For years, there were contentious debates about links between certain prescription meds, notably antidepressants, and suicidal behavior. Now, the focus is turning to violent behavior directed toward others. And a new study is linking 31 widely prescribed drugs - most notably, the Chantix anti-smoking pill - with 1,527 serious acts of violence, such as physical abuse, physical assault and homicide.
The study, which was published in PLoS One, identified 484 drugs that accounted for 780,169 serious adverse event reports of all kinds, including 1,937 cases meeting the violence criteria determined by the researchers. There were 387 reports of homicide, 404 physical assaults, 27 cases indicating physical abuse, 896 homicidal ideation reports and 223 cases described as violence-related symptoms.
Besides Pfizer's Chantix, 11 antidepressants, three ADHD meds and five hypnotics or sedatives were linked to 79 percent of the violence cases. Looked at another way, no cases of violence were reported for 324 of the 484 drugs evaluated. And so an association with violence appeared "highly unlikely" for nearly 85 percent of all evaluated drugs in widespread clinical use.
This is not, by the way, the first time that Chantix has been linked to violent behavior. The same authors published a study last summer in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy that found Chantix is not only associated with violent and aggressive thoughts and acts, but they also identified some of the common characteristics among people using the pill and their subsequent behavior (see this).
"Acts of violence towards others are a genuine and serious adverse drug event associated with a relatively small group of drugs. (Chantix), which increases the availability of dopamine, and antidepressants with serotonergic effects were the most strongly and consistently implicated drugs," the researchers write. Interestingly, this finding appears just after the infamous Zoloft defense case drew to a close. That involved a 12-year-old boy who killed his grandparents and his lawyers blamed the antidepressant (read here).
The authors do, however, cite some limitations. The submission of an individual adverse event report does not itself establish causality," the note, "only that a reporting individual suspected a relationship existed." And they add that the quality and detail in each report varies. On the other hand, they also say that, "given that violent thoughts or actions are not typically attributed to drug therapy or recorded in medical records, the reporting rate for violence cases could be very low. The selected violence cases do not provide a reliable estimate of how often they might occur."
In the end, they recommend prospective studies to "establish the incidence, confirm differences among drugs and identify additional common features."
UPDATE: A Pfizer spokeswoman send this along: "There is no reliable scientific evidence that Chantix causes violent thoughts or actions. We have not had the opportunity to review this study or its underlying data. As the authors themselves acknowledge, however, the study has many limitations, and these limitations are obviously very significant."
15 Comments
Great article Ed,
This really gets in my craw. I see so many people being diagnosed with "Mental Disorders" these days and it amazes me how most people just surrender to taking these drugs and not informing themselves as to the side effects. Thank you for putting this post out there, I have been warning people not to even take a 'Mental Evalution' questionairre from their doctors because once you are diagnosed with ANY mental disorder it is license for the drug companies to ram poison down your throat. I think we have to inform people like you are doing here to empower themselves with knowledge so they do not fall victim to these horendous chemicals and their ill side effects.
There's a great documentary available called "The Marketing of Madness" that really brings light to this situation. I got it from my local library and was amazed at all the information in it.
Thank You Dan Brooks
Humm, could it be that psych patients are just more prone to violence? Nah.
Yeah, those darn smokers are known for violence,give me a break. The problems with Chantix and ssri's have been known for years by those who have lived the nightmare, but it's much easier to blame mental illness and not the drug that precipitated the violence. Sad that people are so attached to their drugs that they aren't willing to see the potential downside...until it hits them personally.
The people that have taken Chantix know all too well the dangers of this drug. Well, if they are alive to discuss the matter. Too bad the medical community has been exposed to smoking cessation "experts" that deemed this drug as harmless and safe. These paid experts that have ignored patient harm should go straight to...prison!
My New Year's prediction: Chantix won't be around this time next year.
When will Pfizer release the scientific studies that probably DO link it to mood changes? They did a clinical trial which started the day after the Texas case broke the news and was completed in May of 2008. Just look up mood chantix and clinical trial to find the study. The Purpose was "This study will assess whether varenicline (chantix) has antidepressant properties when used in addition to other psychiatric medication. It will also assess whether varenicline improves the inability to feel pleasure (i.e. anhedonia), and if it is well-tolerated when used with psychiatric medications.
Enrolled patients will be assessed for improved mood, improved anhedonia, overall sense of health, side effects as well as tobacco use for 6-8 weeks."
Why no results Pfizer? What are you hiding? The proof of the links no doubt!
VL, if this is the study you meant ( http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00525837 ) - it sounds as if they were trying to demonstrate that it was "an upper" in addition to the primary effect. That would be a positive mood change - or is that your point?
Yes, Searching2000 that is the study. Pfizer knows the answers but they are not sharing because the results are not favorable to their bottom line $$$. If they are forced to share the results that would be the "reliable scientific evidence that Chantix causes violent thoughts or actions." Who do you think your drug is fooling Pfizer?
Virginia Lee, you're being completely disingenuous regarding this study. It was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2009. Moreover, you're suggesting that Pfizer had something to do with the study, but if you bothered to look at Searching 2000's link you'd see that Pfizer was not a sponsor of the study.
By the way, the study results were summarized as follows: "Open-label varenicline augmentation was associated with significant improvement in mood in a small sample of outpatient smokers with persistent depressive symptoms. Larger, double-blind studies are needed to investigate potential antidepressant effects of varenicline augmentation."
So my question to you is,"Who do YOU think you are fooling?"
Virginia...you GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I noticed in many of the comments that there was concern with the protocol of the D.N.A. I've heard that the Bush administration early on lifted much of the testing that was required before a drug was allowed on the market. A little deal with the drug companies at the expense of the public's health. Chantix is just one of many medications that have recently been found to cause horrid side effects. Am I mistaken, or just having another nightmare due to Chantix or Bush?
So... Chantix doesn't cause any mental or anger issues. Just had my wife carted off by the police tonight for taking a BUNCH of Generic XANEX. Told my son the next time she attempted this, she would do it right and now I find that she assaulted the officer at the ER waiting room and will be arrested as well. She was taking Chantix for about three weeks. I told her last week to get with her doctorregarding the Chatix because she was losing it. She quit Chantix cold turkey Sunday, now look where she is...
Why is it that no one talks about the dangers of smoking and nicotine addiction in this article (not a clinical study) or comments? There are benefits and risks associated with everything that you put in your body. It is each person's responsibility to weight those benefits and risks. While Chantix has helped many to quit smoking, I am quite sure that smoking has never been proven to offer an health benefit! No medicines are for everyone but do not be so irresponsible to make blanket statements!
"why is it that no one talks about the dangers of smoking...?!!" are you KIDDING me! Why do you think they TOOK Chantix??!! I took two scripts back/back in '07. I know first hand this is ONE, SNEAKY, POWERFUL, ALL CONSUMING, UNPREDICTABLE DRUG!!!
I understand how people would DOUBT a little, blue pill can mess w/a person's mind so much...that they'd take their own life!
Please...let me assure you, it IS very MUCH for real and while snaking thru your system and receptors...you have NO IDEA what's happening to you. To Pfizer's credit...yes...it did help take the pleasure out of smoking!...and that would've been IDEAL if it had STOPPED there...!
But, it DIDN'T. THAT'S where the problem lies. Feared drugs as a teen...at 55, can describe in VIVID detail an hallucination!! Deceased loved ones were coming to me at nite, healthy, happy, laughing and I could FEEL their hugs...BEGGING me to go with them!! Said, "Heaven is a BLAST...and besides, your job is finished here!" Your girls are grown w/families of their own, your husband of 37 yrs. can certainly find a nice, young replacement...as will your employer of 23 years.
You've had a good run...but, it's time to go. This is what I dealt with for several months prior to my two hospital stays in '08. Jan. '08, taken by ambulance in middle of nite w/heart attack symptoms. Never knew a person could suffer such pain and stay alive!
Then, May '08, non-chalantly and w/light heart, took 240 sleeping pills, cut self up w/razors, found unconscious by owner of used car parking lot. spent time in psyche unit and have been paying ever since in soooo many ways. Believe me when I tell you, "this drug DOES have the power to distort your thoughts..it's a long, slow process...but, once in your system, only God knows how/where you'll land. Listen to me! I have nothing to gain by lying!!
http://www.psychiatrist.com/abstracts/abstracts.asp?abstract=200907/070911.htm
I am not fooling anyone ... I am filing, as in a lawsuit.
"Dr. Price has received research support from the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Defense, UCB Pharma, Sepracor, Pfizer, Cephalon, Cyberonics, and Medtronic, and has received speaker honoraria from AstraZeneca and Jazz Pharmaceuticals"