Chantix Black Box Warning Too Late for Some

Okalona, MSOn July 1, 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Boxed Warning on the prescribing information for the smoking cessation drug Chantix (varenicline). Sadly, the warning came too late for Dean Perry's son, Hansel, who took his own life on September 29, 2008. Mr. Perry blames Chantix for his son's death.

"My daughter-in-law told me that Hansel started taking Chantix in 2007 and according to his medical records from the Air Force, he was on it for a year," says Dean. "Both my son and his wife were prescribed Chantix but she only took it for one week and could tell a difference in her attitude. But my son's personality changed from one day to the next. He wasn't himself."

Dean says his son was never was violent but he did have severe mood swings—one sign of Chantix side effects. "My son was a good kid; he was only 27 years old and never had any mental health issues that I know of—this Chantix makes you do things that you don't want to do…

"On September 29, 2008 Hansel put his daughter in the car, kissed her and said he would see her this afternoon. Then he did the same to his wife. Around 8 a.m. he went into the utility room and shot himself in the head with a 9mm pistol. Before Hansel killed himself, he texted his squadron chief and told him what he was going to do. His squadron chief found him; by the time they got to his house, my son was dead. For the 8 years my son was in the Air Force, his military record was blemish-free. My wife and I had planned on visiting them just a few months later.

Lately I've been reading about Chantix and found out that some people had to be hospitalized in ICU for 4 or 5 days while others have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals. I believe that the more people find out about this Chantix, the better off they will be."

The new Chantix and Zyban (another smoking cessation drug) warning came about after users reported unusual changes in behavior, become depressed, or had their depression worsen, and had thoughts of suicide or dying. In many cases, the problems began shortly after starting the medication and ended when the medication was stopped. However, some people continued to have symptoms after stopping the medication. Also, in a few cases, the problems began after the medication was stopped.

The new warning will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs. However, for some people such as Hansel, the benefit of quitting smoking did not outweigh the risk…