Uticopa Blog

A drug to stop smoking linked to depression and suicide

Champix, a wonder drug prescribed to nearly 400,000 people in the UK to help them give up nicotine has been linked to severe depression and suicidal thoughts. Launched two years ago, scientists and researchers claimed Champix (known clinically as Varenicline) was more effective than alternative therapies in helping people give up smoking. Across the world, nine million people are said to use the drug which mimics the effects of nicotine to help reduce the desire to smoke and aids nicotine withdrawal. However, stories are now emerging in the media about people who are taking the drug suffering with depression while some people are attempting to take their own life, and succeeding.

In Britain alone, 3,000 people have complained about the drug’s effects with nearly 300 reporting suicidal thoughts. Ten people taking the drug have killed themselves.

In the US, court cases have been filed against Pfizer, the company who make the drug. The company have been quick to point out that the drug does come with a warning about possible side-effects but there is no proof about a risk of suicide.

The European body for licensing pharmaceutical drugs is monitoring Champix but currently feels the benefits of the drug outweigh any possible risks. While the powers that be monitor that situation, smokers do have a choice to avoid drug treatment when trying to quit and take a natural approach that has no adverse side-effects.

Controversy over whether some newer anti-depressant drugs raise the risk of suicide

Responding to controversial claims, US researchers say that the newer range of anti-depressant drugs do not raise the risk of suicide as previously suggested, citing a drop in suicide rates in the US since the drugs were introduced.

Dr Julio Licinio of the University of Miami and colleagues report in the June 08 issue of the journal Public Library of Science Medicine that the new SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) range of anti-depressants could have saved more than 30,000 lives. "However, the findings do not preclude the possibility of increased risk of suicide among small populations of individuals”, reports Dr. Licinio. Certainly, millions of people around the world use SSRIs, including Pfizer's Zoloft, GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil and the first drug of this type, Eli Lilly's Prozac or fluoxetine.
 
Warnings
 
The US Food and Drug Administration recently introduced ‘black box warnings’ on the most popular SSRIs after studies in the US and Britain suggested the drugs may raise the risk of suicide in children and adults." Although the current issue concerning anti-depressants and suicide requires further examination, we believe that many more lives have been saved than lost since the advent of these drugs," say Licinio.

Suicidality is a term which defines feelings, thoughts, and behaviour related to suicide, but the researchers say actual deaths caused by suicide are a better measure of whether there is a benefit from anti-depressants.

Licinio's team showed that the US suicide rate held steady for 15 years prior to the introduction of Prozac in 1988, then dropped steadily over 14 years as sales of the anti-depressant rose. The research team found the strongest effect among women.

Controversy

In a commentary on the new study, Associate Professor Bernhard Baune and Professor Philippa Hay of James Cook University in Australia say the type of study performed by Lucinio and colleagues cannot prove for certain "whether anti-depressants do harm or good at a population level." But they say that the study "does not support an association between increased suicide and increased fluoxetine prescription rates." Licinio's team acknowledges there may have been other reasons why the suicide rate declined.

What is clear is that consumers must make serious choices in today’s ‘must-have’ society.  Smoking is clearly a proven toxic activity and all measures to stop should be undertaken. Similarly, those with depression need to undertake every possible means to raise their personal feel-good factor. 

However, nothing is easy in this world and, as the above has shown, popping a pill isn’t always the answer.  Society mustn’t fall into the trap of the medicine killing the patient.  Whatever our ailments or bad habits, we must all be encouraged to undertake exercise, eat sensibly and avoid things that are known to be bad for us.