• Taking an MAOI antidepressant now or in the last 14 days, or another medicine containing bupropion
• Allergy to varenicline, or a previous serious reaction to a stop smoking medicine

Tell the pharmacist if you have had depression, anxiety or another mental health condition, or have heart disease or kidney problems — varenicline may still be possible with extra follow-up. Stopping smoking can change how your body handles some medicines, including clozapine, olanzapine, theophylline, warfarin and insulin; your usual prescriber may need to monitor you. Varenicline can cause dizziness or sleepiness — if it affects you, do not drive, cycle or use machinery.

Possible side effects

The most common are nausea, headache, difficulty sleeping, abnormal dreams, dizziness and stomach upset. Stop taking varenicline and seek medical help straight away if you notice changes in your mood or behaviour, feel depressed or agitated, or have thoughts of suicide. Call 999 if you have a seizure, chest pain or signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat or difficulty breathing.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.