Chantix side effects could lead to risk of suicide or serious injury

Since its approval in May 2006, many people have turned to Chantix to stop smoking. While the medication was initially presented as one with very few side effects, Chantix has since been associated with numerous reports of suicides and other potentially serious injuries caused by unusual behavior while taking the drug. Pfizer, the drug’s maker, failed to warn consumers about these psychological side effects of Chantix, and lawsuits are being reviewed nationwide on behalf of users who suffered a serious physical injury or death as a result of suicide.

>>INFORMATION: Chantix Suicide Lawsuits

Chantix (varenicline) works by blocking nicotine receptor sites in the brain. This helps to ease the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and reduces the pleasurable effects of smoking for users who are trying to quit. The most common reported side effects of Chantix were said to be headaches, nausea and unusual dreams. However, a growing number of users have reported serious psychiatric Chantix side effects, resulting in uncharacteristic behavior, thoughts of suicide and some who took their own life.

On February 1, 2008, the FDA announced new warnings which will be added to the label about the possible risk of suicide as a side effect of Chantix. They indicated that it is increasingly likely that Chantix is associated with the recent reports of bizarre behavior among users. In some cases, these Chantix side effects appeared shortly after the medication was started, and some users report that the symptoms continued even after they stop taking the drug.

The pre-market trials for Chantix did not include participants with prior psychiatric conditions, and the drug makers failed to adequately evaluate the risk of suicidality, or suicidal behavior, among users of their drug. Their failure to properly research their Medication and warn about all possible Chantix side effects, deprived users of the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they wished to expose themselves to the possible risks associated with the drug.

The new warnings which now appear on the drug’s label come too late for many who have already suffered serious physical injury or death as a result of unusual behavior while taking Chantix to stop smoking. The risk of Chantix side effects has been especially problematic for those with pre-existing psychatric conditions, as the drug could worsen previous symptoms which had been under good control, resulting in a recurrence or worsening of psychiatric illness.

The Chantix lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential lawsuits on behalf of users who have suffered a severe, self-inflicted injury or death as a result of suicide after taking the medication to help them stop smoking. There are no fees or expenses unless a recover is obtained. To determine if you, a friend or family member may have suffered problems as a side effect of Chantix, request a free consultation.

29 Responses to:

“Chantix side effects could lead to risk of suicide or serious injury”

  1. Chantix and Suicide - Chantix Lawyers | Legal News & Updates Blog - Saiontz, Kirk & Miles Says:

    [...] a result of Pfizer’s failure to warn about the potential link between Chantix and suicide, users and their families may be entitled to financial compensation. The Chantix lawyers at [...]

  2. molly Says:

    I took chantix and stopped smoking after only 9 days of taking it. I had smoked for 10 years before chantix. The drug worked like a charm, it has been 3 months since I stopped smoking. I feel fantastic. I admit that my psychological state was a bit tense while taking it but I hung in there knowining the end result would mean I had quit smoking. I recommend to people who absolutely ready to quit

  3. molly Says:

    I took chantix and stopped smoking after only 9 days of taking it. I had smoked for 10 years before chantix. The drug worked like a charm, it has been 3 months since I stopped smoking. I feel fantastic. I admit that my psychological state was a bit tense while taking it but I hung in there knowining the end result would mean I had quit smoking. I recommend to people who are absolutely ready to quit

  4. me Says:

    DO NOT TAKE CHANTIX !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  5. amy Says:

    My brother took Chantix for 10 days and had major side effects: suicidal thoughts, nausea, headaches, fever, loss of short term memory and moody behavior. He has never had any medical problems prior to taking this drug. His symptoms continued until after he stopped the drug. I do not recommend anyone to take Chantix!!!!

  6. Derek Says:

    I took Chantix for approx. 7 days and found out that I did not care about anything, work or family life. Chantix did work- I did cut down in smoking -however - I stopped using the drug due to not caring about anything, it could have affected my job.

  7. Erin Says:

    It’s making me feel crazy. I’m not caring about anything and have a short fuse. This is my fourth and final day on chantix. i just hope to feel normal again after this wears off.

  8. Todd Says:

    almost at 3 months and just about everyone i know, including bosses, wife, friends families and co workers) have called me out on being a complete jerk. Your right i really don’t care about anything on the Chantix. I also have acne on my back like i’ve never seen.

  9. David Says:

    I feel I’m about to loose our marriage due to the psychological asspects of Chantix. My wife began taking this drug to quit smoking and it turned our life upside down. It’s been a month since she quit and I feel she is still feeling the effects. Divorce is a word that has come to her mouth frequently recently and now doesn’t care about anything much to fight for our marriage.

  10. Josh Says:

    I have used chantix for three months now. I never thought I would be able to quit smoking and I have. I feel so much better about my life in general. Not having that nagging need for something that in the end could more than likely kill me. Knowing that I don’t have to have that cigarette in the morning, or driving to work in the car has turned my world upside down too! But in a good way. I would definitely recommend chantix to anyone with a sound state of mind. The only side affect I had was a bit of naseua at the beginning of my treatment. Other than that, my thoughts were clear and my mind focused unlike some of these other stories I have read. I guess it just depends on the person. Thanks to chantix I can

  11. Wanda Says:

    I started taking Chantix on July 12th, I was having difficulty breathing. The Doctor prescribed Chantix. It has been working really well. I no longer smoke, but i do have short term memory loss. I got lost on a rotunie trip to the feed store. This trip is weekly and my 10 yr. old grand daughter asked me what was wrong. She had to give me directions. I have six horses so this is a normal routine for me. Has anyone else experianced something like this?

  12. Mandy Says:

    This is my 4th day, day one I had a migrain, other than that I’m my same old self…but these side effects concern me ~ should I stay on it? My husband & I started the same day ~ he did it 2 years ago, but then went off after 2 months…(death in his family and he needed to smoke) anyhow….I’m kinda scared….

  13. Patty Says:

    My mom took Chantix in January and began hemorraghing from the nose. During the same week my father died and we went to WV to bury him. My mom spent the next three weeks in intensive care in Morgantown with a bleed for which the physicians could find no cause. She is seemingly depressed even now - and viscious with her comments and then somedays normal. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I don’t know if her thoughts are suicidal, but she is scaring me.

  14. Lori Says:

    I took Chantix back in March , I really wanted to quit smoking. I thought I was losing my mind. I sent my youngest son to live somewhere else and rented out his room, started drinking after work each night. I didn’t care about anyone or anything, including myself. My behaviors, depression and anger got me in jail for the first time in my life (I’m 47 years old) and eventually my only suicide attempt. I have been sick with stomach and bowel problems ever since.
    This is not me!!

  15. lori Says:

    I took chantix in june for apprx 5 days, day 6 , i was in the emergency room with extreme abdominal pain, after act it was discovered i had an intestinal inflamation (etiology unknown) thought to be diverticulitis. 6 days in the hospital on heavy antibiotics to decrease the inflamation. I didn’t continue with the chantix due to all the other drugs i was on for the intestinal inflammation. 1 month later a colonoscopy revealed only a slight inflammation remained and no diverticuli. For the next 3 months I had unexplained lymphadenopathy. Every test I took was negative. Then in October I decided to start back on Chantix “on the road to good health” HAAH!! After only 4 days on chantix I was back in the emergency room in the most pain I have ever had in my life. I prayed for mercy… The pain was much worse than I experianced in child bearing. I then realized that at the time it happened before I had started Chantix. I wonder?! My gastroenterologist, gynecologist and primary care physician can’t find any explaination for the intestinal inflammation or lymph-adenopathy. I can only say the common factor in both episodes was chantix>? Could it be… Oh and I forgot to mention the joint pain!!! I’m only 38 and my hips, fingers ankles, knees all hurt so badly I slept on top of pillows and took pain meds along with muscle creams to no avail. The pain was torture!

  16. Richard Says:

    I took Chantix for two months and it worked so well that I had stopped taking it at that point. I had quit smoking after the fifth day of the medication. I did not experience any bed or abnormal side affects from the medication while taking it. One month (almost to the day) after I stopped using Chantix I began experiencing THE MOST AWFUL headaches I have ever had after that joint pain and nerve pain. My doctor’s (now two months later) still cannot find anything wrong with me I know it is the medication I took but they can neither confirm or deny this. I have had MRI’s, MRV’s, CT scans, Blood work, tried several typical “migraine” medications without success (because this is not the same type of pain or location, or symptoms as a migraine). I have spent a large amount of money and still have not gotten to the root of the problem and no one will admit that it could be the drug they prescribed to help me quit smoking.

  17. Jenni Says:

    I started Chantix in September, I had no problems at all until the 3rd week, which is when I woke up one Wednesday morning with the worst depression.(I had NEVER had a problem with depression or anxiety before in my life) I was depressed about absolutely nothing, I cried for days for no real reason at all, I even ended up in the ER due to the anxiety I was experiencing. I also did not care about anything or anyone, which is not me. It took about 3 more weeks to get the medication out of my system & to stop most of the side effects. I experienced depression,anxiety, paranoia, susidal thoughts,agressiveness, loss of short term memory, I couldn’t eat & more. In the end with all the doctor visits, medication copays (antidepressants & antianxietys which by the way did not help one little bit) and the ER visit I had to fork out over $2,000. AND, I’m back to smoking just as much as I was before Chantix. I would not advise anyone to take this medication!!

  18. Lacey Says:

    I was given a prescription for Chantix yesterday, and I’m scared to death to pick it up. I’ve read so many “good” stories, and so many “bad” stories relating to Chantix that I don’t know what to do. I know everyone is different. I told my doctor that I’d heard that Chantix could cause diabetes, and cause people to have suicidal thoughts…but he said that the suicidal thoughts come from people that have had depression issues in the past (previous to using Chantix). Then he told me not to believe a lot of the websites, etc. I’m supposed to trust him, since he’s a doctor, right? I really want to try this, but don’t know what to do!

  19. Cindi Says:

    I started taking Chantix September 3, 2008 after thirty five years of smoking. It worked very well for me for about 5-6 weeks..( I can’t remember ) and then it was a slow ride downhill. I lost interest in everything I like to do, moody, angry, memory loss (really bad ). I finally realized that something was terribly wrong and I had to stop taking this drug after 13 weeks. I quit taking it 48 hours ago now and feel a little better but still very foggy with the short term memory stuff. I hope this goes away soon…Jenni mentioned it took 3 weeks for all her side effects to go away, thanks for that info. I do not take any other prescription drugs and after this experience unless it is a life threatening situation I will not be taking anything in the future. I am still in total shock what this drug has done to me. I am 80 days smoke free now but with the exception of the first couple of weeks I give the willpower and desire to quit more credit than this terrible drug.

  20. Patty from Orlando Says:

    Started Chantix 3 wks ago. My husband got scared off and decided not to use the prescription and is using the Nicoderm patches. Anyhow, I stopped smoking completely by the end of week 2. So far, so good. No noticeable side effects. I say, if you really want to quit smoking, take it for a couple of weeks. If you notice anything wrong stop it. Hopefully you would have quit by then. And don’t stay on the medicine for very long. Your body will tell you if something is wrong. Thanks for sharing all your experiences.

  21. Lee Says:

    Took Chantix for 3 months at doses 3x recommended (as per doctor). Did not quit smoking and was hospitalized as a result of depression and suicidal thoughts.

  22. Mark Says:

    I was on Chantix for only two weeks. This was almost two years ago. It never did anything for my smoking(i.e. i havent quit yet) But my entire family stated then that i was a real jerk to be around. I have a really short fuse now which is not like me at all. I still have problems with headaches and short term memory loss. And i still have a quick temper. I have lost the happy easy to get along with me. Avoid this drug no matter what.

  23. Joyce Says:

    My daughter has suffered with a pre-existing condition for years. They found a combination of drugs that balanced her out wonderfully. She found chantix and was thrilled as she wanted to stop smoking badly. Much to our dismay, her symptoms returned and became far worse. She ended up attempting suicide, was thrown into a center and a court order was slapped on her. She has since recovered from this, but the scars the whole episode left on her are horrible. No relapse at all until she used Chantix. I would not recommend this to anyone who has a pre-existing condition. Too bad Chantix makers didn’t warn people about this.

  24. Lori Says:

    I took Chantix for 3 months . During that time i was having severe panic attacks as well as anxiety, I felt awful. I felt like I was completley losing my mind..totally not myself. I was put on Klonapin by my doctor to calm me down and have been now almost year and three quarters since i stopped taking them and still have problems with anxiety and panic(which I never had before the Chantix use). I would strongley advise anyone to NOT take these pills!!!

  25. Parker Says:

    I recommend this drug to anyone who wants to quit smoking!! I took Chantix for five months and am smoke free. I have advice for people who want to take this medicine. You HAVE to take the Chantix on a full stomach and with a big glass of water. This does a lot to prevent the stomach pains. If you start to feel your stomach hurt then drink more water. I do warn everyone to be prepared for several weeks of crazy dreams. I had them for almost three weeks before they stopped. I tried using Chantix a couple of years ago so this made me prepared of what to expect. Back then I wasn’t serious and just cut down. This go round I was totally ready, prepared for the side effects, and followed the directions. I am so happy and think more people should give it a chance… it’s worth it.

  26. molly Says:

    I HATE THIS DRUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    its terrible, i reccomend all who are on this drug to get off. my mom took this and saw the similar basic symptoms within the first week: hard time breathing, trouble with memory, extremely tired, ect. On the ninth day the symptoms reached its peak. my mom was unable to talk, walk, breath, remember…it was terrible. and the chantix company did nothing. they ruined my mother’s life. she still suffers from severe muscle pain, and other symptoms daily…so to all users beware and stop!

  27. molly Says:

    oh my goodness, i can relate to you so much, richard (16). that is a very similar situation to my mom’s.

  28. jim Says:

    While I was taking this drug, I got depressed and very aggressive. I soon began to not care about things and got so depressed that i considered driving my truck into a building. I was so concerned about this thought and depressed that I quit my driving job. My wife read an article about Chanttix and I stoped the drug at that time. To late to save my job. I took weeks to “come down” and to start to feel better. I still have bad reactions to minor stuff and I havnt taken the drug for months.

  29. danny Says:

    with smoking it helped on the upside I quit after 9 days. As a result I began to have a short fuse throw things and hick the wall and yell at my partner My relationship ended since this person never saw me like this. It really f…ed my life up….

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