The prescription drug Chantix was approved by the FDA last year and has had a great first year for pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer. However, I am sure that the recent attention that Chantix has been getting is not welcomed to say the least. Over the past couple of weeks I have been hearing more and more about Chantix and the implication that it was responsible for Dallas musician Carter Albretch’s death. Albrecht’s girlfriend is adamant that the medication is the only explanation for the psychotic actions of Albrecht early Labor Day morning.
The way that Chantix works is different than stop smoking drugs that have been previously used by those trying to quit smoking. Chantix actually binds to receptors in the brain to block the sensation that nicotine delivers; this in turn takes all of the pleasure out of smoking.
Albrecht had been drinking the night of the incident and many believe that it was not necessarily the drug itself but rather the combination of the Chantix and alcohol. There have been no extensive studies involving Chantix and alcohol and the effect that they have on one another, but every claim that I have read about aggressive behavior on Chantix has also involved alcohol. The medication’s label does say that you should not drink while taking it, but that is a far cry from saying if you drink on this medication it could cause a psychotic episode. The FDA says they will be looking into the incident and I truly cannot wait to see what happens with this.
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