Millions of Americans made a New Years resolution this year ranging from vows to lose weight and get in shape to better financial and stress management. Quitting smoking is another resolution that consistently appears on the list for the top three most popular resolutions.
Tobacco remains the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death in United States, effecting close to 46 million Americans. Furthermore, the health and financial benefits have prompted more than 49 percent of adults who have ever smoked since 1965 to quit smoking, according to the American Heart Association. These statistics are encouraging to those who have resolved to quit smoking in 2010.
However, an estimated 75 percent of people will break a resolution in the first several months of the year. Coupled with studies that show that smokers who quit cold turkey have a decreased success rate compared to those who quit smoking with the help of smoking cessation medication, many individuals have sought help from their doctor to quit smoking.
Many physicians have turned to popular smoking cessation medications, varenicline, marketed as Chantix, and bupropion, sold as Zyban, to help reduce withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke. Chantix, which raked in $846 million in 2008, and Zyban, which
is available in generic form, are commonly prescribed smoking cessation medications used as an alternative to nicotine replacement therapies.
However, the help of medication may not be worth the risks. The side effects of Chantix have included depression, psychiatric complications, mood swings and, in some cases, suicide. More than 100 suicides have been linked to the medication, although there may be more suicides that occurred as a side effect of Chantix that have not been reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This has prompted many family members of Chantix patients to seek a Chantix lawyer to develop an often time consuming Chantix lawsuit to receive monetary compensation.
In July 1, 2009, the FDA required that Chantix and Zyban carry a black box warning notifying patients of potential suicide risk and other emotional side effects including depression and abnormal behavior. A black box warning is most severe warning the FDA can issue without demanding a recall. Despite the known risks, many patients continue to take the medication in their attempts to quit smoking.
Pfizer, the manufacturer of Chantix has maintained that the deaths and side effects are a result of nicotine withdrawal, although patients who continued to smoke while taking the medication demonstrated unusual or irrational behavior. The FDA will continue to evaluate the safety of Chantix.
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