Stop Smoking Aids Pose a Danger: FDA Warning
Smokers looking to quit may have another hurdle to jump in breaking their habit. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued an urgent warning to doctors and smokers that several popular products used to help people quit smoking may have serious side effects.
Pfizer, the maker of Chantix (the popular name for varenicline), along with Zyban, Wellbutrin and other such generic products (using bupropion) are being told by the FDA that they must add new warnings and medication guidelines to the products that alert healthcare professionals and patients of the risk of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients using the products.
This comes as a serious blow to the millions of people internationally who depend on smoking cessation drugs and mechanisms to quit smoking. According to the American Cancer Society smoking and other types of tobacco use is responsible for nearly 20 percent of the deaths in the United States alone. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that more than 43 million American adults smoke. And there is a financial cost to the nation as well. The CDC says the total U.S. economic burden of smoking is approximately $193 billion per year.
According to the FDA, the anti-smoking products may produce symptoms that include changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts and behavior, and even attempted suicide. The reports of some patients experiencing suicidal thoughts come from patients who have not even had a history of psychiatric problems. The FDA is taking the action because of it continues to get reports from doctors and patients of adverse events from people using the stop smoking products.
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