NEWS: May 22, 2008

The Federal Aviation Administration today banned both pilots and air traffic controllers from using a anti-smoking drug called Chantix, after a medical group warned that the medication had apparently contributed to auto accidents and other mishaps that posed risks to both users and others.

Side effects of Chantix may include:

1. Sjs (Stevens Johnson Syndrome)
2. Liver damage and failure
3. Heart and cardiac problems
4. Throbotic events
5. Death or serious injury accidents
6. Suicides

——————–END OF NEWS on FAA Chantix Ban for Pilots Update————–

Back in May of 2006, Pfizer received approval from the FDA to release a drug called Chantix, which was designed to chemically ‘trick’ the nicotine receptor cells in the brain to think that it was getting its ‘fix’ when in fact it was receiving a medication designed to prevent nicotine from binding with those same cells in the future.  People who took Chantix were supposed to get the same temporary feeling of pleasure that they got from ingesting nicotine.

Given the reality that it was sometimes physically and psychologically impossible to persuade people to quit smoking, research and development departments at several different companies began to dedicate resources to finding a medication that would help people stop smoking and thereby save thousands of lives.

The FDA has issued a warning to consumers and medical professionals about the use of Chantix indicating “It appears increasingly likely that there may be an association between Chantix and serious neuropsychiatric symptoms.”