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Chantix
Chantix Side Effects
Health Canada: New Safety Information regarding CHAMPIX (USA: CHANTIX).pdf
Chantix is a smoking cessation medication marketed by Pfizer, Inc. that was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006, Chantix side effects may include suicidal thoughts, depression and even violent behavior. In September 2007, Chantix side effects were implicated in the bizarre death of a Dallas, Texas man.The Chantix label warns of various side effects, including nausea, changes in dreaming, constipation, gas and vomiting. But those warnings are more prominent and easier to find than the fine print on the package insert that warns of the possibility of psychotic and suicidal behavior. But since its approval, more and more Chantix users have reported these terrifying side effects.
Chantix works by blocking nicotine receptors, thereby reducing cravings for and decreases the pleasurable effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Chantix is the first such nicotine receptor partial agonist approved by the FDA. It is an alternative to other smoking cessation drugs and nicotine replacement therapy.
Chantix Violent Behavior and the Death of Carter Albrecht
Chantix and the resulting side effects may have played a part in the death of prominent Dallas musician Carter Albrecht. Albrecht, best known as a member of Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, started taking Chantix in late August 2007. He was well liked in the community, and had no prior history of violence. Immediately, Albrecht began to complain of vivid, hallucinatory dreams (a Chantix side effect). One night about a week after he started taking Chantix, Albrecht had a violent encounter with his girlfriend. The episode occurred after Albrecht had consumed a couple of alcoholic drinks. Albrecht’s girlfriend reported that he was confused, and did not recognize her. Before the night was over, Albrecht had been shot dead by a terrified neighbor on whose property he had trespassed.
After Albrecht’s death, many other Chantix users complained of similar episodes of violent or suicidal behavior, especially when they had consumed alcohol. The Chantix label does caution against alcohol use, but it does not warn that drinking alcohol while taking Chantix could lead to violent or suicidal behavior. Furthermore, Chantix’s reaction with alcohol has not been studied in clinical trials.
Legal Help for Victims of Chantix
If you or a loved one has been injured by Chantix, you may have valuable legal rights. Please fill out the form at the right for a free case review by a qualified attorney.
ChantixRSS Feed
Drug Makers Decry FDA Safety Push
Jul 1, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Drug makers are complaining that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is too focused on, of all things, safety. The pharmaceutical industry says the FDA' s tougher stance is slowing the arrival of new drugs to the market, but consumer advocates - citing recent scandals involving defective drugs - say a stronger focus on safety is long overdue.According to the Wall Street Journal, the FDA approved just 19 new medicines last year, the fewest in 24 years, and announced about 75 new...
Another Chantix Warning in Canada
Jun 24, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
For the second time since April, health officials in Canada have issued a warning about Chantix, Pfizer's anti-smoking medication. This time, Health Canada is warning that Chantix - sold in Canada as Champix - has caused unusual feelings of agitation, depressed mood, hostility, changes in behavior or impulsive or disturbing thoughts, such as ideas of self-harm or of harming others, in some users.In April, Health Canada issued an alert warning that Chantix has been linked to 107 adverse...
Veterans to Get Chantix Suicide Warning
Jun 20, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
About 32,000 veterans taking Chantix will soon receive a warning that the stop-smoking drug is linked to suicidal behavior. The decision by the Veterans Administration (VA) comes after ABC News aired an investigative report which revealed that veterans enrolled in a Chantix trial - all diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - were not told for several months that the drug was associated with suicide.In the US, Chantix has been linked to at least 40 suicides and 400...
Chantix Tested on Vets with PTSD
Jun 17, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
A shocking new report alleges that war veterans used as test subjects for Chantix were not told upfront that the anti-smoking drug was linked to suicidal behavior and other psychiatric side effects. What's worse, some of the Iraq war veterans used as Chantix guinea pigs were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that already placed them at a higher risk of suicidal behavior.In the US, 34 Chantix users have reportedly committed suicide. In November 2007, the...
Chantix Concerns Ignored by FDA, Doctor Says
Jun 16, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Concerns over Chantix side effects were reportedly ignored by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) last year when they were raised by a doctor who is a top expert in smoking cessation. John Spangler, director of Tobacco Intervention Programs at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., says that a study that was used to demonstrate that Chantix was safe for long-term use was not thorough enough to assure the drug's safety.Chantix, approved in the US...
Chantix Side Effects
Quick Facts
Chantix Reference Guide
Defective Drug Name
Chantix
Year Chantix was Approved
2006
Chantix Manufacturer
Pfizer, Inc.
Status of Chantix
On the Market
Approved Uses of Chantix
Stop Smoking Aid
Chantix Side Effects
- Suicide
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Depression
- Violent Behavior
- Nausea
- Vivid Dreams
- Constipation
- Gas
- Vomiting
Related Topics
Defective Drugs
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