Yes, suicide. And anyone who has been around any source of news media including the Internet will well know by now that Chantix carries a very real risk for suicide ideation. Some people have come close to suicide, some have actually made the attempt and some, sadly, have been successful.
The US Food and Drug Administration is keeping a close eye on Chantix, while those in the medical community charged with the responsibility of prescribing smoking cessation aids to their patients are taking greater care in the act of prescribing, as well as the ongoing monitoring of their patients.
Still, with suicide now in the Chantix lexicon, manufacturer Pfizer has little choice but to include the suicide risk in advertisements promoting Chantix.
But not everywhere, it seems.
It has been reported that Pfizer has found a loophole in the regulations. In an effort to supplement the mainstream Chantix ads where the risk for Chantix suicide is duly noted, a direct-to-consumer campaign has been devised that promotes the wisdom for smokers wanting to quit to talk to their doctors about possible options. The key to the campaign is the promotion of a web site: www.MyTimeToQuit.com
The web site itself contains no mention of Chantix, although the Pfizer corporate label is located prominently at the bottom. Like the ads, which direct consumers to the web site, MyTimeToQuit.com is a relatively straightforward page that reinforces the benefits of quitting, together with talking to one's doctor about smoking cessation aids and options.
There is also a link, which a consumer can access to learn about "a prescription treatment option.
"Find out about a prescription treatment option that may help you quit smoking. And learn more about a behavioral support plan, too."
Clicking on this box takes the user to a new screen, which reinforces the fact that the user is leaving MyTimeToQuit.com and is about to learn more about a prescription treatment option. That option is unidentified, although the Pfizer corporate logo is again on the bottom left of the page.
Once the user clicks on the 'Go' button, he is linked to the actual Chantix site. The latter features the now-familiar images of the tortoise and the hare, together with bulleted advantages of using Chantix.
Side effects are also listed—as is the requirement, now that Chantix has been identified—but you have to scroll down for those. Suicidal thoughts are indeed mentioned and closer to the top of the list of Chantix side effects, too, so give Pfizer credit for that. However, nowhere is it mentioned that some Chantix patients have actually attempted suicide and there are those who have succeeded.
Chantix works by targeting certain receptors in the brain that react to nicotine. When the nicotine from inhaled smoke reaches these receptors, the brain releases dopamine, the chemical responsible for the pleasure associated with taking a drag on a cigarette. The pleasure is short-lived, of course, so you have to keep inhaling.
When the receptors are blocked from the nicotine, the normal compliment of dopamine is not released, robbing the smoker of the pleasure usually associated with smoking.
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There is little doubt that Pfizer is playing by the rules. It has updated its Chantix television ads with the latest Chantix side effects information, including suicidal thoughts. Even focusing on the oh-so-cute hare and the even more endearing tortoise, it's hard NOT to hear that word, 'suicidal.' But at least it's there, and according to regulation it has to be.
But Pfizer has found a clever way around that, by directing a consumer who spends increasing time online, to an un-named anti-smoking website that links, in 2 clicks of the mouse, to Chantix.
It's a loophole in the regulations. But it just may become a clever, and lucrative way to hook people into Chantix, without ever really saying so…