"I only heard about the positive side of Chantix," says Harriet (not her real name). "It was helping a few people at work to quit smoking so I asked my doctor to try it out." First, her doctor gave Harriet a smoking cessation test—a quick physical that checked her blood pressure and heart etc. and he talked about quitting smoking. But he negelected to tell Harriet of the psychological effects to look out for: they range from abnormal dreams to thoughts of suicide and in some cases, violent tendencies. "He gave me 3 packs of Chantix and I still have 2 packs in the closet," she says, adding that she is fortunate not to have taken all 3 packs."Soon as I started the Chantix I asked people at work who had taken the drug if they noticed any weird things happening. They had experienced mood swings, but I had nightmares. And I was more depressed than anything. I went back to my doctor—I even dreamed that I hurt one of my kids! 'I've given Chantix to several people and nobody has complained,' my doctor said. So I took it for another week but my moods got worse…
I am an outgoing person but I became reclusive and didn't want to do anything. I don't think it had anything to do with not smoking because as soon as I stopped taking Chantix my nightmares stopped and my depression lifted. And I had actually quit smoking temporarily—Chantix helped me to quit but this drug affected me mentally. Then I saw ads on TV talking about all these psychological side effects.
I saw a family interviewed on a morning talk show; they were talking about Chantix and their grandfather had committed suicide. His wife suspected it was this drug: at first he complained about nightmares. This drug takes you into a bad place. Lucky for me I didn't go down that far.
Last year sometime I started smoking again, probably a few weeks later. One girl at work stopped taking Chantix because of the psychological side effects and she also went back to smoking. When I found out the damage this drug could cause and there was a possible class action lawsuit, I wondered how the hell the drug company could make me take a drug like that and not tell me of the side effects. This stuff is crazy—the drug company should have done more research on this one. I know that nightmares are now listed on the label, but that doesn't mean people are going to read through all that fine print.
And it's a good thing I didn't listen to my doctor—he should listen to me! If I listened to him and stayed on this Chantix I might also be dead.
This is crazy—the drug company should have done more research on this one."
READ MORE CHANTIX LEGAL NEWS
On its website, Pfizer lists the psychiatric disorders of Chantix as the following:
Frequent: Anxiety, Depression, Emotional disorder, Irritability, Restlessness. Infrequent: Aggression, Agitation, Disorientation, Dissociation, Libido decreased, Mood swings, Thinking abnormal. Rare: Bradyphrenia, Euphoric mood, Hallucination, Psychotic disorder, Suicidal ideation.
According to the number of Chantix users LawyersandSettlements has interviewed, the rare disorders may not be so rare…
READER COMMENTS
Scorpioc
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Diane
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Les
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febe
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The dreams were continuous, meaning even tho they woke me up every 30-45 minutes, because of the real pain I felt, but would go right back into the same awful dream. Each time I had to get up and shake it off, then try again. I was up about 15 minutes each time. The pain was a strange pain that I don't know how to describe. Although diminished, the pain was still there when I went back to bed, but I felt so awful and exhausted, I just had to sleep. The dreams have been getting worse each night. But, as it's still dark outside and I have yet to sleep- I'm exhausted, had a night full of horrific drama (that I am still questioning if part might actually be true and my brain knows it- but I haven't recognized it yet? Is that possible?) How am I suppose to go to work every day without sleeping at night? I only have 3 more days to put them down and it feels like ringing the bell early, but now I wonder.... If this can cause me real pain, even when I wake up, and make me go straight back into the same dream- what else is it doing inside my brain? Is it able to be reversed "at will" when I stop Chantix? I know I can't take another night like that, but lingering effects of this that science doesn't know yet is almost as haunting as the dreams now. It is some powerful stuff on the brain to do what it did to me last night. I have 3 more days, but if tonight is anything like last night- won't make it. Any thoughts?
Corlien
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Rich
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Shelly
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Diana McNerney
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Ron Rogers
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"Oh, it gives me bad dreams and a queasy tummy, they should totally take it off the shelves." Really, people?
Near-sighted and self-centered can't even begin to describe that statement.
It also sounds so ridiculously funny when you think long term. I mean, if you can't stand a "queasy tummy", how long do you think you'd cope with chemotherapy?
In truth, when people say things like that, what I hear is:
"Well I'm angry because it was supposed to be this magic pill that would undo years of damage and give me instant fresh breath, but it turns out it doesn't work like that."
No, really, you're disappointed because you bought a smoking cessation AID - and it refuses to quit FOR you? Who could possibly have seen that coming, uh?
Moreover, it's not anyone else's fault that you're such an unique and delicate snowflake who cleverly exploits your charm and wit to make up for an absolute lack of fortitude.
Stripping down your rant to the core, what you're saying is, "well, if I could not work my way through the side effects, then NO ONE ELSE should have Champix as an option".
Which is, of course, BS.
I get nauseous too. Yeah, I have the nightmares, I wake up several times during the night and I have been slightly irritated lately (in case you haven't noticed, haha).
But it's working (for the second time) and I am confident that any discomfort I'm feeling NOW will be well worth it a few weeks down the road, when I'll be out of both nicotine and pills.
It's a small price to pay in order to break free from a cage built mostly out of my own stupidity. And after abusing my body and health for 30 years, is it any wonder that I can't just quit scot free without any downsides, even if temporary? If that was possible, there would be no smokers to begin with.
I understand I am not entitled to a smooth transition. This is not a trivial matter - I am QUITTING A DRUG. Some measure of suffering is to be expected.
And I am fully aware that if I try to avoid it altogether, I WILL FAIL and I'll go right back to smoking.
Therefore, I will face it instead. I will puke my guts out if I have to, I'll be crabby and miserable for a couple weeks, but I will NOT keep buying my way into a slow, painful and expensive death just so I don't have to face any discomfort NOW.
Obviously, one could just as easily shed any personal responsibility on how their own future will play out, suffer the inevitable failure and then blame it on the drug, on big pharma, on anyone else except themselves.
Nobody really cares.
But it would be NOICE if people would stop with the fear mongering BS.
Thousands of people have used it successfuly. I bet they all suffered with side effects, but they suceeded because thet were willing to face it in order to break free from tobacco.
In my case, Champix did the trick TWICE - when all else have failed. I've tried quitting cold turkey, but couldn't do it. I've spent a fortune on patches and gum, to no avail.
Then I took Champix and stayed smoke-free for two years. The side effects subsided shortly after I stopped taking the pills.
After two years and a few bad choices I was back to two packs a day, but I take full responsibility for that failure.
Now I'm taking Champix again. I went from 2 packs a day to zero in two weeks. I haven't smoked for a month and I don't feel like smoking again.
It's helping me the same way it's helping millions of people.
I don't think anybody can could up with a reasonable argument to justify why those people should NOT be helped.
Yeah, people will moan about side effects.
Of course there are side effects. It's a drug to treat addiction - one that is harder to beat than cocaine and alcohol.
If you come in expecting a walk in the park, OF COURSE you will be disappointed, but whose fault is it?
If you feel it's not for you, DON'T TAKE IT.
But whatever it is that makes you think you're qualified to decide whether OTHER PEOPLE should be allowed to take it or not, it only exists in your head. It's not REAL.
Worse yet, every person you scare away from this treatment with your fear mongering is someone who might not be able to quit by other means.
Someone who could have been saved, but wasn't, because of you.
Because you're more interested in venting your frustration, running your mouth or digging for gold with frivolous lawsuits rather than reaching for the truth.
Shame on you.
Lisa
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Piper
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Josh
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Seriously???? First of all I'm pretty sure in NO WAY is the drug company MAKING YOU take the drug. Pretty sure your 110% buying it & taking it by choice. Maybe you should have done more research before choosing to take the drug. And doesn't mean people are going to read "all that fine print." Yeah that would again be your fault for not reading the medical/pharmacy paper that comes with it. But hey best of luck!!!
Karen
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Pony
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Wow
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Big Quitter
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anna maria
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worked for me.
Eric
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Dustin
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amber
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John Thomas
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John Thomas
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heather
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Debbie
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Ben
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