Champix Chantix 10: Truth Will Out, Pfizer.

Turns out Pfizer ‘accidentally’ misled the FDA about Champix (Chantix) depression, suicides and bad reactions by submitting data “through improper channels”, which negligence (or whatever) has caused many deaths.

By Chris Holmes

*Update 1: If you or a loved one has suffered a bad reaction to Champix and you are based in the U.K., you can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) here. The more people do that the clearer the true picture will become. Protect others! Report it.*

**Update 2: VIVE LA FRANCE! On May 31, 2011, French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand announced that varenicline prescriptions would no longer be subsidized by the government health insurance, due to questions about its safety. At last, someone with the honour and judgement of a normal human being!**

Pfizer claimed, over and over again, that if there was a serious safety problem with their evil, unpredictable drug it would have showed up in the official trials and reviews. It DID, but they managed to conceal it:

“Hundreds of reports of suicides and violent reactions tied to the stop-smoking drug Chantix were left out of a crucial government safety review.
The reports were missing because the drug’s manufacturer Pfizer Inc. submitted years of data through ‘improper channels’, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Serious problems — such as people killing themselves, trying to kill themselves, depression and unprovoked attacks on others — were mixed among 26,000 records of non-serious side effects such as nausea and rashes dating back to 2006, the year Chantix, or varenicline, was approved.” Daily Mail, May 29th 2011

In other words, Pfizer knew about the depression and the horror stories since 2006, and deliberately tried to hide the truth AGAIN. So every bad reaction, suicide, suicide attempt, hospitalisation, violent incident, wrecked working life or reputation – every ruined relationship/marriage and devastated family life that has occured since then, in countries all over the world, could have been avoided. In their ruthless drive for profit, this rogue company has utter contempt for proper reviews, safety procedure or the rule of law, despite already having been fined record sums for breaking rules in the past. The question is, what are governements going to do about this now? What is the New Zealand government going to do, having only “cautiously endorsed” Champix last November, after much hesitation following serious concerns about the health risks? Now that this latest piece of cynical deception has come out, are they STILL going to allow doctors to prescribe this killer drug to their innocent patients, putting their lives at risk unnecessarily? How long does it take for this message to get through to politicians and decision-makers? People are dying needlessly because of corruption and greed.

Pfizer’s standard marketing hype – that “the benefits outweigh the risks” – clearly cannot be accepted now, and have always been untrue because the benefits were greatly exaggerated to begin with, by the usual trick of publicising short-term results and never mentioning the known long-term failure rate. That is seriously misleading – and now we are discovering that they were seriously misleading the authorities about the true extent of the dangers right from the beginning.

Folks, this is not an anomaly: this has become standard practice for drug companies in utter contempt of the law and the fate of individuals, and particularly typical of Pfizer, and it HAS to be stopped. This drug must be withdrawn immediately, and Pfizer investigated and held to account for the horrific damage they have recklessly done to so many human lives. There are serious doubts now about how long it takes to get the drug out of your system even long after you’ve stopped taking it, with some sufferers now reporting very long-term damage.

Full story here.

the book that blew the whistle on the nicotine scam

safer alternative

The truth about why this drug is misconceived anyway, like NRT

Two weeks on Champix

Champix Chantix murders and suicide

Champix Chantix suicide

Champix Chantix seizures and epilepsy

44% success rate? No, 86% failure rate for Champix Chantix

More smokers’ comments follow this post

More smokers’ reviews of Champix Chantix

My original post on Champix Chantix April 2008, and almost 300 comments that followed

Article: Why willpower is irrelevant!

15 thoughts on “Champix Chantix 10: Truth Will Out, Pfizer.”

  1. Well put Chris and of course yes, Champix, and it’s other derivitive names, should be withdrawn immediately.

    All the other ‘smoking cessation’ therapies do not work either and the health service should stop funding free gum, patches etc. They have a high failure rate compared to cold turkey and, I believe, hypnotherapy.

    Enjoy the bank holiday.

  2. “the benefits outweigh the risks”

    Has the same kind of ring as “the means justify the end”, doncha think?

  3. Well Chris, I know these horrors exist, as you may or may not have remembered the suicide I knew of, and the attempted suicide – and that was Champix early 2008/9. People must realise that the risks outweigh the benefits on this drug. This drug is being peddled like penny sweets in a sweet shop and people have been so misled by NHS Stop Smoking clinics with this ‘nicotine addiction’ lie that they get desperate to quit and try Champix. Your site and campaign are still a hit with me as I wasnt aware of hardly any of this before. People must be protected. Keep up the good work. Jane.

  4. Medical authorities the world over CLAIM to have the best interests of patients at heart. They CLAIM to be approaching these problems logically and scientifically.

    Therefore it should be standard practice everywhere to try all safe methods FIRST, and only proceed to methods that involve any risk at all if none of the safe methods work. It is an absolute no-brainer. Hypnotherapy, acupuncture and the Allen Carr approach (which is a mild form of hypnotherapy anyway) have all proven themselves to be more effective in the long term than any of the meds, and they all involve NO RISK.

    Why are they not being used as a priority to avoid damage to patients? Because of the massive lobbying power of global drug giants and their immoral influence over politicians and medical authorities.

    It’s corruption, and it is killing people. Think I’m exaggerating, calling this sort of thing corruption? Check this out: GlaxoSmithKline have just revealed how much cash they lavished on Australian doctors and other medical personnel last year alone: over two million dollars, of which $371,659 was just to go on merry junkets to conferences abroad. In the age of the internet, none of this is necessary but it certainly makes people feel important, doesn’t it? Would YOU like an all-expenses paid trip to Vienna? But that’s nothing: in the same period GSK spent a staggering $96,000,000 on doctors in the USA (link here). Why? Because money talks.

    But so do smokers! Spread the word, don’t risk the slimy meds. Even Pfizer can’t force their drugs down your throat. Doctors, I keep telling you: you’ll miss your credibility when it’s finally gone forever. You are signing it away with your own prescriptions pads with dodgy drugs like Champix, every working day of your lives.

    BUT HOORAY FOR THE FRENCH HEALTH MINISTER! Monsieur Xavier Bertrand, I salute you! Bravo!

  5. This one came in through the email facility:

    Sarah wrote:
    Hi,

    I’m so glad I came across this website when I did… I’ve been taking Champix now for 5 weeks and have been starting to feel really odd. I just put it down to the fact that I haven’t smoked in 19 days..but I’ve been reading as much as I can from here.

    I do have a history of depression and anxiety…but for the past 6 years I have been fine, until now. Should my doctor have prescribed this drug to me knowing that I’ve tried to take my own life more than once previously? Would it have
    killed him to look up my history and be a little wary? I will be having it out with the smoking cessation nurse at my next appointment because I’m seriously not happy about this.

    I have tried my hardest over the years to stay positive and taught myself to spot the warning signs that indicate that my mood might be dipping, but after taking this drug…I didn’t realise it until it was right in front of me in black and white. For that, I thank you…because I never would have
    suspected that this was the cause if it weren’t for this site.

    Sarah

    Then, on the other hand, there was this from Shirley:

    Shirley wrote:
    I am now on Champix having spent £250 on Hypnosis that did not work and left me with severe headaches. I dont know anyone who has quit being hypnotised so I was looking for an alternative to Champix but there doesnt seem
    to be one!

  6. Shirley, hypnotherapy is nothing more or less than a natural communication process so it CANNOT cause headaches, severe or otherwise. However, anyone can manifest bad reactions themselves, just as they can get all worked up, angry or frustrated in any situation. Then find that they have a really bad headache.

    In hypnotherapy sessions this is extremely unusual though, as there is normally a relaxation process involved but of course to benefit from that, you have to take the right attitude towards the process and respond positively. If a client adopts a negative attitude, a positive result is seriously unlikely.

    You don’t know anyone who has quit with hypnotherapy? Thousands of my clients have, but presumably they’re not the kind of people you hang out with. I don’t personally know anyone who dances for a living, but that doesn’t mean no-one does, does it?

    Finally, £250 is far too much for smoking cessation hypnotherapy, unless you went to Harley Street. I hope the suicide pills don’t fry your brains. Good luck with it.

  7. Chris,

    I’ve written before and I would like to reiterate. I took two scripts of Chantix back/back in ’07. When I first heard about it I couldn’t WAIT to get a prescription. I was HAPPY, EXCITED, and looking very much forward to starting my regimen! I read and re-read the directions to make sure I got it right.

    AS PROMISED, smoking became a chore and unsatisfactory. YAY!!! Is this it??!! Was it REALLY this easy??!!!!

    And, it would’ve been PERFECT…had it STOPPED there. But, it didn’t. Once in your system, only God knows how and where you will land. The snaking process is slow, THOROUGH, and POTENT!!!!! Had I NOT taken this drug myself, I too, would be a doubter.

    But, it’s real. Very, VERY real. What it does, is plant weird, evil, seeds throughout your brain and digs it’s heels in receptors I never even knew existed. It changes your way of thinking. My thoughts and mind became twisted…distorted. Never took drugs as a teen, but at 55, can describe first hand…hallucinations.

    Two hospital stays in ’08.

    Jan. ’08 – – taken by ambulance in middle of nite w/horrific chest pains, extreme shortness of breath and stomach spasms as strong as contractions, stayed a week, underwent every test possible, released w/diagnosis – – possible virus.

    May ’08 – – found unconscious on used car parking lot by owner in morning, following an overdose of 240 sleeping pills and did a number on myself w/razor the night before….was enough to put me back in hospital, then psyche unit, and three years of intense outpatient therapy and indescribable hellish groveling to family members…begging forgiveness…qualifies my true experience w/this dangerous…VERY dangerous drug.

    No longer do I believe in FDA, doctors, the system, or pharmaceutical companies. I feel so foolish for being so gullible and naive to actually BELIEVE that someone was looking out for me! What an idiot I was! Guess they had a good laugh.

    Man up, Pfizer…you KNEW what you were putting out there…and you almost got me! So, now what about all the others you DID get…and are STILL getting…who unfortunately, won’t be able to put Chantix in the equation!!! The inexplicable crazy, violent actions of some may NEVER be explained…but SOME will!!! And, hopefully, that’ll be enough to discredit everyone involved…and IMPROVE upon the studies/clincial trials BEFORE putting a drug on the market and then, FOLLOWING UP W/TRUE RESULTS!!

    CHANTIX RECALL IS OVERDUE!!!

  8. i feel like such a fool! All I wanted was to quit smoking and try to get healthy, well I think I was better off smoking! I still am not smoking, but not because of Champix, because I choose not to now. I started getting really bad panic and anxiety attacts. so I stop taking Champix right away, its been 2 weeks now, and I still am getting the attacts. Also dealing with lots of depression. Went to doctors and not even one of them told me to get off of Champix, they were more concerned with the allergy pills I’m taking. Just feel like a fool and wish I could go back 2 months and never have got that prescription! Thanks to an awesome friend of mine, I can talk to her about the things I’m going through, because if I tell the doctors they will just try to get me on more pills.

    yours truly,

    just another person who got played!

  9. This one came in by email today:

    terri wrote:
    I experienced adverse side effects such as feeling detached, extreme agitation, depression, nausea, feelings of aggression,reduced sex drive and increased smoking. I did not complete the course and am smoking more cigs than before. I agree there must be a safer more effective way.

  10. Wow I’m so glad I stumbled across this website! I have been a 20 a day (sometimes more) a day smoker for 20 years and have tried over and over to quit by various means. Willpower (the longest time I quit was with willpower alone), nicotine patches (never got on with them, irritated my skin and fell off) and gum. I finally got to the stage where I was absolutely desperate to stop so went to a “Stop Smoking” counsellor and was prescribed Champix. I heard heard many wonderful stories about this drug so I was excited to try it as I was thinking “this is my last chance to quit” and it has worked for other people I have spoken to.

    The first day I took it, I got an awful bitter taste in my mouth and felt naseaous but thought no I will persevere because i don’t want to die from throat, lung or any other type of smoke related cancer. Well I am now on day 14 of Champix (I quit smoking 4 days ago) and excuse my french but I feel like absolute crap. I have had difficulty in sleeping (I can put up with that), constant banging headaches, then last night mid way through my evening meal I started to feel very ill indeed. I rushed to the toilet and violently vomitted over and over (I know it’s not a sick bug because I am not suceptible to them I have rarely had them in my life). I have spent nearly all night awake as the waves of severe nausea keep crashing over me. I feel absolutely terrible. I have had to phone in sick to work, my husband has had to go in late in order to take the children to school and will have to leave early to pick them up. I feel no better now and I have not taken another champix tablet.

    Chris I am so glad I found this website, I did read the side effects on the leaflet but I dismissed them as my desire to stop the evil weed was greater than my fear of the side effects. However having had a good read of your website (and reading articles from your book) I feel like I don’t need the champix (and feeling how I do at this moment I am chucking them in the bin). Will be buying your book, because what I read was a real eye opener, particularly the bit about the cravings not being a sign of drug addiction because you don’t wake up needing one (well I don’t and I thought I had a real strong addiction).

    I would also go with one of the other comments in this blog someone described them feeling as “mildly intoxicated” and I have been feeling like since I have been taking them, I also feel like I am walking around with a severe hangover but without consuming alcohol!!! What a nightmare!

  11. omg. I have a couple MORE issues w/Pfizer re: Chantix. STOP trying to milk this drug!! Giving it NOW to drug addicts and alcoholics…???!!!!! Are you SERIOUS????!!!!!! How do you SLEEP at nite???!!!!

    Hasn’t this drug done eNOUGH damage???!!!! And, NOW…to prescribe this to the MOST VULNERABLE MASS OF PEOPLE is CRIMINAL!!!! What makes giving/PRESCRIBING this to THESE people any DIFFERENT than when it’s prescribed as a smoking cessation product???!!!! I mean, REALLY???…why wouldn’t they suffer the same, horrendous side effects????!!!!

    Bottom line: as long as this drug is available…there w/be confusion, inexplicable violent acts….mass carnage!! I’m NOT exaggerating!! I took two regimens!! I can assure any doubters out there….this drug is for REAL!!! The side effects, DISTURBINGLY real!!!! Once in your bloodstream…only God knows how/where you will land.

    It’s a VERY, VERY, SCARY…POTENT… POWERFUL…DEADLY prescription!!!! Please…PLEASE…TAKE IT OFF THE MARKET ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!! GROW A CONSCIENCE!!!!!!!

  12. “Pfizer claimed, over and over again, that if there was a serious safety problem with their evil, unpredictable drug it would have showed up in the official trials and reviews. It DID, but they managed to conceal it:” EVIL? Using this term to describe a static non conscious entity (a pill) seems to be sensationalist to me. I am a full believer in the power of the mind and self healing, I was a smoker till 14 weeks ago. The only real concerns I have about this issue is how crazy smoking is in the first place, but this can be part of our nature and who knows why yet? My original attempt at quiting used self harm ie. extinguishing cigs on my body, to remind me of the harm I couldn’t see on the inside, caused by that readily available and widely promoted item – the cigarette. It worked for 2 weeks. My genuine impression of champix within ten minutes of ingestion was this: wow this is pretty strong and serious – is this what it takes to distract the mind from smoking cigarettes – this is for real – no joke – get a grip and change your life. I started to put food in my face instead of tabs, which for me stopped the nauseous feelings, as suggested by the instructions on the packet, and can be very healthy in comparison. I have and probably will always be dealing with mild depression, and have been hospitalised from poor ‘suicide attempts’ but champix has only released me from the control and self destruction of consuming modern fabricated tobacco products. From one tiny little mind and current view, things may change!!

  13. I’ve been on champix for 4 wks. I felt good that I’d stopped smoking and felt no side affects at first. Then I had a bust up with a mate and I just went off the rails. I’ve had a history of severe depression for years but I really felt like I could handle the champix as I really wanted to stop smoking so badly. Now I’ve had really bad panic attacks and depression especially in the morning. I’ve stopped taking it and the docs have give me diazepam to calm me down but I’m still quite bad. I need a light at the end of the tunnle. Please tell me it will stop soon (if it is the champix).

  14. I took Chaotic for three months. The first couple of days I was dizzy and felt weak. I though I was ok. I did quite smoking ( a 40 year habit). I have been off the drug for a week and my life has turn into hell. I’ve lost my peace of mind and my joy. I think about taking my life because I can’t stand myself. I cry over nothing, I feel like I’m going to fall part. I’m very unhappy and have know idea what to do about. I’m writing this post because I have know one to talk to about this. If you are reading this please don’t take this drug, it’s not worth it.

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