Wilmington Personal Injury Lawyer - Chantix

On The Road For Memorial Day Weekend - Watch Your Medications

Jean Martin — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:11:54 GMT

Many Americans will be on the road traveling this Memorial Day weekend. Unfotrunately, as we all know, holiday weekends with holiday travel present more risk for traffic accidents. We have all heard the warnings to slow down, be patient, leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you, check your tire pressure, etc. But perhaps we should also warn people to check their medications.

First, as you head out for the holiday weekend, you want to make sure that you remember your medicines. If you are diabetic or have high blood pressure or another chronic disease, you do not want to miss your medications. So in those circumstances, your medicines should be the first thing you pack.

But if you have been taking Chantix in order to quit smoking, I would encourage you to leave that one at home, particularly if you are doing the driving this weekend. Over 170 serious events described as accidental injury, including more than 30 traffic accidents and 77 falls, have been reported with use of Chantix. The resulting injuries from the falls have included fractures of ribs, hands, arms, facial bones, spine and lower limbs. According to the manufacturer's own study, there is a doubling of the risk of accidental injury at at .5 mg does. In the 4th quarter of 2007, Chantix accounted for 988 serious injuries in the United States - more than any other individual drug.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not allow pilots flying commerical planes or air traffic controllers to use Chantix. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has warned medical examiners not to prescribe Chantix for commerical drivers. The reason? Chantix is being blammed for blackouts and seizures. I don't have to tell you that the consequences of experiencing a blackout or seizure while driving can be deadly.

You have valuable cargo in your car this weekend, keep them and yourself safe - leave the Chantix at home!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jean Martin

What Would Cause Someone to Blackout While Driving? Maybe It's the Chantix.

Jean Martin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:14:00 GMT

My InjuryBoad Colleague Randy Appleton recently reported about an accident that occurred when a woman blacked out while driving. Too often accidents happen and the driver doesn't remember a thing. The police officer investigating the accident determines that the driver suffered a blackout and that led to the accident.

Not only is is tragic circumstances when the accident results in someone being injured, now the driver is left with the scary questions as to what caused the blackout. Doctors will look for a medical condition - seizure, epilepsy, heart problems, diabetes, etc - that caused the blackout. But now there may be another answer - Chantix.

Chantix is a medication that is used to help people quit smoking. While many people say that is has helped them in this regard, the side effects experienced were worse than the smoking habit. Chantix has been linked to seizures, suicides, heart problems, and diabetes. There have also been numerous reports of traffic accidents due to blackouts while the affected driver was taking Chantix. I think that it is telling that the Federal Aviation Administration will not allow pilots to be taking Chantix and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has banned operators of tractor trailer trucks from using this prescription drug.

If an accident happens due to a driver blackout, Chantix needs to be added to the list of consideration for potential causes.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jean Martin

Recently Diagnosed with Diabetes? What Could Be the Cause?

Jean Martin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:26:31 GMT

The number of people living with diabetes keeps growing. It is estimated that over 23 million people, or 7.8% of the US population, has diabetes. That is a staggering number.

If you or a loved one have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, then no doubt you are full of questions. You are asking yourself and others: What comes next? How do we treat this? What do we do? And probably also asking, what caused this? How did this happen?

Your first priority should be to get proper medical attention and care. Find a doctor who truly understands the disease and its complications and will counsel you through the ups and downs, and ins and outs of living with diabetes. Your healthcare provider will be your best resource for information.

However, what your doctor may not tell you is that medications you have taken may be the cause of your diabetes. It is well known that some medications will raise blood sugar levels and, therefore, present a risk for the development of diabetes. This risk is known to physicians who warn their patients of the risk and monitor their patients accordingly. However, some drugs cause diabetes without the doctor's knowledge.

The drug manufacturers may know that their drugs cause diabetes, or raise blood sugar levels increasing the risk for developing diabetes, but they do not warn doctors or consumers. There are several drugs on the market right now that pose a risk for diabetes: Zyprexa, Chantix and Seroquel, to name a few. In 2004, the FDA caused manufacturer Eli Lilly to warn of the risk of diabetes associated with the use of Zyprexa. Patients who developed diabetes after taking Zyprexa have won lawsuits against Eli Lilly and several states have sought reimbursement from the company for additional expenses paid out by state Medicare and Medicaid programs to treat the cases of diabetes caused by Zyprexa.

A big concern of mine right now is the number of people who may be at risk for developing diabetes because of the new smoking cessation pill, Chantix. While I encourage anyone to stop smoking and this pill certainly showed promise when it first promoted, I do not believe that Chantix is the answer because it poses too much risk for complications. Chantix has been associated with seizures, heart problems, and now, diabetes. Manufacturer Pfizer has warned that Chantix may interfere with other diabetes medications like insulin, but we are starting to see new onset diabetes being diagnosed in people who have used Chantix. The FDA has received over 500 such reports, but Pfizer has not added any additional warnings to the Chantix label.

Never take any medication without consulting your doctor, and never stop taking any prescribed medication without consulting your doctor. That being said, if you are currently taking Chantix, then I encourage you to talk to your doctor about the adverse effects being associated with use of the pill. And if you want to quit smoking, then I highly encourage you to do so, but please: Just Say No To Chantix!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jean Martin