Weapon Carrying Workers and Chantix Prescriptions

In a recent edition of Annals of Pharmacotherapy there was a Chantix report published. One of the co-authors of the report was Thomas J. Moore. In the report Thomas J. Moore indicated that potentially dangerous side effects of the popular stop smoking drug, Chantix, give just cause for restrictions that would exclude various weapon carrying workers (police, military, etc.) from taking the drug.

As a senior scientist for drug safety and policy at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in Horsham, PA, Thomas J. Moore worked alongside several colleagues to conduct the Chantix study due to safety concerns related to the popular drug used to “quit smoking.” Conclusive recommendations were offered with the intention of preventing violence as Chantix aggressive behavior that erupts amongst weapon carrying workers could have much more harmful consequences than in other cases. The report indicated that the scientists feared the Chantix side effects may cause the usually protective instincts of the weapon carrying workers to be overwhelmed by aggressive behavior (for which Chantix is quickly becoming known) and cause them to harm those they would normally devote their time to protecting.

The first reports of Chantix aggressive behavior and other related side effects were reported in 2008.
Chantix side effects and related adverse events include:

• Mood changes
• Abrupt change in personality or behavior
• Aggressive and/or dangerous behavior
• Hostility
• Suicidal behavior
• Serious, sometimes fatal, skin reactions
• Depression
• Suicide ideation
• Attempted suicide
• Suicide

Chantix aggressive behavior has been known to lead to:

• General Assault
• Homicidal thoughts and/or actions
• General aggressions
• Violence
• Uncharacteristic and inappropriate behavior; often presenting abruptly with little to no warning

The Chantix aggressive behavior and other side effects will generally begin to make themselves known within 2 days of the start of Chantix treatment. In some cases the symptoms of aggressive behavior and other, related side effects will stop along with Chantix use. But in other cases, the symptoms of Chantix side effects persist after treatment had been completed and/or stopped. It has been suggested that the adverse effects that are afflicting Chantix patients are due to the nicotine withdrawal rather than the drug itself. This is not an accurate assessment as in many cases the symptoms begin to present in the first few days of treatment during which time the patient is still smoking without restriction.

Why file a Chantix Lawsuit?

There are several reasons to file a Chantix lawsuit. First, the Chantix lawsuit is an appropriate response to the company’s failure to conduct appropriate studies of the drug prior to releasing it to the public for use. Appropriate studies would likely have offered at least indications of the potential side effects and the harm they could cause to Chantix patients. Second, a Chantix lawsuit is an appropriate response to the company’s failure to provide patients and potential patients with appropriate warnings regarding potential side effects once they were identified or even suspected.
Individuals who wish to determine their Chantix lawsuit eligibility should contact an experienced Chantix lawyer to discuss the specifics of their situation. The end result of a Chantix lawsuit will depend upon several factors including: the extreme nature of the side effects, financial consequences felt as a result of the side effects, permanence or temporary nature of the side effects, injury caused by side effects, etc.