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An investigative report aired by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) tells the stories of two people who became suicidal after taking Chantix (marketed by Pfizer as Champix in Europe and the UK).
Chantix became available in the UK in December of 2006. Since then, nearly 400,000 prescriptions for the drug have been written.
Yesterday I wrote about the non-psychiatric side effects of Chantix and how studies are beginning to reveal how those side effects can adversely affect one’s driving. Loss of consciousness, dizziness, confusion, aggression, and muscle spasms can all happen to a Chantix user who is behind the wheel. I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but I have had enough first-hand experience with Chantix to know these newest warnings are worth emphasizing.
Many medical researchers find little surprise that Chantix has been linked to higher than normal rates of depression and suicide. Varenicline (the chemical name of Pfizer’s smoking cessation drug) goes to work directly in the brain by targeting certain receptors and simulating that feeling of having already smoked – that “full” feeling smokers feel after they’ve lit up one or two. Other pharmaceuticals that go to work directly in the brain include antidepressants, some of which have also been linked to behavioral problems and suicide.
Next week, Pfizer will once again be running Chantix ads on television. Pfizer stopped running Chantix ads last year amid increasing concern over the drug’s side effects. The familiar tortoise and the hare ads will resume on Sunday, September 14, with lengthened warnings about potential side effects. The extended warnings will occupy 41 seconds of the ad, which will run for 90 seconds – 30 seconds longer than the old ads.
Following the release of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) public health advisory on Chantix in May, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration all but outright banned the use of Chantix for commercial drivers.
George J. Lisicki, a Vietnam combat veteran and national commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), had harsh words for the Veterans Administration (VA) today.
“Those in the VA who failed to properly notify America’s veterans that their medication could produce fatal side effects must resign their positions,” Lisicki said. “If not, then the VA secretary must take decisive action to terminate their employment.”
Responding to widespread pressure from many congressmen, veteran’s organizations, and the general public, the Veterans Administration announced today that it would directly notify all of its veterans currently using Pfizer’s new smoking cessation drug Chantix. The number of veterans on Chantix is approximately 32,000.
This week has seen a snowballing reaction to the joint ABC/Washington Times news report about the Veterans Administration testing Chantix on soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
That snowball appears to be gaining speed and momentum. At least five congressman have queried the VA over the Chantix tests, and now a number of veteran’s groups are adding their voice to the chorus of anger.
Yesterday, ABC News and The Washington Times broke a story about Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) receiving Chantix as part of a study conducted by the Veterans Administration.
Today ABC reports that Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are demanding an investigation.
Today, ABC News and The Washington Times uncovered a story that, if proven true, exposes some enormously unethical conduct in our nation’s leadership.
According to the news organizations, the Veterans Administration chose to administer Chantix to 140 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), ignoring Food and Drug Administration warnings that the drug has been linked to vivid dreams, psychiatric illnesses, and suicide, to name just a handful of the drug’s potential adverse effects.
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