Sunday, February 3, 2008

Quit Smoking Drug Danger?

Chantix, a new drug to help smokers quit, is associated with increased risk of psychiatric problems, according to the FDA, as reported in this news article.

According to this story in Wired Science, a musician in Texas started exhibiting aggressive and bizarre behavior within a week of starting the drug.

Have you tried Chantix? What effects did it have, pro or con?

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

No I haven't tried it. I quit smoking cold turkey almost 2 years ago. Someone told me it worked pretty good though.

Anonymous said...

I really do want to try to quit smoking and I was thinking about using chantix but now i'm having second thoughts, and maybe i'll just try to go cold turkey

Anonymous said...

well i really don't know exactly how hard it is to stop smoking, because i've never smoked a thing in my life and most likely will stay that way, but i have heard that a lot of people say its extremely hard to stop cold turkey, so kudos to yall who did it

Anonymous said...

I havent tried this, but I dont smoke either. But I would imagine if I did and I was trying to quit i would choose something that did not have side effects as harsh as these sound.

Anonymous said...

Trying to quit smoking is hard! I personally haven't tried Chantix but my father has. He didn't have any of the harsh side effects listed. He did mention that the taste is different. But they say that Chantix will only work if you are truley committed to quit. It was unsuccessful for him because he wasn't "deap down" ready to kick the habbit!

Anonymous said...

My mother started smoking when she was 14 and she just recently quit smoking in 2005. It was the hardest thing for her to do, but she did it. I'm so proud of her and I love her dearly, for showing me that if you put your mind to anything it can be done. I've never smoked, I guess it just it appeal to me. I know that I'm lucky that it didn't. Anyway I hope that people who do smoke can find a friend to help support them along the way, because that helped my mother.
Melissa Merrill

Anonymous said...

I have only smoked on occasion, not to much. I am not one of those people who have to have a smoke all the time. But I agree with Ashley, if I did want to quit or if I had to quit smoking I would try another drug that doesn't have quite as harsh side effects as Chantix

Anonymous said...

Considering that I am on Chantix I find this article very intersting. I personally haven't noticed any mood changes. It does work well with cravings even though I am not a serious smoker.

Anonymous said...

I am currently taking chantix, and its works great for me. The only side effect I'm experiencing is if I forget to eat something first before taking the pill, I will feel nausea on my stomach, but, if I were to start feeling and acting wierd on the drug, I would stop taking it and try something different.

Casey Pilgreen said...

I have just quit smoking. I didn't use chantix but my doctor did highly recommend it. She said some of her pt that have smoked for 30 yrs were able to quit. However, she did not tell me about the side effects.

Anonymous said...

cold turkey is the way to go iv'e quit twice and only by going cold turkey, but it's alot easier to start again.

Anonymous said...

I have never smoked in my life;therefore, I don't know how people feel when they smoke. I know some people who have stop smoking without taking any drugs, such as Chantix. I beleive you can stop smoking if you really want to without taking any kind of drugs. It's your choice.

Dorothy Williams

Anonymous said...

I have never wanted pick up a cigarette and I don't plan on smoking in this life time. I have seen how addictive it can be. My mother smokes and has been a smoker since she was a teenager. I try to encourage her to stop and try patches or the gum.

Anonymous said...

my dads good friend recently decided to quit smoking and is trying the drug Chantix. so far he seems to be doing realy well and has gone from a pack of cigarettes a day to just 4 cigarettes. i spoke to his wife over the weekend and she told me that she hasnt noticed any mood changes yet.

hailey ayers said...

One of my teachers smoked for 40 years and quit using Chantix. She said cigarettes tasted horrible and they didn't satisfy her anymore. She did really well for maybe six months and then started smoking again.

hailey ayers said...

She had psychiatric problems, but I don't think they were due to her use of Chantix. But I could be wrong.

Anonymous said...

"Tina Dunn"

I can relate somewhat to this story first hand. I have a family member that has had depression for over thirty years. They have also smoked all their life. Well, to make a long story short, they tried the drug Chantix and it truly helped with the smoking issue as they almost quit.

Well, on the other hand, me and other family members noticed that some of the depression that has subsided was coming back out of nowhere. So we as a family actually looked at what she was taking as far as meds, looked at what changes in life that may have affected this person and come to the realization that the med Chantix was the only recent change. So you know, this was our finding way before any news articles come out about this drug being related to increasing depression.

I am no scientist and have no definite answers but this did hold true to this family member. They have since taken themselves off the medication along with others. They have reported feeling better than ever with no increased desire to smoke or no increased depression. With this said, I feel there is something to Chantix contributing to the depression and possibly other side effects.

So if you smoke, it would be in your best interest to quit smoking for your health and to do it without the aid of a drug in which you do not know the true benefits.

Tina Dunn
PSY 241 BCCC "Spring 2008"

Richard Godley said...

In my opinion trying to get someone to quit smoking is like trying to get a man to stop being sexually active

Anonymous said...

Quit smoking is hard to do and if someone wants to quit they will try anything. I feel that if they are taking a drug that can make them mentally unstable then the drug should be recalled. Also the drug should have be test more in depth before even put out on the shelfs.

Dennis McKinney

Anonymous said...

I know someone who smoked for 35 years and has just recently quit and is using chantix. It works well for her and she hasn't experienced any side effect. I guess it just depends on the person.

Anonymous said...

I know someone who smoked for 35 years and has just recently quit and is using chantix. It works well for her and she hasn't experienced any side effect. I guess it just depends on the person.

Emily Smith
SHS

Anonymous said...

I dont smoke and I have never tried this drug. As a pharmacy tech I have seen alot of people locally begin on the Chantix program. No one reported having such side effects but it does happen and not only with Chantix. I have heard of it happening with sleeping pills such as Ambien and Lunesta.