If you have cardiovascular disease, taking Chantix may increase your risk of certain cardiovascular adverse events. Contact your healthcare professional if you experience new or worsening symptoms of cardiovascular disease while taking Chantix, for example: Shortness of breath or trouble breathing.
What does Chantix do to your heart?
June 16, 2011 — The smoking cessation drug Chantix (varenicline) may result in a small increased risk for heart attacks and other heart problems among people with cardiovascular disease, according to the FDA.
Can Chantix cause heart pain?
(CBS/AP) A popular smoking-cessation drug may raise the risk of heart trouble, the FDA says. The agency is warning doctors and patients that Chantix (varenicline) has been linked to heart-related chest pain (angina) and heart attack.
Does Chantix raise blood pressure?
For all smoking cessation drugs, used alone or in combination, no increase occurred in the average value of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR). Significant reductions in CO concentrations occurred in all smoking cessation drug groups.
Who should not take Chantix?
Do not take CHANTIX if you have had a serious allergic or skin reaction to CHANTIX. Symptoms may include: Swelling of the face, mouth (tongue, lips, gums), throat, or neck. Trouble breathing.
What happens if you continue to smoke while on Chantix?
Chantix mimics a low dose of nicotine, which eases the symptoms that are common when going through withdrawal. It also blocks nicotine from binding to receptors, essentially rendering it ineffective. If a person smokes while taking Chantix, they do not get the normal nicotine boost and smoking actually becomes bland.
Can I just quit Chantix?
Once your full course of CHANTIX therapy is finished, you stop taking it. You do not taper off of CHANTIX.
Does Chantix affect your mood?
CHANTIX: Some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions while using CHANTIX to help them quit smoking. Some people had these symptoms when they began taking CHANTIX, and others developed them after several weeks of treatment or after stopping CHANTIX.
Does Chantix make you gain weight?
Does Chantix Cause Weight Gain? Unfortunately, many people who quit smoking do gain weight, regardless of the method they use to quit smoking. Weight gain rates are similar for people who quit cold turkey, use Chantix, or use nicotine replacement therapy. The average weight gain is about 10 pounds.
How can I get Chantix for free?
Uninsured, low income patients may be able to get Chantix for free with the Pfizer RxPathways program.
Which is better Zyban or Chantix?
In clinical trials of Chantix, the drug was found to reduce the urge to smoke, reduce withdrawal symptoms, and help patients maintain abstinence. One study compared Chantix to Zyban to placebo. The study found that both drugs were better than placebo, and concluded that Chantix was more effective than Zyban.
What happens if you drink alcohol while taking Chantix?
FDA has warned that the smoking cessation drug varenicline (Chantix) can interact with alcohol, resulting in some patients experiencing increased intoxicating effects of alcohol, sometimes associated with aggressive behavior and/or amnesia.
Why is Chantix bad for you?
Since then, studies have reported that patients taking Chantix are at increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts. Anecdotally, patients report wild dreams, inexplicable violent behavior and other psychological disturbances while on the drug.
What happens if you stop Chantix abruptly?
In some cases, a short tapering off of the dose over a week or so may be helpful. This is because at the end of treatment, if the medicine is stopped abruptly, in about 3 in 100 people there is an increase in irritability, an urge to smoke, depression and/or sleeping difficulty for a short time.
How long can you safely take Chantix?
You should take CHANTIX for the full 12 or 24 weeks (3 or 6 months), depending on the quit approach you and your healthcare provider decide is right for you.
What happens when you stop taking Chantix?
Some people experience new or worse mental health problems, such as changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, or suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping CHANTIX.