Is Chantix Worth the Risk?

Seattle, WACritics of Chantix say that patients should pay close attention to the warnings before they start taking the drug. One critic, Dr. Mercola, writing at foodconsumer.org (December 10, 2009), warns against using pharmaceuticals to help quit smoking, noting that the drugs come with side effects that are harmful to a person's health.

"Chantix is especially toxic and dangerous and should be avoided at all costs," Mercola writes. "There is absolutely no reason to risk your life to become a non-smoker when there are more effective, all natural ways to overcome your nicotine addiction."

Side effects that have been linked to Chantix include a risk of suicidal thoughts and actions and increased aggression. Although smoking carries its own risks, including cancer, emphysema and other diseases, the risks associated with smoking may be more acceptable to some consumers than the risks associated with the anti-smoking medication.

Some consumers who have tried Chantix say they would never have taken the medication if they had known how serious the side effects would be. Some report that they or their loved ones attempted suicide shortly after starting the drug.

One woman, Samantha S. (real name withheld) writes to LawyersandSettlements that her husband changed completely after he started taking Chantix. She says he became depressed, walked out on his family and withdrew from all his friends after taking Chantix for three weeks. "It's like the man he was before Chantix has died," Samantha writes. "He is self-destructing and it has caused me so much emotionally, physically and financially. We lost our husband and father."

Lawsuits have now been filed against the makers of Chantix, alleging that patients were not adequately warned about the risks associated with the drug. A black box warning has been added to Chantix, alerting consumers to the risks, including the risk of serious mental health events such as changes in behavior, depression, hostility and suicidal thoughts.

However, those warnings come too late for some people whose lives have already changed because they or someone they loved used that drug to help them quit smoking.