Chantix Side Effects

I'm afraid to use Chantix because of all of the negative news I've been reading about Chantix side effects. Can you tell me what the side effects of Chantix are and whether Chantix is dangerous for me to use to quit smoking?Answer: Chantix is a smoking cessation medication. In the years since its been on the market, a number of serious concerns about Chantix side effects that involve changes in mood and behavior have surfaced. Typical Chantix side effects include: nausea vomiting constipation gas disruptions in dream patternsPeople who report this set of symptoms often feel that the advantages outweigh the discomforts associated with Chantix. Chantix works by altering brain chemistry, and as such, carries a set of risk factors that involve changes in mood and behavior.

If you have been diagnosed with depression or any other mental health condition, it is very important to carefully review, with the help of your doctor, whether Chantix is a good fit for you.

Safety information from the Chantix Website: Some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions while using CHANTIX to help them quit smoking. Some people had these symptoms when they began taking CHANTIX, and others developed them after several weeks of treatment or after stopping CHANTIX. If you, your family, or caregiver notice agitation, hostility, depression, or changes in behavior, thinking, or mood that are not typical for you, or you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, anxiety, panic, aggression, anger, mania, abnormal sensations, hallucinations, paranoia, or confusion, stop taking CHANTIX and call your doctor right away. Also tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems before taking CHANTIX, as these symptoms may worsen while taking CHANTIX.In May of 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using this drug while on the job:

FAA Bans Chantix for Pilots and Controllers

On July 1, 2009, the FDA mandated that the manufacturers of Chantix, Zyban and Wellbutrin carry a new Boxed Warning on product labels that inform health care providers and the public of the potential risks associated with the use of these drugs. Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) is a non-nicotine prescription quit aid similar to Chantix. Wellbutrin is bupropion that is marketed as an anti-depressant.

The FDA issued a public health advisory as well: People who are taking Chantix or Zyban and experience any serious and unusual changes in mood or behavior or who feel like hurting themselves or someone else should stop taking the medicine and call their healthcare professional right away. Friends or family members who notice these changes in behavior in someone who is taking Chantix or Zyban for smoking cessation should tell the person their concerns and recommend that he or she stop taking the drug and call a health care professional right away.FDA Public Health Advisory Released for Zyban and Chantix

On June 16, 2011, the FDA issued a public health advisory about a possible increase in the risk of certain cardiovascular events for people with pre-existing heart disease using Chantix.

FDA: Chantix May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Events

In light of the potentially serious side effects of Chantix, one might ask whether this form of drug therapy is appropriate for anyone to use.

Both Chantix and Zyban are in a class of quit aids that alter brain chemistry, and that has the potential to cause serious side effects for some people. They are not one-size-fits-all quit aids.

That said, the fact that Chantix and Zyban are still on the market speaks to the good that these quit aids are doing. With a person dying a tobacco-related death every 8 seconds somewhere in the world, day in and day out, 365 days a year, we can safely say that tobacco use is the grand-daddy of all risks that smokers should be concerned with.

Tobacco is a vicious killer in sheep's clothing, and is directly responsible for upwards of 5 million deaths worldwide each year. If current trends continue unchanged, estimates put death by tobacco at one billion this century.

If you happen to be in the group of people who should not use Chantix or Zyban, there are many other products available to help you quit smoking. The absolute best quit aid, and one that is a mandatory ingredient for long term success with smoking cessation is your determination to quit smoking. With it, any quit aid of your choosing will work. Without it, none will. Follow the links below to build the strong resolve that will help you put smoking in your past, permanently.

Resources to Help You Quit Smoking:

Your Quit Smoking Toolbox
The quit smoking toolbox gives you links to information and the support necessary to build a solid quit smoking program for yourself.

Quit Smoking 101 - A Free Email Course
This free newsletter e-mail course, which you'll receive daily for 10 days in your mailbox, aims to provide you with a solid foundation for quitting tobacco successfully.

Online Smoking Cessation Support Forum
Join our very active smoking cessation support community. Support from those who know what you’re going through is invaluable. You may visit as a guest and browse, or register (free) to join the discussions and post messages of your own.

You can quit smoking. Believe in yourself and the sky is the limit.

Sources:
Public Health Advisory: FDA Requires New Boxed Warnings for the Smoking Cessation Drugs Chantix and Zyban. 01 July, 2009. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Chantix Prescription Information. July, 2009. Pfizer Labs.

Chantix Side Effects and Important Safety Information. 01 July, 2009. Chantix.com.

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Chantix as a Quit Smoking Aid

Varenicline tartrate was discovered and developed by Pfizer, Inc. specifically to help people quit smoking. Marketed as Chantix™, this prescription medicine works on two levels. First, Chantix partially activates sites in the brain known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that are affected by nicotine. This gives the person quitting mild nicotine-like effects and eases symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Second, Chantix has the unique ability to neutralize the effects of nicotine if a person smokes while using this drug. Let's take a closer look. Nicotine provides its user with an almost immediate "kick" of euphoria that is the result rapidly changing brain chemistry beginning within 7 seconds of the first puff on a cigarette. Nicotine attaches to nicotinic receptors which affect functions such as breathing and heart rate. That process in turn triggers the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter thought to be responsible for reinforcing the pleasure/reward associations people have with smoking. The nicotine molecule is very similar in shape to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which affects many bodily functions, including breathing, heart rate, learning and memory. Acetylcholine also affects other neurotransmitters that have influence over appetite, mood, and memory. In the brain, nicotine binds with nerve cell receptor sites in places where acetylcholine would, creating the same effects. Chantix works by partially activating a specific type of nicotinic receptor called alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors. The effect of this on the user is similar to a low to medium dose of nicotine. In this way, Chantix helps to relieve symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that people experience when they quit smoking. Nicotine activates the same reward system as do other drugs of abuse such as cocaine or amphetamine, although to a lesser degree. Research has shown that nicotine increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical in the brain responsible for feelings of pleasure and well-being. The acute effects of nicotine wear off within minutes, so people continue dosing themselves frequently throughout the day to maintain the pleasurable effects of nicotine and to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Once in place, Chantix blocks nicotine from activating alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors, which in turn prevents dopamine stimulation in the brain. This gives the person quitting a critical advantage. Should he/she decide to smoke while using this drug, there is no nicotine "feel good" rush, and the smoking experience is flat; dull. Smoking then becomes unfulfilling, and quitting hopefully, easier to accomplish. Six clinical trials involving 3659 chronic cigarette smokers were used as a basis for the effectiveness of Chantix as a therapy for smoking cessation.

Five of the trials were randomized, placebo-controlled studies, and showed that Chantix was more effective than a placebo to help people quit smoking. In two of the five trials, people using Chantix therapy (22 percent) were more successful at quitting smoking than those using Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) (16 percent) as a quit smoking aid. For those taking a placebo, abstinence at the one year mark was approximately 8 percent.

While a 22 percent success rate may not seem like great odds, keep in mind the sheer number of people who are addicted to nicotine and dying because of it today. Globally, smoking-related disease causes 4 million deaths every year. Put another way, tobacco claims a human life every 8 seconds somewhere in the world. A drug that has the potential to help 22 out of every 100 people using it quit smoking is impressive indeed.

We are fortunate to live in a time when advances in medicine offer smokers more choices than ever before to quit smoking successfully. Nicotine addiction kills, plain and simple, and drugs like Chantix give hope to those who might not have been able to quit smoking otherwise.

Sources:

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FDA: Chantix May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Events

The U.S.? Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public advisory about the smoking cessation drug, Chantix (varenicline tartrate), saying that? for people who already suffer from heart disease,? Chantix may pose a slight increase in risk for? "certain adverse cardiovascular events".

FDA Advisory

This safety precaution will be added to the Warnings and Precautions section of physician labeling and the Patient Medication Guide for the drug.

The advisory is based on a review of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that looked at the effectiveness and safety of Chantix.? The study followed 700 patients between the ages of 35 and 75 with cardiovascular disease for a year.? For the first 12 weeks, patients received either 1 mg of Chantix twice a day or a placebo.? Drug treatment stopped at the end of 12 weeks and study participants were followed for the next 40 weeks.?? Smoking cessation counseling was also provided throughout the year.

The Good News

Between weeks 9 and 52,? the Chantix group were able were able to maintain abstinence from tobacco at a rate of 19% compared with 7% of those in the placebo group.

The Bad News

Adverse cardiovascular events, including angina pectoris, nonfatal myocardial infarction, need for coronary revascularization, and new diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease or admission for a procedure for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease appeared to occur at a slightly increased rate for the Chantix group over the placebo group.

Like all medications that require a prescription, there are risks associated with Chantix.? It is not suitable for everyone, but can be an effective quit aid for some.? If you have heart disease and are on Chantix currently, talk to your doctor about how to proceed.

Chantix Patient Information

How Chantix Works as a Quit Aid

Chantix Side Effects:? Is Chantix Safe to Use?

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