Stephanie's Loss

I believe that my husband's suicide is linked to Chantix. He took Chantix August-October of 2007. He was never the same person after that.

He always talked about how he felt the urge to drink alcohol while on the Chantix. This sudden alcoholism continued after stopping the Chantix, along with extreme anxiety, agitation and depression. It seemed these problems just fed off of each other, making each worse and worse.

His doctor started him on a couple anxiety meds to try to help him cope. He ended up being hospitalized overnight in a mental health facility a couple days before Christmas 2007 due to a suicide attempt. After standing in our backyard with a gun to his head, he could not calm down and ended up taking too much medication trying to calm down himself down.(About 10-12mg of clonazepam and 100-120mg of flexeril) After one night at that facility, they released him, attributing it to alcohol. 

In the next six months, things got even worse. He had to quit a good job as a semi/delivery driver due to the alcohol problem.

There were many nights I would sit with him with a gun to his head and have to convince him to give me the gun. He always tried to explain to me the overwhelming anxiety he would have, how he felt like he was "crawling out of his skin", and how alcohol was the only thing that worked to relieve it somewhat, at least temporarily.

He would always ask me what happened to him, and why he had turned into this person, and why couldn't he just go back to who he had been before he took the Chantix. I knew him for 11 years and this was such a sudden, drastic change in him.

He did try to get help, his PCP diagnosed him with bipolar and we tried a few different meds, but nothing helped. I never really agreed with that diagnosis, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence that it all started with the Chantix, and he would have such rapid mood swings. He would be fine one minute, then suicidal walking around with a gun, then fine again a few hours later.

I just never knew when he would "snap", and he could control it in front of our friends and family for the most part. He ultimately took his own life on June 14, 2008, five days after out 1st wedding anniversary. He was 29 years old.

In my profession as a pharmacist, I have spoken with many people who have struggled with horrible side effects from this medication. I make sure to warn every patient of these potential awful effects. There is even a separate med guide now that must be given out with each Chantix prescription, warning about the potential for suicide, anxiety, agitation, etc. 

In my opinion, I don't recommend anyone take this medication. It's not worth the risk. I know firsthand, I lost my husband and best friend forever.