Decatur AKKerri C. says when she started taking Chantix two months ago, she had no idea about the smoking cessation drug's side effects, which reportedly include violent acts and suicidal thoughts and actions. Since she started taking Chantix, Kerri says she has had terrible nightmares, thoughts of suicide and aggressive behavior.
"I had cosmetic surgery, including breast implants, a tummy tuck and liposuction," Kerri says. "I was told I needed to quit smoking so the healing would go better. I had really vivid, horrifying nightmares after I took Chantix. They were violent nightmares, which led to me causing bodily harm to my sister.
"I started having vivid dreams about hurting people. In one of the dreams, my sister was in bed and I put a cigarette in her hand, doused her in gasoline and lit her on fire"
"I have been so depressed that I sit and think about alternatives to living this life. I'm not a suicidal person, but I just feel so much despair in a large portion of my time that I'll sit and think about it sometimes. I wasn't like this before.
"I was a smoker for 20 years. I started Chantix about two months ago and quit five days ago. But, the side effects are just as bad now, if not worse than they were when I was taking it.
"The thing is, it can help you quit smoking if you take it every day. But, as soon as you miss a pill for a couple of days, it's like your addiction is just as strong as it was before the medication. I've smoked again [since stopping Chantix].
"I had the surgery in June and started having violent outbursts in July. I spent $60,000 and I don't know where I spent $20,000 of it. I have no recollection of where I spent that money. I run it over and over in my mind and I don't know where it went. That happened while I was taking the medication.
"I started having vivid dreams about hurting people. Really detailed dreams. My sister is almost bedridden. In one of the dreams, she was in bed and I put a cigarette in her hand, doused her in gasoline and lit her on fire. Then I watched her burn. I could never do that to a person, never. But, those dreams affected me while I was awake.
"One day, my sister and I had a conflict. My back was turned to her and she put her hand on my back. I exploded. I was aggressive and I hurt her. I stopped myself, but I did cause injury. And that's not something I would have ever done to her.
"I didn't know that Chantix had side effects. I just thought it would help me quit smoking. I told other people to try it. They said they'd heard about some side effects, but at that time, I thought I was doing okay. In reality, I wasn't. I just hope my side effects go away."
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