Has Chantix Done You Wrong?
I am asking for your expertise and experiences tonight! Has anyone out there tried the Chantix drug to cease their nasty ol’ smoking habit? I know that with every single cardiac patient we do the whole stop smoking spiel and are now offering up a huge number of prescriptions for this “magic” little medicine.
I am curious if number one it worked for you? Number two… any side effects or issues with it? I have seen a lot, and I mean a lot, of patients lately having anxiety and severe panic attacks, heart palpitations and that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. The dreams that people tell tales of…
My father used this and it cut his cravings for the cigs down. He did complain of the nightmares and vivid dreams but not much else. He has yet to give up the ol’ cancer sticks. I know that the Chantix works for many people but I have to wonder about a drug so new. What will we learn about it over the next few years? Do you think there will be a recall and a big fat pull off the shelves? Fill me in on your experience.
Tags: anxiety, cancer_sticks, cardiac_patient, chantrix, cravings, experiences, heart_palpitations, little_medicine, medicine, nightmares, panic_attacks, prescriptions, smoking_habit, stop_smoking, tip_of_the_iceberg, vivid_dreamsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Hearty Blogging
6 opinions for Has Chantix Done You Wrong?
Becky
Jan 9, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I have been taking Chantix for about 3 weeks now, and haven’t smoked, or even had more than a passing urge to smoke, in over a week. I have had a few nights where I dreamed almost constantly, it seemed. However, I can’t remember any of the dreams, so they couldn’t have been that bad. I also had some stomach upset at first, and some constipation. All in all, it’s been a very good experience so far.
John
Feb 2, 2008 at 9:29 pm
My Wife took Chantix for three weeks. The second week, she started having shortness of breath, and said her chest hurt alot. By the third week she was having anxiety and panic attacks. She did say she had bad nightmares also.
brent
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:09 am
i went up untill the middle of the 2nd week on chantix. gave it up after a severe panic attack and blackouts. i would not advise anyone to take this poison to rid smoking. i have now been off chantix for a week and am still having these attacks. please be careful on chantix. i would not wish these feelings upon anyone. feel free to email me if u have any more questions.
ps. my g/f has use chantix also and has no similar reactions. she is now a non smoker. i just wish this would have worked for me.
Candy
Apr 29, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I took chantix for a month. I had a clean bill of health before I started taking it. Never had a skip in the heart or anything. After I started to take this pill my heart started to skip. Didn’t think much of it. Thought it would go away. Guess what, the last day I took it my heart was skipping so bad I thought that was it. I threw those pills away. It’s been 2 1/2 months and my heart still skips. Doctor told me that I will have this for the rest of my life. Can’t help but think that my heart will stop 1 to many time. I’m going to warn as many people as I can about this drug. Not worth the side effects. I wish I knew or warned about the side effect it had on the heart. It wasn’t on any warning I got. Guess more people need to lose their lives before the warning goes out. I have been on other site and what I have seen isn’t too good. I can’t help but think about the ones it has helped. Is it going to come back and bite them later on?
karin nowell
Jul 22, 2008 at 3:24 pm
My husband had a hear attack within 2 two hour s of taking his 2nd pill. He is dead. He had no prior warning sign except a family history.
Vera
Jul 29, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I used to be a woman full of life, vibrant, and outgoing. Educated, well-travelled, smart and witty, and have a strong personality. I am a wife, a mother, and a good friend. I am sweet and loving, and generous in all ways. I used to help people all the time if I can. God bless me with a wonderful husband, and 4 beautiful grandchildren from my daughter and 2 from my son. We are bless too with true friends. I smoked cigarettes for many, many years, I could finished one pack a day..and I decided to put an end to it….Until one day…
I went to see my Pulmonary Specialist. I can’t mention his name. I asked his help to stop my addiction to smoking cigarettes. I told him I tried in the past by taking Zyban which was prescribed to me by another doctor, but I developed an extreme allergic reaction to this drug. And so I stopped. My doctor was happy to recommend to me this new drug
called “CHANTIX.” He didn’t tell me any bad side effects of this new drug. And so he wrote a prescription for me to take them. I was pleased. This drug is manufactured by Pfizer. And now my HORRIBLE nightmares begin……
Dates of taking Chantix: 11-01-06/12-01-06 and 01-05-2007………
After taking the first treatment of Chantix last Nov.,2006, I started to feel depressed, develop mood swings,constant irritability, weird dreams, and started to pick fights with my husband that it would turn out to be destructive because I would slap him hard on the face a lot of times. I took the second box of Chantix again on 12-01-06. I would easily cry for no known reasons. I develop insomnia. I am forgetful of matters now, I used to have a very retentive memory before taking Chantix. I develop suicide ideation. One day after taking the complete treatment of Chantix, from 11′2006, 12′2006 and 01′2007, around 3rd week of March, 2007, I started to feel something bad in my body, I felt extremely weak and I was running a temperature of 103 degrees. It happened again, for 3 or more consecutive days, I would developed a fever of 103 degrees to 105 degrees only at night. So on the 3rd or 4th night, my husband took my temperature again and I was running a fever of 105 degrees. I was so weak and not responding to his questions anymore, so he took me to the emergency of a nearby hospital. The hospital staff put me in the intensive care unit and stayed there for about 5 to 6 days for intensive treatment. They didn’t know what was happening at first. And finally they said that I have pneumonia and an infection of the bladder. I was so bewildered why I had pneumonia while I did not have any pneumonia symptoms. When the doctors sent me home, a nurse would come to the house because they had to change the instrument that the doctor at the hospital put into my skin closed to my heart. They had to monitor it and to changed the dressing. It lasted for about a week or so. Over a period of time, I became worse. I developed RLS, (Restless Leg Syndrome), I attempted suicide by taking different pills but I didn’t die, instead I felt so dizzy and just slept. I feel so helpless and useless. I tried to go back to work and had offers, but came to find out that I can’t even work because all my horrible symptoms are a hindrance! My Cardiologist even told me that I can’t work because of my situation. My life is dysfunctional since taking Chantix. I have frequent headaches, bad chronic body pains, nausea, dizziness, my vision became blurry and develop very dry eyes. My eyes is so sensitive to the sun and lights that I had seen a specialist for the eyes.I develop palpitation, chest discomfort, erratic breathing, develop extreme panic attacks and the attacks would be more than 4 times a day, everyday or every other day! I am confused and easily get disoriented during the day.I develop constipation, abdominal pains, indigestion, and heartburn. I have chills frquently and off and on rashes on my body. I have dry mouth and very bad pain, numbness and heaviness from around my hip down to my legs that it makes so difficult for me to move around. I can’t stand for long hours because I will have excruciating pain from my hip down to my legs. I have body tremors almost every other day and experienced blackouts about three different times. I develop bad back pains and very bad pains on the back of my neck on both sides. I develop depression and I have significantly reduce sexual desire and a very big increase in weight gain of around 20 to 25 lbs. in 15 months. Throughtout all my ordeal, I never thought that all of these were caused by Chantix, (smoking cessation pill) until I was browsing on the net one day on June’2008, and saw an article that says: “FDA WARNING ABOUT CHANTIX..” I read the article and called my husband about it. I was so upset and I cried and said to my husband that the symptoms of taking Chantix are the same symptoms that I have! I never had any idea that Chantix is the culprit! At first I thought it is because I am going through menopausal, and being a Manager ,I was having a lot of stress from my job. I resigned from my job simply because I can’t bear to stand or move around my store. My husband is disable and I can’t work presently due to all my symptoms. I went to my Primary Care Physician a lot of times and I would even cry for his help. He told me to see a Cardiologist, and I did and after a couple of consultation with him, I underwent a battery of tests, and he said that my heart is good. I felt happy but at the same time frustrated because I need an answer to all what I am going thru. And then I cried to my doctor. I consulted too with a Neurologist, and I cried to him to help me, after a couple of visits he ordered a battery of tests. I had seen two Psychiatrists. I take about 15 pills a day. Today, I spoke with the office manager of my Neurologist on the phone and I asked for the results of the test, she said that all the tests they performed are all good. My doctor requested for an MRI for my head and neck according to one technician at his clinic who performed one of my test. The office manager told me today on the phone that my insurance do not like to approve the requested MRI. I even saw and consulted with a Pain Specialist. My Primary Care Physician for 3 years told me that he requested also a CAT SCAN for the back of my neck. I am also awaiting the go signal of my health insurance as of today for both tests. For the meantime….I am always in pain, and live with pain, and still has suicide ideation, I feel so useless and helpless because of everything…my husband is disable and we are on a fix income. I tried to get back to work to help my husband pay our bills, we are even behind in most of our bills, and that is why I decided to try to apply and I even received about 5 offers from different companies, but it will be very difficult for me to work, even my Cardiologist told me that I can’t work in my present condition, I even walk like a 100 year old woman, and move like one. I just want my life back and at least to feel better so I can go back to work to help my husband and to pay our bills and rent. I worry and am hurt because I know that that my husband is hurting to see me in this condition everyday, and he can’t do nothing! My body hurts everyday and my heart is filled with pain! While I am writing this letter, my eyes are filled with tears.
I would like to warn others and pray that Chantix will be eradicated in the market!
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