FDA: Anti smoking drug Chantix linked to more than 500 suicides

[Uma]

I just finished watching an interesting documentary about Lyme Disease. Apparently, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lou Gerricks disease, Multiple Sceleros (MS), and many more diseases have been Lymes Disease. But because Antibiotics don't rake in the insurance money for BP and their partners, CDC, FDA, etc, doctors who treated for Lyme disease lost their license. insurance companies half the panel of disease control make up a guideline, so the insurance companies could stop shelling out for long term patients on antibiotics (3 + years).
We've been battling them hard on the ecig home front, over finances, but this documentary got me to thinking outside the box a little more than I usual travel. The PG is a germ fighter. The Nicotine is a bug fighter. Combine the two, and...
Put on your tin foul hats and conclude what you will. Or not. Either way, this is an eye opening documentary about disease, CDC, FDA, medical liscense, and especially big Pharma.
Under Our Skin - YouTube

 

[MorpheusPA]

The problem with Chantix, and why there are so many suicides, is that Chantix messes with people with any Mood Disorder. Major Depression, Bipolar, ect. It can make them go manic or super depressed. I'm Bipolar, so I refuse to take it. But there are many undiagnosed people, and this can be a nightmare for them.

This. I have mild clinical depression, and the doctor didn't mention any issues with Chantix, he just wrote the script.

After which it took several months to rebalance after a lovely episode of moderate to severe depression. This is not to mention the nausea, constant headache, and other symptoms.

Thanks, I'd rather use the e-cig and titer down my nicotine level over time. Now this works.

 

[RosaJ]

Uma, don't forget that BP is also doing research on using nicotine to help patients with Alzheimers, Parkinsons, etc.

 

[Vocalek]

This. I have mild clinical depression, and the doctor didn't mention any issues with Chantix, he just wrote the script.

After which it took several months to rebalance after a lovely episode of moderate to severe depression. This is not to mention the nausea, constant headache, and other symptoms.

Thanks, I'd rather use the e-cig and titer down my nicotine level over time. Now this works.

Don't feel as if you MUST cut your nicotine down and out in order to be "cured." Switching to a smoke-free source of nicotine reduces your risks of smoking related diseases by about 99%.

If you feel you must get rid of that remaining 1%, then that's all right, too. We all need to do what is best for us, rather than what someone else tells us must be best for us.

If you feel just fine when you lower your nicotine, maybe you don't have any of the conditions that are kept in check by nicotine. If, however, when you lower your nicotine you don't feel like yourself--a little edgy, a little down, a little confused--don't try to cut down any more until you feel normal again. If you don't get back to feeling normal within a reasonable time frame (in your judgement), then maybe you want to consider going back up the level where you felt like yourself.

 

[Sundodger]

I just finished watching an interesting documentary about Lyme Disease. Apparently, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lou Gerricks disease, Multiple Sceleros (MS), and many more diseases have been Lymes Disease. But because Antibiotics don't rake in the insurance money for BP and their partners, CDC, FDA, etc, doctors who treated for Lyme disease lost their license. Insurance companies half the panel of disease control make up a guideline, so the insurance companies could stop shelling out for long term patients on antibiotics (3 + years).
We've been battling them hard on the ecig home front, over finances, but this documentary got me to thinking outside the box a little more than I usual travel. The PG is a germ fighter. The Nicotine is a bug fighter. Combine the two, and...
Put on your tin foul hats and conclude what you will. Or not. Either way, this is an eye opening documentary about disease, CDC, FDA, medical liscense, and especially big Pharma.
Under Our Skin - YouTube

Yup, they are totally confused on how to test for the antibodies associated with the diseases you've listed. Lyme can be tested for over and over, the stuff sits below the test level and once in the body for a long period the lyme test itself is useless. There is a lot more to this story than I'm willing to get into and what this forum would allow. All I can say is research it for yourselves, the information is out there.

Typical medical and FDA crap. Follow the money folks.

 

[rothenbj]

Don't expect to see the media focus on the negatives of Chantix anytime soon. Pfizer spends a LOT OF MONEY to run their ads.

 

[Uma]

Uma, don't forget that BP is also doing research on using nicotine to help patients with Alzheimers, Parkinsons, etc.

Good reminder. They so want to corner the market.

 

[ennagizer]

Don't expect to see the media focus on the negatives of Chantix anytime soon. Pfizer spends a LOT OF MONEY to run their ads.

Which may go hand in hand with the negative stories the media publishes.

 

[Spazmelda]

Kind of an aside, but has anyone noticed a new phrase in the chantix commercials? I don't know if they have always said this, and maybe I'm just more attuned to it now, but I've noticed the phrase, "I didn't want to use nicotine to quit nicotine". I have been wondering if that is a reaction directed somewhat at electronic cigarettes

 

[AgentAnia]

Kind of an aside, but has anyone noticed a new phrase in the chantix commercials? I don't know if they have always said this, and maybe I'm just more attuned to it now, but I've noticed the phrase, "I didn't want to use nicotine to quit nicotine". I have been wondering if that is a reaction directed somewhat at electronic cigarettes

I think it's a double whammy (alternate: a blanket whammy): They're dissing-by-implication not only ecigs, but also all the nicotine-containing NRT products like patches and gum.

They're sounding a bit desperate to these ears...

 

[cassandraschild]

This. I have mild clinical depression, and the doctor didn't mention any issues with Chantix, he just wrote the script.

After which it took several months to rebalance after a lovely episode of moderate to severe depression. This is not to mention the nausea, constant headache, and other symptoms.

Thanks, I'd rather use the e-cig and titer down my nicotine level over time. Now this works.

Sadly this is a case of the fact that most doctors don't really know a whole lot about pysch. If you have a mental illness being your own advocate and researching any drug before you take it is a must!

I will warn you on one thing about taking down your nicotine levels. Nicotine acts on many of the same brain chemicals that anti-depressants do. A lot of people with depression don't realize it, but they may be self medicating with nicotine. Though I'm not advocating that trying to stop nicotine is bad. Just be aware that some people experience stronger depressions when they stop taking it.

I would whole heartedly recommend you do some research on the effects of nicotine on the brain, and the effects of anti-depressants.

 

[rothenbj]

Which may go hand in hand with the negative stories the media publishes.

Exactly. Living in Philly, I thought the Drexel study would have been big news. It got hardly a sniff here and almost no exposure nationally. However have one of those ANTZ universities in Cali through out some preconceived rubbish and every little and large news outlet is screaming from the rooftops.

I know we've had some good reports come out here or there lately, but there is also a groundswell of anti-activity at the government level lately and that is troublesome.

 

[AgentAnia]

Exactly. Living in Philly, I thought the Drexel study would have been big news. It got hardly a sniff here and almost no exposure nationally. However have one of those ANTZ universities in Cali through out some preconceived rubbish and every little and large news outlet is screaming from the rooftops.

I know we've had some good reports come out here or there lately, but there is also a groundswell of anti-activity at the government level lately and that is troublesome.

Not surprising when you remember that the ANTZ/public health/BP prohibitionist coalition has had their media mouthpieces in place and functioning full blast for decades now. We have a long way to go in that department. (Still, don't underestimate the power of a vocal, dedicated vaping community!)

 

[RosaJ]

I wonder how many of the articles we see are paid advertisements and not an opinion or editorial by the news outlet staff. That would explain why it seems like there are more articles against ecigs than for it. Just a thought.

 

[Orb Skewer]

Exactly. Living in Philly, I thought the Drexel study would have been big news. It got hardly a sniff here and almost no exposure nationally.

Journos are lazy, keep baiting that pond (with Emails, comments and 'links' to up to the minute facts, reports and studies) and who knows maybe-one or two may bite, once the smaller fish digest the truth the bigger fish nudge in

The classical 'news hack' was a guy, sitting at a desk, anglepoise lamp illuminating a glass of Scotch and a lit cig placed in an ashtray full of .... ends, speaking without his lips moving in a Humphry Bogart drawl, there must be vapers among them now.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

I wonder how many of the articles we see are paid advertisements and not an opinion or editorial by the news outlet staff. That would explain why it seems like there are more articles against ecigs than for it. Just a thought.

I'm not sure how many are paid ads but when they spend $27 billion on drug promotion a year and a press release shows up it is probably used.



Here's a link to the page I got this from, it has explanations for each area and links for sources.

The Pew Charitable Trusts

To put a little perspective on that kind of money, it's more than the GDP of the bottom 100 countries on this list.

List of countries by GDP (nominal) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ETA: Note what they don't spend on clinical trials, less than 0.5%.

 

[RosaJ]

North, that's exactly what I'm talking about. The ANTZ who are non-profits do get funding added for publicity.

I believe the only way we vapers can take a stab is through the courts. No one in the vaping community, including the vendors, have that kind of money to counteract the ANTZ onslaught.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

North, that's exactly what I'm talking about. The ANTZ who are non-profits do get funding added for publicity.

I don't think those figures include most of what goes to their house pet alphabet organizations as that is mostly funneled through their "charitable" foundations.

 

[Orb Skewer]

I'm not sure how many are paid ads but when they spend $27 billion on drug promotion a year and a press release shows up it is probably used.

View attachment 276164

Here's a link to the page I got this from, it has explanations for each area and links for sources.

The Pew Charitable Trusts

To put a little perspective on that kind of money, it's more than the GDP of the bottom 100 countries on this list.

List of countries by GDP (nominal) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ETA: Note what they don't spend on clinical trials, less than 0.5%.

Good post NoA, it's a lot of money, however, we can use this 'platform' (until all articles are closed for comment) to our distinct advantage, there is the opportunity to spread the word far and wide, and it is 'them' that are paying for it (well, tax payers really), lets use it wisely-while it lasts. Links, studies, the Drexel report, CASSA, ECF-it's all good etc etc, and the 'media' love nothing more than a good ole 'scandal' , NRT 'success' rates versus vaping 'conversion rates'.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Good post NoA, it's a lot of money, however, we can use this 'platform' (until all articles are closed for comment) to our distinct advantage, there is the opportunity to spread the word far and wide, and it is 'them' that are paying for it (well, tax payers really), lets use it wisely-while it lasts. Links, studies, the Drexel report, CASSA, ECF-it's all good etc etc, and the 'media' love nothing more than a good ole 'scandal' , NRT 'success' rates versus vaping 'conversion rates'.

This, it is amazing what a few hundred people with $500 computers and the truth can do to a multi-million dollar propaganda campaign.