Jim had a massive heart attack while Louella was on Chantix, which of course added major stress to their lives. "Instead of my wife of 16 years being there for me, it was like my attack was an offense to her," says Jim. "It was horrific; she was completely loony." Louella stopped taking Chantix during Jim's recovery, but for the next five or six months, she also suffered cardiac problems. She was in and out of hospital, and didn't take Chantix again—or so Jim thought."After two blood transfusions they finally stabilized her… She was completely normal and she even laughed. I hadn't heard that in almost a month"
"By early November, without telling me, Louella was on Chantix again," says Jim. "Everyone was out to hurt her; the doctors were conspiring to hurt her and I was Satan. I don't know how else to describe it—she wasn't my wife. It got to the point that I was going to move out."We have kids and it was rough on everyone. The night I packed my belongings, I took our son out for Chinese food. Louella called our son's cell phone and told him she was going to commit suicide. We didn't believe her. Instead, we got the food, came home and found her lying in bed. 'I swallowed a bottle of pills,' she said, crying.
"People say stupid things so I didn't believe her at first. Next thing I know, she stumbled out of the room and puked up a bunch of pills. I called 911, sent her to the hospital and she almost died that night. After two blood transfusions they finally stabilized her. The next day she was completely gone, mentally.
"Thank God that two days later, she was feeling better. By Sunday, after three days of being pumped with activated charcoal and other meds, the switch went off. She was completely normal and she even laughed. I hadn't heard that in almost a month.
"We sat in the hospital watching TV, and coincidentally we saw a Chantix commercial with the list of side effects. We looked up the product online and looked at the warning list. The potential side effects included everything we had dealt with for the past three weeks. We talked to the doctor that day.
"When she was in hospital I didn't know she was on the Chantix. The doctor said that was likely the cause. Her prescribing doctor should have known better, but he never said anything to us about these life-threatening side effects. On the label, it even says that if you are on certain meds your doctor should be aware. My wife is a diabetic with a heart condition. Meds to be aware of are insulin and blood thinners—she takes both.
"We contacted an attorney who is handling a class action Chantix lawsuit. My wife talked to a paralegal and a nurse at the law firm. Unfortunately we don't qualify for the class action because the FDA made Chantix issue a black box warning in July. However, many gazillion boxes at the manufacturer's warehouses weren't slapped with the warning: we still have the boxes that do not have the black box warning. The pharmacy said they only got the re-labeled boxes at the beginning of January. Louella tried to kill herself in November, four months after the warning was issued.
"I called the Chantix manufacturer because I wanted to know when those boxes were produced. They have a lot number and the 'use by' date. I was transferred to three different locations and a manager. Nobody could tell me what the Chantix shelf life is, nor could they tell me by lot number when it was made. 'Someone would call me back in a few days,' I was told. I never got that call. Why don't these people know about their own medication?
"It is amazing how the manufacturer even got away with this. It is horrific to think that the FDA allows Chantix to still be on the market given these side effects and the number of people who have suffered."
The manufacturer states the following on its website: "Some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions while using CHANTIX to help them quit smoking. Some people had these symptoms when they began taking CHANTIX, and others developed them after several weeks of treatment or after stopping CHANTIX. If you, your family, or caregiver notice agitation, hostility, depression, or changes in behavior, thinking, or mood that are not typical for you, or you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, anxiety, panic, aggression, anger, mania, abnormal sensations, hallucinations, paranoia, or confusion, stop taking CHANTIX and call your doctor right away. Also tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems before taking CHANTIX, as these symptoms may worsen while taking CHANTIX."