Trying to quit smoking with the help of one of the new anti-smoking drugs? The FDA warns, two popular anti-smoking drugs will now carry boxed warnings.
U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration officials say new warnings will be added to Chantix and Zyban, highlighting the increased risk for changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility and suicidal thoughts.
Since these drugs have been on the market, the FDA has received reports of 98 suicides and 188 attempts linked to Chantix. There have been 14 suicides and 17 attempted suicides linked to Zyban.
Experts say it is hard to differentiate between normal nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and those caused by these drugs. However, they say a majority of patients noticed these symptoms once they started treatment, and they went away after stopping the drug. The side effects occurred in patients with and without mental illness history.
At the same time, some patients did experience side effects after they stopped treatment. This led experts to recommend continued screening while a patient is on and off the medications.
Experts say Chantix and Zyban are effective anti-smoking aids, so the risks and benefits need to be weighed by each patient.
The manufacturers will have to conduct clinical trial to determine incidence of mental health issues, including those with and without mental illness. The results will not be known for several years.
