Hazlehurst, MSCheryl doesn't remember much that happened while she was taking Chantix, but she does remember suffering acute psychotic reactions. "I believed my husband was having an affair and that he was going to leave me," she says. "All my thoughts were unjustified but it bothered me a great deal."
Cheryl (not her real name) was prescribed the smoking cessation drug in April 2008. She wasn't aware of any side effects. Her prescribing doctor knew that Cheryl suffers from mental health problems, but he was either similarly unaware of the side effects or convinced that the benefits of the drug would outweigh the risks (which include depression, aggression, suicidal thoughts and suicide).
"My husband doesn't have a mean bone in his body; he is always really gentle and sweet. But on Chantix he was crazy mean and told me he felt like killing me"
"I am clinically depressed and suffer from schizo-affective disorder, which is basically schizophrenia with a bit of bipolar thrown in," Cheryl explains. "Luckily I was diagnosed at a young age so I have been on antipsychotic meds since I was 18. Up until taking Chantix, I have been fully functional and a productive member of society. I should never have been prescribed Chantix in the first place.
"My husband—who also suffers from depression--started it at the same time and he had an immediate reaction. He became very aggressive. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body; he is always really gentle and sweet. But on Chantix he was crazy mean and told me he felt like killing me. He only took it for a few days but I stayed on Chantix for at least three months.
"We both noticed the changes in my personality when I was on it. I was definitely more fragile and emotional. I had to stop taking it because it was affecting my relationship. I just about lost my marriage. While I was able to get stuff done—my mother-in-law died around this same time and I had to help—clearly my mind was not where it usually is; it was in some weird kind of place.
"I was articulate to some extent but my thoughts were much more confused so it was hard to keep notes regarding my mother-in-law's death. (She had joined this terrible HMO and was getting the worst treatment and finally we filed a formal complaint with the ombudsman on her behalf—but that's another story.) I wanted to be cognizant of what was going on around me, but I wasn't there for her.
"I discussed these side effects with my doctor and he told me just to stop taking Chantix. One of the worst problems was that I don't think I was taking the proper prescribed meds; it could be that the Chantix led to this, or maybe I was taking the meds and the Chantix was breaking through. I can't figure out why I had such psychotic behavior while I was on my antipsychotic meds.
"Needless to say I never quit smoking. I cut back while I was taking Chantix but now I'm back to a pack a day. It cost me $120 per month and I live on disability income from social security so that is a huge amount of money out of my $600 monthly check. In other words, Chantix not only nearly cost me my marriage, it also cost $250.
"I would be glad to join a class action against the manufacturer and have this drug taken off the market. At the very least I'd like to get my $250 back."
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