Chantix side effects sufferers - not cheerleaders

[Virginia Lee]

Terri I see the thread monitor has laughed at your response to the science I brought to the table. Her "selfish gene" is kicking in and her "meme" is trust your doctor and their medicine. My point is report your s/e or additional effects of this drug to learn more. Those who believe they could NOT quit w/o chantix think you should ignore them and use for being sensitive. I say they are ignorant, mean and insensitive to the suffering of others.

Cholinergic effects are how chantix does what it did to us.

Since the doctor who forced my hospitalization was on Zoloft, I wonder how those in the medical profession sleep at night using this double standard. I never want a depressed doctor making life and death decisions about others. Yet the system which keeps all this going doesn't care. We are just a statistic.

If it was just Carter Albrecht, or me, or you then none of this would amount to much. As it is now ... thousands of others have ignored the warnings. Even the warnings the FDA has now forced Pfizer to add are ignored.

Thankfully some people understand and are supporting our claims with science fact on the hows and whys. Let's hope they are successful!

Otherwise the memes will be want to develope chantix as a treatment for depression and addiction of all type, forcing more people to be their lab rats. I for one am glad they did not get away with blocking us from suing those responsible for ignoring the downside of their products.

You are right, no one has your back. The ER doctor will only order you to be stabbed in the back with drugs that could kill you while his head is confused from Zoloft.

[Virginia Lee]

"us" not use "for being sensitive"

[bob w]

I took chantix approx 4 1/2 yrs. ago. 1 mo after I quit smoking and the drug I had 4 stents . 3 yrs later I had quad by pass. 8 mo. ago I had 6 more stents. I did not have heart trouble before that. Can the drug cause this?

[Virginia Lee]

bob w wrote:

I took chantix approx 4 1/2 yrs. ago. 1 mo after I quit smoking and the drug I had 4 stents . 3 yrs later I had quad by pass. 8 mo. ago I had 6 more stents. I did not have heart trouble before that. Can the drug cause this?

Yes, it can Bob. I am sorry you were decieved into believing those who made it and the doctors who prescribe it as being safe. Chantix is only a SUBSTIUTE drug for nicotine. It ACTS like nicotine only stronger. I am sorry you have had such bad results from using this poison. Chantix has all the risks of nicotine but greater since its half life is 24 hours vs. 1. The heart risks is why there is are class action lawsuits in Canada and thousands of individual cases in the US. Since you took chantix before the heart warning came out, you have a case too. You might want to contact one of the many law firms offering free evaluation of your case. Once again, I am sorry you were so adversely affected by Pfizer's latest money maker. Here is a link which details the effects of nicotine on the heart. You quit nicotine and then had the problems because chantix does the same thing only more I believe and so do a lot of others.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/243929-phys...

[Barbara]

Hey Bob, I never had heart trouble before I took chantix The law suits for heart damage is in Birmingham AL next month

[Virginia Lee]

Barbara,

There is someone asking for info about swallowing difficulties here. Maybe you could offer them some insight. Here is a link to the post.

http://www.topix.com/forum/law/healthcare/TF0...

It will not be much longer now until the first case goes to trial, YEAH! Let's hope it sheds clues about the science of how chantix can and does cause more problems then any other means of quitting.

[Barbara]

A patient told my Daughter in Law that her sister in law died from ALS after taking chantix, my Attorney is taking to her Husband
I also got a bumper sticker that says chantix kills

[Viginia Lee]

Sorry to hear about another death related to chantix. I thought one was enough but for some, one is never enough. I know quitting smoking is hard. Quitting anything addictive is hard work. It is that hard work wich keeps us from making the same mistake over and over again. Smokers take risks so why wouldn't they think frivolously about the s/e of chantix and risk associated with it?

I would like to have one of those bumper sticker. Maybe it should have an Achmed the dead terrorist slant saying "On Chantix, I kill you!"

[Virginia Lee]

Pfizer tied to bar expert witnesses from MDL litigation for plaintiffs. Glad the judge rejeced this motion but for me it sheds light on their sense of fairness. Pfizer failed to warn the users of the risks they knew about too. I guess they wanted some of the users to commit suicide never knowing the drug chantix was messing with their brain chemistry. I am sure the experts will testify about the known effects of increased dopamine like violence. That would open the door for those who never used chantix to sue Pfizer for the losses they suffered from a chantix user.

[Vrginia Lee]

Did any of you with lawsuits get a letter too? I wonder what they anticipate bringing out in the trials this month. Must be strong evidence to prove chantix NOT quitting smoking caused us to be harmed and injured. I ask again ... how many must be harmed or injured by this drg before it is enough? I think 2500 lawsuits says a lot!

[Barbara]

Virginia that was great comment about
On Chantix I kill you!" Achmed is downloaded on my computer

My Attorney has not sent me a thing, I had my on get on him I will l you know

One thing I found out is I can't get stem cell treatment because I have to have an MRI well with my Defibrillator I can't have one, so I have to have mine changed to a plastic one first. Chantix proms keep going and going, it will never end

[Loveboatin]

I took Chantix in 2010 shortly after I had a partial hysterectomy. Shortly after I started to get numbness and tingling on my right side. It persisted for about a month or so. I just thought it was how I was sleeping on my arm. In 2011, the numbness came back along with tingling and some hot flashes. I thought the flashes were due to my age and it was summer. I had a slowly progressing gimp in my left leg that I blamed on a prior TBI when I was a child. I wasn't as active anymore because I lost my former job, which was very physical. Then in Oct of last year, around Halloween, I literally lost good balance on my right side(the good side). That was when I knew something was wrong with my brain(cause I had been through the brain injury when I was young). I went to the Emergency room and they referred me to a Neurologist who ordered an MRI and blood test, and VOILA! I had MS. I haven't gotten better. People have no idea what a crippling disease this is. I had no clue that Chantix could cause exacerbations and lead to this condition.

[Virginia Lee]

Thanks Barbara, you have to keep your sense of humor when facing adversitity and you have had more then your share!

That sucks about the MRI and stem cell treatment. Hope your defibrilator gets changed soon.

The letter was an update on litigation. Also to find out if your medical insurance provider is one who will claim part of any settlement.

Best wishes on your continued medical treatment, my heart goes out to you!

[Virginia Lee]

Loveboating, some of us have likened our chantix side effects to TBI. Here is a recent study which links TBI to increased chances of MS.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044110

I am sorry you have experienced such horrible results from taking chantix. Pfizer knew but they only warned the docors in the fine print.

There are plenty of law firms you can talk to about a lawsuit. Although this will not solve your issues, it could help pay for your medical needs in the future.

Best wshes on your continued medical treatment, my heart goes out to you too!

[Barbara]

Thank you Virginia, you have been more helpful than my DR's

[Virginia Lee]

Barbara you are more then welcome.

I guess after knowing the government paid medical costs will be recovered from any settlement we might get, I can see why the FDA is not concerned about the cost of damage due to chantix.

Don't you love the way the "system" works?

With some drug companies opening their clinical trials, the others will look really GREEDY if they do not follow suit. Let's see where Pfizer lands on this issue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/business/gl...

"Although drug companies collect voluminous amounts of data during the trials, which involve thousands of patients in many countries and sometimes last for years, only a sliver of that information is typically made public, and often in formats — as in articles in medical journals — that can present the drugs in the best light."

Let's shine the light and reveal the dark side of chantix!

[Jennifer]

I have MS and started having symptoms within 6 months of taking chantix. I only took chantix for 2 weeks before deciding I wasn't going to quit smoking with it. This was in sept/oct 2006. Aug 2007 I was diagnosed with MS. My dr's all tell me chantix couldn't have done this. In the last 5 years I've learned to walk 3 times. I am completely disabled now and have been using a walker for the last 3 years. I really believe chantix has done this... How do I prove it?

[Loxos]

Jennifer wrote:

I have MS and started having symptoms within 6 months of taking chantix. I only took chantix for 2 weeks before deciding I wasn't going to quit smoking with it. This was in sept/oct 2006. Aug 2007 I was diagnosed with MS. My dr's all tell me chantix couldn't have done this. In the last 5 years I've learned to walk 3 times. I am completely disabled now and have been using a walker for the last 3 years. I really believe chantix has done this... How do I prove it?

Jennifer, sorry to hear about your diagnosis. This disease has severely affected several of my relatives. You would need an expert to testify that Chantix causes MS to be able to prove the link that you suspect. This is likely to be difficult because no one knows what causes MS yet. Hopefully a cause (or causes) and more treatments will be known in the next several years. Good luck to you.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multip...

[Virginia Lee]

"Though no one knows why, most researchers agree that multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by the immune system attacking the body. Specifically, the immune system’s T-cells attack cells in the brain and spinal cord, damaging the outer sheath (myelin) of nerves."

http://ms.about.com/od/multiplesclerosis101/p...

Since chantix is also linked with SJS, another immune system disorder, I think the medical experts are reasoning how chantix does harm to the immune system.

[Virginia Lee]

Jennifer, there are numberous law firms representing those of us believed to be harmed by chantix. I suggest you contact them. Some are only representing mental illness side effects while others are more broad based in their scope of cases. Just type chantix lawsuit in the search field and start filling out the questionaires. When I started this thread there were none, now there are many willing to take our cases. The first rial starts this month, yeah! It has only taken 5 years to have our day in court. I am sorry you experienced such horrible results from trying chantix. I do believe you will find another way to quit smoking.