Chantix Label Updated To Warn Of Suicide Risk

[Gretchen718]

Laura wrote:

I was on Effexor when I took Chantix for 2 weeks. The first week was fine, but toward the latter part of the 2nd week I really got scared. I was feeling suicidal feelings, deep dispair, hopelessness. just as bad as it could be. I even called the pharmacist at the drug company that made it to see if they heard of this. It had just been released at the time. She told me to stop taking it and I did, of course. I felt fine again after a few days. I am wondering since Effexor is a seratonin and dopamine affecting drug, if Chantix has a similar action (seemed to from the description) and maybe it was creating a Seratonin Syndrome (can be dangerous) or something similar.
Chantix works on neurotransmitters in the brain, pretty serious tampering going on there.
If I were truly suicidal, it would have put me over the edge. It was really, really bad. I felt like there was no hope to live for and that it was just blackness all around me and that I couldn't face another day. It went away after I stopped taking it.

Laura,
Hop over to Chantix Side Effect Sufferers-Not Cheerleaders. Scroll down this page for the link to the forum. We have also suffered from Chantix and we can help you recover or with questions. Virgina is very knowledgeable in this area. Hope to see ya there
Gretchen

[Laura]

Can you post a link? It is not on my list below and I can't find it even with a search. Thanks.

[Gretchen718]

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

Here you go Laura

[Virginia Lee]

Laura wrote:

I was on Effexor when I took Chantix for 2 weeks. The first week was fine, but toward the latter part of the 2nd week I really got scared. I was feeling suicidal feelings, deep dispair, hopelessness. just as bad as it could be. I even called the pharmacist at the drug company that made it to see if they heard of this. It had just been released at the time. She told me to stop taking it and I did, of course. I felt fine again after a few days. I am wondering since Effexor is a seratonin and dopamine affecting drug, if Chantix has a similar action (seemed to from the description) and maybe it was creating a Seratonin Syndrome (can be dangerous) or something similar.
Chantix works on neurotransmitters in the brain, pretty serious tampering going on there.
If I were truly suicidal, it would have put me over the edge. It was really, really bad. I felt like there was no hope to live for and that it was just blackness all around me and that I couldn't face another day. It went away after I stopped taking it.

Laura are you OK? I hope you are and maybe Sheri can help with the Effexor since she had a bad experience with this drug too. I hope your chantix side effects are gone.

[Sheri]

Laura wrote:

I was on Effexor when I took Chantix for 2 weeks. The first week was fine, but toward the latter part of the 2nd week I really got scared. I was feeling suicidal feelings, deep dispair, hopelessness. just as bad as it could be. I even called the pharmacist at the drug company that made it to see if they heard of this. It had just been released at the time. She told me to stop taking it and I did, of course. I felt fine again after a few days. I am wondering since Effexor is a seratonin and dopamine affecting drug, if Chantix has a similar action (seemed to from the description) and maybe it was creating a Seratonin Syndrome (can be dangerous) or something similar.
Chantix works on neurotransmitters in the brain, pretty serious tampering going on there.
If I were truly suicidal, it would have put me over the edge. It was really, really bad. I felt like there was no hope to live for and that it was just blackness all around me and that I couldn't face another day. It went away after I stopped taking it.

It's hard to tell which drug is most responsible. I had the Effexor experience and absolutely know where you are coming from. I have NOT taken Chantix, but I know I would never combine the two. No responsible doctor should have encouraged that mix either, but since they did, it would be a great idea to talk to someone who can guide you. It will take some time to flush it out, so you need to keep telling yourself that those feelings are not from you but from the drug. I'm hoping you keep trying to find a doctor who can offer you a plan. Take care and God bless you.

[Brandon B]

I started taking chantix on Feb 20 2008 and since I have been taking it I get very sick around 15 minutes after I take it and it last for around 30 minutes and I start feeling well again, also when I go to sleep at night i don't fall into a deep sleep it is like iI am still awake and know what is going on.

[Lana]

The author wrote "If Chantix were so dangerous, it would be banned by the government."

Well, cigarettes are HIGHLY dangerous and kill thousands and thousands yearly but THEY'RE not banned by the government ?????!!!!!

[Suzanne]

The government has been bought and paid for by huge multinational corporate interests. Why would you think the government would do anything to hurt their masters?

[Lucky to be alive]

Helpful One wrote:

Quitting smoking sure ain't easy, that's for sure. Too bad people are blaming all their ailments and depression on Chantix, though, when 99.9% of the time, it's due to lack of nicotine.

I have tried many times to quit smoking, without the help of drugs. Nicotine withdrawel did not cause me great harm or the horrible side effects I suffered from Chantix. You are correct in stating the drug works. But, after taking Chantix 3 weeks I had nightmares, delusions, nervousness, and pain. All these effects were acceptable. Smoking can be fatal. I pray that you never experience the biggest side effect as I did. I tried to kill myself in Jan of 2008. Thank God I pulled through. Please don't discount those who actually did commit suicide and those of us who lived thru it.

[glowchild]

Lucky to be alive wrote:

<quoted text>
I have tried many times to quit smoking, without the help of drugs. Nicotine withdrawal did not cause me great harm or the horrible side effects I suffered from Chantix. You are correct in stating the drug works. But, after taking Chantix 3 weeks I had nightmares, delusions, nervousness, and pain. All these effects were acceptable. Smoking can be fatal. I pray that you never experience the biggest side effect as I did. I tried to kill myself in Jan of 2008. Thank God I pulled through. Please don't discount those who actually did commit suicide and those of us who lived thru it.

Lucky, if this is the same 'helpful one' as before, she is everything BUT helpful. Your suicidal ideation was real and Chantix is not the first med to cause such a response. I am glad you were able to get through that period (I know that goes without saying but I wanted to reinforce the sentiment).

It is definitely NOT the nicotine withdrawal all of the time. There is some of that but with the Chantix the effects are minimized. Chantix blocks the withdrawal symptoms for the most part. Why the hell else does it work and people put up with the other side effects to take it???? There are those around here who really ARE the Chantix Cheerleaders and have no grasp on the reality of the medication.'Helpful One' AKA Deb is one of those folks. Don't let her get to you at all. Her input and opinion are less than worthless.

[Virginia Lee]

Lucky to be alive wrote:

<quoted text>
I have tried many times to quit smoking, without the help of drugs. Nicotine withdrawel did not cause me great harm or the horrible side effects I suffered from Chantix. You are correct in stating the drug works. But, after taking Chantix 3 weeks I had nightmares, delusions, nervousness, and pain. All these effects were acceptable. Smoking can be fatal. I pray that you never experience the biggest side effect as I did. I tried to kill myself in Jan of 2008. Thank God I pulled through. Please don't discount those who actually did commit suicide and those of us who lived thru it.

Nan,

YEAH to you for living through it and adding to the validity of it not being nicotine w/d but chantix/champix. I hope you have reported your experience to the FDA. It's not much but for right now reporting to the FDA and Pfizer or getting a lawyer is about all we can do right now. Here is the link to the FDA reporting site.

http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/feedback.htm

What I do not understand is how the government in the USA can say chantix okay next to smoking. When chantix has the same side effects as quitting nicotine cold turkey and about 160 additional ones, how is that logical? If society really wants to help smokers quit there are much better ways to address it then offering a pill that will make it easier and the ad for the product says slipping aka cheating is OK. Why not support groups rather then trying to make smokers feel like some kind of low life drug addict and offer a pill to replace the nicotine action in our brains? Guess there is no money in doing it that way but I thought public health was the goal.

[Rio G]

Virginia Lee wrote:

<quoted text>
Nan,
YEAH to you for living through it and adding to the validity of it not being nicotine w/d but chantix/champix. I hope you have reported your experience to the FDA. It's not much but for right now reporting to the FDA and Pfizer or getting a lawyer is about all we can do right now. Here is the link to the FDA reporting site.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/feedback.htm
What I do not understand is how the government in the USA can say chantix okay next to smoking. When chantix has the same side effects as quitting nicotine cold turkey and about 160 additional ones, how is that logical? If society really wants to help smokers quit there are much better ways to address it then offering a pill that will make it easier and the ad for the product says slipping aka cheating is OK. Why not support groups rather then trying to make smokers feel like some kind of low life drug addict and offer a pill to replace the nicotine action in our brains? Guess there is no money in doing it that way but I thought public health was the goal.

VL and all,
I suppose in the end it will all come down to us vs. Pfizer and esp. the FDA
There is something very inherently wrong as to how this drug was introduced in 2006, no one cares except for us. And I am not going to battle people that claim we are cry babies, we are making this material up. If Chantix/Champix hurts us, we actually mean it.
Rob

[Ed Teach]

Suzanne wrote:

The government has been bought and paid for by huge multinational corporate interests. Why would you think the government would do anything to hurt their masters?

It's so refreshing to see another person who realizes what the people of this country are up against. What's needed now is a plan to rid the country of this problem. Difficult? yes, very much so since we can't go to our government for the solution.

[Alex]

Chantix caused the worst constipation I have ever experienced. I took the full 1mg dose for 14 days. I did not have a bowel movement for more than two weeks. This despite taking Miralax and Colace daily. The day I cut the dose in half, my colon started working again. Each movement was the largest I've ever had, and I was having 4 a day. This lasted for another four days until I was off the meds entirely.

During this time, I felt detached, distracted, and anxious. The bad news is that my bowels and mind are not back to normal four months later.

I quit nicotine once before, and the withdrawal was only slightly less intense. Not at all worth the side effects, expense, and potential for death. I plan to join a class action against Pfizer.

[just candid]

Go for it, Pfizer has deep pockets !!!!! Make sure your lawyer leaves you a little something.

[Virginia Lee]

Time to raise the dead and bring this to the top since some people seem to forget why they came here.

Pfizer did know there was a suicide from one of the trials. They blamed it on "previous history of depression." What a crock in their pot of lies and deception!

[Robert Stonewall]

Rio G wrote:

<quoted text>
VL and all,
I suppose in the end it will all come down to us vs. Pfizer and esp. the FDA
There is something very inherently wrong as to how this drug was introduced in 2006, no one cares except for us. And I am not going to battle people that claim we are cry babies, we are making this material up. If Chantix/Champix hurts us, we actually mean it.
Rob

Ys it was someting wrong with the way Chantix got to slither it's way ahead of standard FDA protocall. Stay strong!