Trucking Regulators Warn on Use of Chantix

Wall Street Journal ^ | 23 May 2008 | ALICIA MUNDY and AVERY JOHNSON

[shrinkermd]

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a warning Thursday on the anti-smoking drug Chantix, advising medical examiners "to not qualify anyone currently using this medication for commercial motor vehicle licenses."

The FMCSA oversees the interstate trucking and bus industry. Chantix, made by Pfizer, Inc., was attacked in a study by a non-profit group on Wednesday for possible links to seizures, dizziness, heart irregularity, diabetes and more than 100 accidents.

The Department of Transportation alerted its agencies about the study, asking the office directors be aware of the report's warnings and recommendations.

The Federal Aviation Administration banned the drug for pilots and air traffic controllers on Wednesday, hours after seeing the study, which reported that Chantix was linked to 988 serious events in the last quarter of 2007 alone.

The FDA did not announce any new action. Its spokeswoman said that the FDA was concentrating on potential links between Chantix and neuropsychiatric side effects. The FDA and Pfizer updated warnings on Chantix's label this year to include depression and suicidal thinking.

[kittymyrib]

Pfizer will be sued into oblivion by all the people hurt by this dangerous drug, or by their survivors. Chantrix should never have been recalled immediately when the psychosis it causes became known.

[kittymyrib]

Correction: Chantrix should have been recalled immediately...

[alice_in_bubbaland]

My hubby used Chantix for a month, in April, without any problems. He did say that he had vivid dreams, which he enjoyed!

I’m the last of the Mohicans, I’m afraid, since menopause is enough for me to deal with. My hormones are so out of wack, I don’t want to deal with Chantix. I’m considering laser treatments.

[CaspersGh0sts]

“Correction: Chantrix should have been recalled immediately...”

Aren’t you being a bit drastic? For starters, I have yet to see the solid evidence that Chantix indeed caused these episodes. I have yet to see that it’s not another drug interaction going on, even if it did. And we have yet to see the incidence of said side effects.

All drugs cause side-effects. Some are just more desireable than others—i.e. their intended use.

And as far as desireable side-effects, there is no better formulation oh the market for haulting smoking.

There’s a lot of chicken little science out there. And it’s no more rampant than with vaccines. Call me a skeptic until there’s solid evidence behind what’s going on.

[org.whodat]

I’d be more worried about all the illegals Swift transportation and other companies like them may sold CDL’s to.

[nightlight7]

I don’t want to deal with Chantix.

Why disrupt your life and damage your health? Tobacco is an ancient medicinal plant, honed over at least eight thousand years which has over two billion satisfied lifelong test subjects. It is the most beneficial (see also here) single medicinal substance, natural or synthetic, humans have ever known. The only thing related to smoking that actually harms you is the belief in the antismoking propaganda (via witch doctor effect/negative placebo).

Last year I made similar statement in a "smart drugs" forum, which is a group of medically and biochemically highly educated folks (mostly college/graduate students and researchers in medical or biochemical fields). After the initial horror reaction, several months of intense but polite debate ensued. They offered scientific papers to prove me wrong, which after more careful reading, beyond the weasel-worded abstracts, turned out to support my statements even more than I initially assumed.

Check the above links then light one in peace and truly enjoy the best thing you can do for your health and longevity.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

LOL! Thanks, but I’ll quit without putting chemicals into my body, and Laser treatments will be my first option.

[txgirl4Bush]

A friend of mine said her dad used Chantix and he had vivid dreams of killing people with an ax! I think any drug that messes with your mind like that should be banned. It is probably those kind of dreams that make people commit suicide.

[flying Elvis]

It helped me kick a 25 year habit, and I somehow managed not to kill anyone while I was taking it.

[alaskamomma]

Same for me. I smoked for 35 yrs. Haven’t lit up for almost 2 months now.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I pray that this drug is not banned. I know a man with severe neurological symptoms, who also smoked, and his symptoms were almost completely eliminated—miraculously—with this drug.

He is being studied right now to determine if this drug, even if it not safe enough for smokers, might be a godsend to some people with similar and crippling neurological problems.

[Pete-R-Bilt]

Thanks for the heads up.

This is just tying up loose ends, they put out this notice last week for the Airline industry and Mary Penis remembered that maybe we shouldn't be out here all psycho and stuff either...