BEWARE OF CHANTIX

[lola2]

After smoking heavily for the better part of 25 years, I made a commitment to quit.
Although I am glad to be 2 years smoke free, I destroyed my life in the process of quitting, and I am here in hopes of stopping other people from quitting the way I did. I unknowingly poisoned my body to help myself quit. I trusted the Pfizer drug Chantix because it was FDA approved, later to learn that Chantix would cause neurological problems. I only took a 2-month supply of Chantix, spread over 3 months, ending in March of 2007, but the adverse reactions are extremely bad to this day!
It starts with all over joint, muscle and bone pain, then it led me to further damage, such as neuropathy, and a partially paralyzed right foot, and severe myopathy. The damage mimics M.S., but no M.S. was found on a brain scan.
Not just me, but there are hundreds of others online complaining about the same reactions from Chantix, but the FDA doesn't care. Obviously they are on Pfizer's payroll too.

[lola2]

Oh and another good natural anti-inflammatory is omega-3 from fish oil. Very good for reducing cholesterol, thinning blood, weight loss, and inflammation. Also at vitamin stores. vitacost.com is the most inexpensive place to buy them, plus if you search online you will find a coupon

[christine2007]

Thanks, we already use fish oil and have for some time. I do believe it works!

[lola2]

Recent news that backs up my claim about the FDA
First this artical came out on January 8 2008----then 100 FDA doctors are laid off, a week later.
FDA scientists complain to Obama of 'corruption' - Yahoo! News

FDA scientists complain to Obama of 'corruption'
Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 8, 6:22 pm ET
Featured Topics: Barack Obama Presidential Transition Play Video Barack Obama Video: Pricey Piece of History FOX News Play Video Barack Obama Video: America's Opinion FOX News Play Video Barack Obama Video: Over the Top? FOX News WASHINGTON – In an unusually blunt letter, a group of federal scientists is complaining to the Obama transition team of widespread managerial misconduct in a division of the Food and Drug Administration.

"The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the scientific review process for medical devices at the FDA has been corrupted and distorted by current FDA managers, thereby placing the American people at risk," said the letter, dated Wednesday and written on the agency's Center for Devices and Radiological Health letterhead.

The center is responsible for medical devices ranging from stents and breast implants to MRIs and other imaging machinery. The concerns of the nine scientists who wrote to the transition team echo some of the complaints from the FDA's drug review division a few years ago during the safety debacle involving the painkiller Vioxx.

The FDA declined to publicly respond to the letter, but said it is working to address the concerns.

In their letter the FDA dissidents alleged that agency managers use intimidation to squelch scientific debate, leading to the approval of medical devices whose effectiveness is questionable and which may not be entirely safe.

"Managers with incompatible, discordant and irrelevant scientific and clinical expertise in devices...have ignored serious safety and effectiveness concerns of FDA experts," the letter said. "Managers have ordered, intimidated and coerced FDA experts to modify scientific evaluations, conclusions and recommendations in violation of the laws, rules and regulations, and to accept clinical and technical data that is not scientifically valid."

A copy of the letter, with the names of the scientists redacted, was provided to The Associated Press by a congressional official.

"Currently, there is an atmosphere at FDA in which the honest employee fears the dishonest employee, and not the other way around," the scientists wrote.

FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said in response: "We have been working very closely with members of the transition team and any concerns or questions they have on any issue, we will address directly with the team. Separately, the agency is actively engaged in a process to explore the staff members' concerns and take appropriate action."

Senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers are urging Obama to appoint a commissioner who will shake up the FDA and restore the confidence of its working-level scientists and medical experts. But industry officials fear that approval of new drugs and devices could be delayed by endless scientific disputes — which is the agency's reputation.

The FDA dissidents have previously taken their concerns to Congress and found support from lawmakers in the House.

In the letter the group singled out mammography computer-aided detection devices as an example of a technology that should not have gone forward. The devices were supposed to improve breast cancer detection, but instead studies showed they were associated with false alarms that led to unnecessary breast biopsies.

Since 2006, FDA experts have recommended five times against approving the devices without better clinical evidence, the letter said. In March of last year, a panel of outside advisers supported some of the concerns of the FDA's in-house scientists. Nonetheless, FDA managers overruled the objections and ordered approval.

Top FDA managers "committed the most outrageous misconduct by ordering, coercing and intimidating FDA physicians and scientists to recommend approval, and then retaliating when the physicians and scientists refused to go along," the letter said.

A spokeswoman said the Obama transition team had no comment.

[christine2007]

I completely agree with the article Lola. I don't TRUST THE FDA at all! Again, I restate: This is why I research what's available and if it is NOT allowed in the EU (European Union) I will "not" use it. The EU has a lot stricter and more trustworthy testing history. I believe that in scientific circles worldwide we Americans are laughed at as being the 'world's guinea pigs'.

I'm so glad that Chantix (in the EU it's called Champix) was tested and approved there many years ago. I have confidence in it and now first hand knowledge to know it's safe 'and' effective.

Now, ask me about Prilosec! Now they think it causes cardiac problems and contributes to pneumonia. (I've had BOTH) And Aleve! Pharmacists and doctors now believe this should NEVER have been allowed to become an Over The Counter Drug. Nice going FDA!!!

You can Google EU vs FDA and get results for many drugs. Good luck!

[lola2]

Interesting Christine,

My doctor prescribed 8 frivilous drugs to me, and I trusted her reasons, until 2 things happened:
1. I overheard a conversation between the doctor and a drug sales person who was selling her on rebates for prescribing certain drugs. Doctors don't stock drugs, but they track scripts somehow and pay commissions to the docs
2. I was getting an irregular heartbeat and my hair was falling out. I believe it was the "Arthrotec" that caused it. She even had me taking Vesecare, claiming she wanted to be sure I was sleeping 8 consecutive hours and not getting up to use the bathroom in the night. I never had a bladder problem----there is nothing wrong with a bathroom trip in the middle of the night. But that's when I said enough is enough, I'd rather suffer in pain then abuse my body any more.

I think there have been many unnecessary deaths so they can earn the rebates. Some doctors select drugs by the amount of his/her commission from the drug companies, instead of the patient's need.

[linda8]

Hello, I am not trying to be a doubter, but where did you find documentation of others with the same symptoms. My fiance is about to start the Chantix sometime in the next couple of weeks and i would like to find that information so i can do some research also.

[linda8]

Hello Julie, I have been in the medical field for over 15 years and worked closely with doctors and pharmaceutical reps. The doctors absolutely do not get anything for writing certain RX's. Of course the doctors do give out what is being pushed on them at the current time, because usually they are being bombarded with samples and with all types of scientific data showing how it is better than the previous drugs, of course not always accurate. I hope this helps clear up some misconceptions. The drug companies are aware of how many are written only because the data is collected from the pharmacies and reported to the drug companies. No monies of any kind are given to the MD's from the pharmaceutical companies. They aren't even allowed to take them out for golf or anything like in the old days. It is very regulated. sorry to go on a tangent, but the real bad guys are the insurance companies. Do not even get me started on them. Hope you have had a great smoke free day.

[christine2007]

Hi Linda, I quit a little over 470 days ago by using Chantix. I had a little bit of nausea if I took it on an empty stomach and wonderful, colorful dreams. Nothing more. And, no one I know has had any problems with it except for my girlfriend who is on a very strong anti depressant...and she got dizzy this past week. So they'll changing her anti depressant meds and she'll start Chantix over again. It was an absolute godsend because I tried 'everything' else... and I do mean 'everything'. LOL

[lola2]

Linda...
Here are URL's to 6 sites and forums of Chantix users desperately looking for help from their adverse reactions. It's scary what this drug has done to people!!!

http://www.importantlawsuits.com/lawsuits/chantix-and-side-effects-...
Here is another:
http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=2301&page=214
Here is another:
http://www.topix.net/forum/law/healthcare/TVFDIU3OTSER7EGIV/p13
Here is another:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mass_tort_litigation/2006/11/wsj_o...
Another:
http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3147
Another:
http://community.becomeanex.org/forum/topics/beware-of-chantix?page...

I'm sure there are more too. No one knows why it affects some users and not all.
Lola

[lola2]

I heard Walmart has a $10. drug program, have you looked into it? It names the eligible drugs on their site too. If not Costco is cheaper than most pharmacies.

Lola