Longbranch, TX"If I wasn't at work that morning, surrounded with good people, I would have committed suicide because of Chantix," says Darlene. Her boss took Darlene to a psychiatric hospital, where she stayed for two weeks.
"In November of 2007 I went to my doctor for a regular checkup," says Darlene. "We talked about how I could quit smoking—I had smoked for 33 years. I had tried to stop on my own—unsuccessfully—so my doctor suggested that I take Chantix; she said that it works really well.
By December I went back to my doctor; I was steadily get more aggravated and couldn't focus on my job. I am the chief technician for a dialysis clinic so it is quite stressful. I was becoming very agitated but my doctor said there was nothing wrong with me except that I was depressed. I asked her if it could be from taking Chantix but she advised me not to stop taking the drug. My mental state was way worse than nicotine withdrawal. I even tried to smoke a cigarette to ease what I was feeling but it just got worse.
I took 1 mg of Chantix for more than 90 days. Honestly, I could have taken more than that but I don't remember; I also had short-term memory loss and I was paranoid about everything. Then a voice in my head told me it was time to check out; that I was worthless. I had spent the weekend with my husband and had my youngest grandson with me. My family told me that I was doing oddball stuff all weekend.
The next day at work, apparently I flipped out. One of my co-workers told me that I threatened to blow my brains out. My boss took me to a psychiatric hospital; I was brought there in a manic state, threatening suicide. That happened about seven days after I stopped taking Chantix. I was diagnosed and treated for bi-polar disorder, type 1, and I was admitted for two weeks. It scared the hell out of me.
All along, I suspected it was Chantix; I even made a call to a lawyer before I went to the hospital. I have never been depressed in my life nor have I ever been treated for any mental disorders. During those two weeks I was drugged on Seroquel. When I was released, I went to counselors, and my family doctor and I have a follow-up appointment with the psychiatrist on June 4th.
I am still taking meds for bi-polar disorder and I wasn't taking anything before Chantix. Not one doctor has admitted that Chantix could be to blame but while I was in the hospital I met several people having the same problems as me and they had taken Chantix. I told my daughter about this and she found people with the same problems on the internet—why can't the doctors understand how dangerous this drug is?
And my medical bills are stacking up—I had a CAT scan, an MRI, and went to a neurologist because of my memory loss. I have medical insurance but I still have to pay; luckily I didn't lose my job and I am back at work; I have a great boss and he told me to take care of myself first.
My doctor told me that stress can cause all these things that happened to me: hearing voices, memory loss, agitation. So can Chantix. My goal is to get this drug off the market. I feel for all those families whose family members committed suicide."