Chantix Suicide: A Dramatic Side Effect

Chantix side effects of the popular smoking cessation drug have been widely publicized, as shockwaves are sent through the pharmaceutical industry and the drug’s large patient base. Chantix, which was rushed through the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process because of its apparent effectiveness and usefulness in a society where smoking is prevalent and quitting is difficult, was a drug that many patients trusted – and one of the most important factors many smokers consider when deciding to quit is health. So it comes as a staggering blow that, while Chantix may be helping some smokers, it has taken away from others the one thing it promises to give – their health.

Many of the side effects of Chantix are psychological. Users have experienced bouts of rage, depression, mood swings, and suicidal thoughts. Some users have even attempted suicide or attacked others as a result of their mood swings. Suicide is one of the most shocking side effects of the drug, manufactured by Pfizer.

More than 250 reports of Chantix-suicides have reached the Food and Drug Administration since the drug’s introduction to markets in 2006. Even greater still are the number of suicide attempts and patients experiencing suicidal thoughts after taking Chantix. Because of this, some groups are calling Chantix the most dangerous prescription drug on today’s market.

One of the many Chantix scandals rocking the pharmaceuticals world is the revelation that Pfizer failed to properly and promptly report hundreds of reports of Chantix side effects, including 150 cases of Chantix suicide. These reports, now uncovered, may have an impact on the risk-benefit profile that was completed by the Food and Drug Administration in 2009. This profile resulted in the highest warning the Food and Drug Administration can give a drug – a black box warning. Had the other side effects been taken into account, the profile could have resulted in an all-out ban on the product.

Chantix has been linked to a number of violent episodes, as well. A murder-suicide that took place in Pennsylvania claimed the lives of a man and woman, whose four children are now the plaintiffs in a Chantix lawsuit aimed at gaining compensation for their lifelong loss.