Are chantix side effects riskier than smoking?

There is no doubt in the fact that chantix has very dangerous side effects. That is why it is always better to have chantix with the proper prescription of the doctor. Some reported negative side effects of Chantix include nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbance, constipation, flatulence, and hard stool. One reported Chantix side effect that is not necessarily negative is lucid dreaming. From many reports (and from first-hand experience) these lucid dreams are actually pleasant experiences. Some people who have never remembered their dreams before are now remembering their dreams as "weird fun-filled rides" that they say are quite positive. Others have expressed that, although these "rides" can be pleasurable, they can leave them feeling exhausted in the morning.

The benefits of quitting smoking include a reduced risk of death from stroke, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and several types of cancer­. Every year, smoking is responsible for about 130,000 deaths from cancer, 50,000 deaths from lung disease, and 170,000 deaths from heart disease. Quitting smoking today can dramatically increase your chances of avoiding these health issues.

Actually, chantix works by blocking the nicotine to reach the brain receptors. It works by interfering with receptors in the brain that respond to nicotine. This provides advantage over the other nicotine replacement drugs available in the market. It reduces the amount of pleasure a person receives from smoking and it also weakens the symptoms that comes with nicotine withdrawal. According to the survey conducted chantix has been proven to be the best smoking cessation aid in preventing relapse and withdrawal symptoms. It is also very easy to use as compared to other quit smoking drugs.

Some reported negative side effects of Chantix include nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbance, constipation, flatulence, and hard stool. One reported Chantix side effect that is not necessarily negative is lucid dreaming. From many reports (and from first-hand experience) these lucid dreams are actually pleasant experiences. Some people who have never remembered their dreams before are now remembering their dreams as "weird fun-filled rides" that they say are quite positive. Others have expressed that, although these "rides" can be pleasurable, they can leave them feeling exhausted in the morning.

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 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, abnormal sensations, hallucinations, 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. People can have serious skin reactions while taking chantix, some of which can become life threatening. These can include rash, swelling, redness, and peeling of the skin. Some people can have allergic reactions to chantix some of which can be life threatening and include swelling of the face, mouth, and throat that can cause trouble breathing. If you have these symptoms or have a rash with peeling skin or blisters in your mouth, stop taking chantix and get medical attention right away. Do not take chantix if you have had a serious allergic or skin reaction to chantix.

The FDA announced the first Chantix warnings in late 2007 and three months later, the agency said it that there may be an association between Chantix and serious neuropsychiatric symptoms. In June 2007, Pfizer, the manufacturer of Chantix, was required to add a boxed warning about Chantix side effects and the risk of behavior changes, including depression, aggression, and attempted suicide.
Chantix (varenicline) was approved in 2006 to help people quit smoking. It works by stimulating nicotine receptors in the brain, just as nicotine does, but blocks the nicotine from attaching to the receptors, reducing the pleasurable effects of tobacco as well as the desire to smoke. Because it works on the brain, Chantix may worsen preexisting psychiatric illness or cause a recurrence of past issues. However, some Chantix users who had no history of psychiatric illness and others who did not quit smoking also reported behavior or mood changes, including suicidal thoughts.

There are also reports of patients experiencing drowsiness that affected their ability to drive or operate machinery. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that the use of Chantix may adversely affect a driver's ability to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle and the FAA banned the use of Chantix among pilots and air traffic controllers.

There have been relatively few studies of Chantix that included people with a mental illness, so that remains a concern. Last month a new study was published which examined side effects among Chantix users with and without a lifetime history of depression. The study, by Dr Jennifer McClure (Group Health Center for Health Studies, Seattle) and colleagues, compared the rates of side effects among people with), and people without a history of depression who used Chantix to try to quit smoking while receiving phone and/or internet counseling. The study excluded people suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and a few other illnesses. All participants received a telephone interview before starting treatment and 21 days and 3 months after their target quit date (i.e. approx 4 weeks and 13 week s after starting taking Chantix).

The first main finding was that, overall, ratings of symptoms such as depression or stress actually declined after the participants started taking Chantix (and tried to quit smoking), both for those with and without a history of depression. However, smokers with a history of depression felt more tense, irritable, depressed, and confused than those without a history of depression, 21 days after their target quit date (as they did at baseline), and people with a history of depression who reported depressed symptoms were more likely to report severe depression than those without such a history at 21-day follow-up.

There are also some lawsuits filed against P fizer the company responsible for making cv\hantix due to the side effects caused by it and that Pfizer failed to properly warn users and the medical community about the potential side effects, which could increase the risk of suicide or unusual behavior changes. The lawsuits also claim that Pfizer failed to adequately research their medication. Many individual lawsuits are being filed nationwide (three lawsuits were filed in New York state court in January, 2010) and all federal Chantix lawsuits have been consolidated in an MDL that is centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

Despite the fact that Chantix can have mild side effects on a minority of people, the overall risks of taking Chantix are extremely low, especially when you compare these minor risks to the high risks of smoking. Each person has a different body chemistry and will have varying experiences, but if you are a smoker who has tried and failed numerous times to break free of nicotine, even if you've been smoking for decades, Chantix will dramatically increase your chances of quitting.

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