Smoking-cessation drug blamed for a Pa. man shooting his wife and killing himself
The fathers of two people killed in a western Pennsylvania murder-suicide say a smoking cessation drug is to blame.
Thirty-four-year-old Sean Wain fatally shot his 33-year-old wife, Natalie, before shooting himself in Economy, Beaver County, in May 2009. A lawsuit filed by their fathers on behalf of the couple's four surviving children says Sean Wain's hostility and rage was prompted by the drug Chantix, marketed by Pfizer Inc.
The lawsuit contends New York-based Pfizer didn't sufficiently warn consumers until after the murder-suicide, even though those side effects were allegedly revealed during clinical trials.
The drug company says it received “post-marketing reports” of such symptoms that don't scientifically “establish a cause and effect relationship” between the medicine and such behavior.
Pfizer says it warns users and their doctors to monitor “neuropsychiatric symptoms,” and that patients who become hostile, aggressive or suicidal should immediately stop using the drug.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Philadelphia - Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 11:24 AM EDT
Source: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Suit-Blames-Chantix-Drug-for-Murder-Suicide-121566444.html
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Chantic Depression: Those with Mental Health Problems May be More at Risk
The smoking cessation aid Chantix has been linked to a variety of psychological
side effects, including Chantix
depression, which may exacerbate symptoms experienced by people who are not taking Chantix but have depression.
Chantix works by dampening a smoker’s desire to smoke. It does so by interfering with nicotine pathways in the brain. These same pathways are intimately connected to dopamine pathways, which play a critical role in mood regulation. Because of this interconnectivity, Chantix may be dangerous for people who have been diagnosed with depression or who remain undiagnosed.
Chantix lawsuits rooted in psychological side effects
Today, more than 1,200 Chantix lawsuits are making their way through US courts. Many of these lawsuits have been brought by a Chantix lawyer representing former Chantix users who had preexisting mental health issues when they began taking Chantix. These plaintiffs were, in many cases, never warned that Chantix may exacerbate mental health problems.
Many of those plaintiffs went on to develop Chantix suicidal thoughts. Many others developed Chantix aggressive behavior and mood swings or Chantix depression.
Chantix depression is characterized by many of the same symptoms associated with clinical depression. People may develop the condition within days of beginning Chantix treatment. Symptoms include feelings of sadness or emptiness, insomnia, inability to concentrate, fatigue and suicidal thoughts.
Anyone who experiences Chantix depression should speak to a physician at the onset of symptoms.
Chantix clinical trials excluded people with mental health problems
Chantix depression is particularly dangerous because it is a condition that is only barely understood. Pfizer precluded people with mental health problems from participating in Chantix clinical trials prior to the FDA’s 2006 approval of the drug. The drug giant is only now catching up with studies on this sensitive demographic, which many say, makes up a disproportionate segment of the smoking public.
Chantix is proven to work. Many smokers who quit with Chantix have greater success staying off cigarettes than smokers who quit cold turkey. But Chantix, like all drugs, has side effects. These side effects may be particularly concerning for people with preexisting mental health problems. For some with no mental health problems, Chantix may cause them.
Source: http://chantixlawsuit-info.com/2011/05/chantix-depression-mental-health-problems-more-risk/
