Topeka, KSThe prescription drug Chantix helps people break their smoking addiction, but it has also caused severe behavioral changes, from moodiness and insomnia to depression and even suicide. And it has broken families. "I am now in the process of a divorce, I have lost my job due to a loss of focus and depression and have lost the custody of my daughter, all as a direct result of Chantix", says Lorraine.
Lorraine isn't the only one whose family has been wrecked, allegedly due to Chantix. And it doesn't seem to matter how long you are on this drug: Lorraine only took it for 3 months before she attempted suicide and became violent. "This drug caused me to hit my husband…it needs to be pulled from the market," she says.
"I am having serious trouble with my family as far as getting along," says Dan. "Chantix caused serious side effects and I wanted to die--I still feel this way. I am very depressed, feel hopeless, I feel like giving up."
Brian (not his real name) says he took Chantix for two months then began having "suicidal and homicidal ideations…and more aggression than I have ever had." Brian tried taking Chantix a year ago but was arrested for violent behavior toward his ex-wife. Now he has an arrest record, and it may prevent him from seeing his kids. "My ex and children are scared to death of me," Brian says. He went through a terrible divorce and he blames Chantix.
"The next time I tried this drug to quit smoking, I actually sat in my friend's apartment and loaded my weapons, and hid them throughout the apartment, thinking the police were coming to get me. I have been off the Chantix for about a week now, and I'm just starting to come down and feel normal again. During this whole ordeal my doctor put me on Prozac, which seemed to intensify the problem. I have had nightmares, insomnia, aggression, and serious thoughts about killing myself and others first. I just want to see this drug taken off the market."
Chantix works by blocking the receptors commonly stimulated by nicotine. It reduces the positive feelings that come from cigarettes. But because the drug is new (it has only been on the market since 2006) it is not known whether these side effects are the result of withdrawal from nicotine or due to the drug itself. However, how many people have experienced severe behavioral disorders such as those described above by withdrawal from nicotine by other means, such as Zyban, the nicotine patch, or cold turkey?
When Chantix was first approved by the FDA, Pfizer, the giant drug manufacturer, allegedly failed to adequately research their medication or provide adequate warnings to users and the medical community about the potential side effects which could increase the risk of suicide or unusual behavior changes. In the wake of hundreds of reports, the drug was given a warning label about the psychiatric side effects and risks associated with the use of Chantix.