Furious Seasons

December 03, 2007

Doctors Need To Carefully Evaluate Chantix Prescribing

The syndicated column "Peoples Pharmacy" has a column out this week on reports it's been getting about reactions to Chantix. Depression and suicidality and so on. Thankfully, the FDA is looking into this, although why Pfizer isn't just putting a warning out on its own initiative to begin with is beyond me. It's clear that doctors need to be very careful about whom they prescribe the drug to and one reader of the column had a suggestion:

"One woman with bipolar disorder said: 'I have stopped smoking for three or four weeks before and NEVER experienced what I did with Chantix. I think the makers of this med need to do more research on this before they just start tossing it out to people, especially the ones with a history of a mental disorder.'"

Based upon what I've read and accounts from many who've taken the drug and had odd reactions to it, it'd be wise for a doc to ask potential Chantix users if they have any history of depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety (that might be an indicator that if they have a bad response to Chantix then it's going to be very ugly, to judge by what I am hearing anecdotally). Also, I think a smart doc would ask, assuming there's any sort of mental health diagnosis current or present, if the person had a bad response to an anti-depressant. I have a weird hunch that there could be a connection there.

I think it's time for docs to be a bit more proactive than they usually are and not wait for guidance from the FDA or Pfizer and start being careful right now. Isn't that what they are supposed to be doing in the first place? There are enough warning signs out there already--55 reported suicides--in the drug's brief history to merit caution. Given what's known to this point, I'd say any doc who doesn't do some kind of careful evaluation when putting someone on this drug is staring right at a malpractice lawsuit should something go tragically awry.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: this Chantix drug is looking to be as dicey as Paxil was/is (and Effexor, Cymbalta, and...), and sure seems to be producing that weird anti-depressant irrationality (for lack of a better term) that afflicts so many people who take anti-depressants.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at December 3, 2007 01:38 AM

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Comments

Right before the FDA put out the warnings on this drug, I had a perscription waiting for me at the pharmacy.

I heard this was going to be the drug that helped my husband and I quit smoking.

Fortunately, the warning came out BEFORE I took them.

Posted by: Christy at December 4, 2007 05:37 AM

I've been meaning to write you about my experience with chantix.
although I didn't have suicidal thoughts, I didn't stay on the
drug for more than a month, and I tried twice...I'm a two pack
a day smoker, with broncial asthma from my child hood. If I
don't stop smoking I will certainly die at an early age. I'm
also a dual dignosed bi-polar I / drug addict.
While the chantix did make me not want to smoke the first
time I took it, amazingly, I had no cravings to do cocaine
either, which I thought was incredible... problem was I
slept for 18 hours a day if I could and was incredibly tired
all the time. I discountinued chantix after about 6 weeks
due to the tiredness and over sleeping....
I stilled needed to stop smoking so I tried chantix again
several weeks after stoping chantix the first time...
This time around I was nauseaous constantly, I started sleeping
18-20 hours a day again, and into the fourth or fifth week of
taking it, I still wanted to smoke. It didn't even work and
I was just pissed... I still need to stop smoking and I'm
not to sure how I'm going to do it. I hate it when people
say there taking chantix and loving it, because I'm sure
there lying...Even though you will not want to smoke after
the 2nd week, the nightmares are so real, you cant figure
out if something was real or you dreamed it. secondly youre
sick as a dog with stomach cramps and nasuea, and third you
want to sleep constantly. I would never ever ever suggest
using this 'medication' to stop smoking.

I hope I can at least help and warn other people with my
god awful experience with chantix.

George H.
New Jersey

p.s.
thank you for youre sight. I think its a wonderful tool
to getting very important information to others
concerning bipolar and depression.

Posted by: George H at January 14, 2008 10:35 AM

Both Buprion and Chantix made me crazy. I am a normal functioning person. I have no history of mental illness. Buprion gave me excessive nervous energy. I couldn't think straight and had a hundred thoughts running through my head. I had nervous twitches and couldn't relax. On my last day on Buprion I got out of my car and ran a mile just to get rid of the nervous energy. I went to work, but had to go home, because I couldn't concentrate on even the simplest of things.
Chantix also gave me excessive nervous energy. I had a hard time going to sleep. When I did sleep I woke up with a pounding headache. The headache would last all day. Like Buprion I had a hundred thoughts running through my head. I was aggressive and angry on Chantix. When my head wasn't pounding I wanted to pound on somebody. On my last day of Chantix I cried uncontrollably for ten minutes. I had no self control.
I took the drugs to try and help me quit smoking. I used nicotine replacement, patches, when on both drugs. I did not use both drugs at the same time. They were approximately used one year apart. I took the medications as prescribed. I did not and still do not take any other medications. I only lasted approximately one week on each of the medications before I went insane. Yes only one week and a normal functioning person turned into an insane person. Has this happened to any one else?

Posted by: annoymous at April 2, 2008 08:23 PM

Yes... this has happened to someone else.... I was about 12 days into taking Chantix when the Great Psychotic Episode happened..... and I say that lovingly, because I don't know what else to call it. I was at best: overly aggressive, angry, easily provoked, sleepy, terrified of the dreams (not sure if they were real or not, had MASSIVE amounts of gas(I mean the bad stuff that makes you suffer and hurt),chatty (talked all the time), emotionally the equivalent of a cheap roller coaster (it's gonna crash, it's just a matter of time).

This stuff was bad, bad news for me. When the Great Psychotic Episode happened, I blew UP at my best friend and 19 yr old son and stormed out. I got into my car and didn't stop driving until I began to feel the anger subside. It wasn't one of those "drive around, stop at a park" kind of drives.... I got into my car in Midland Texas and stopped 4 hours later... IN EL PASO TEXAS! The whole drive was a blur. And there are lots more details... But I think you can get by what I've said this far and from the sheer EXTREME of my actions that Chantix was slowly either killing me (driving me to suicide) or driving me to homicide.

Posted by: Victoria at March 16, 2009 06:15 AM

I think you must be exagerating. I have been on this stuff for a while now and other than nausea after my morning pill I am fine. I know at least two other people who have taken this stuff and they did not experience any adverse side effects either.

Philip Dawdy responds: there have been 98 suicides connected with the use of this drug reported to the fda. no exaggeration.

Posted by: R at September 1, 2009 05:55 AM

and counting: up to 102 as of 7/30/2009, plus 2 more under the chemical(?)name varenicline.

Posted by: Damaged at September 3, 2009 12:30 PM