An autopsy report has linked the use of alcohol and Chantix to the suicide death of Donald Walker, the former mayor of Warner Robins, a small town in Georgia. The popular stop-smoking drug Chantix has been connected to more than 100 other suicides in recent years, and the death of Walker is likely to draw additional attention to the serious psychological side effects of Chantix
Walker served as the mayor of Warner Robins, Georgia for 15 years, and was in the middle of a re-election campaign in September 2009 when he is believed to have shot himself in the head while in bed.
According to a report released last week by Houston County Medical Examiner James Q. Whitaker, Walker suffered severe depression from Chantix, which lead him to drink a large amount of alcohol the night of his death and then kill himself. The alcohol in Walker’s blood exacerbated Walker’s Chantix depression and he was found to have a blood alcohol level of .4 at the time of death.
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Learn MoreChantix (varenicline) was approved by the FDA in 2006 as a prescription treatment to help people quit smoking. The drug works by blocking receptors in the brain that are commonly stimulated by nicotine, reducing the positive feelings that come from cigarettes. However, reports of suicide with Chantix began to surface shortly after it introduced, and the drug has been linked to depression, suicidal thoughts and other abnormal behavior.
Walker is the second high-profile death that has been linked to Chantix. In September 2007, Carter Albrecht, who was a popular musician in the Dallas area and a member of Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, was shot to death after he began violently banging on a neighbor’s door in the middle of the night as a result of hallucinations, vivid nightmares and a violent shift in behavior that the family attributed to the drug he was taking to help him quit smoking, according to a Chantix wrongful death lawsuit filed last year.
Following Albrecht’s death, media attention and an investigation by the FDA into reports of problems with Chantix led Pfizer to add information to the drug’s warning label about the potential psychiatric side effects.
Last year, the FDA required that a new Chantix black box warning be placed prominently on the label to warn users about the potentially life-threatening side effects, which is the strongest warning that can be placed on a prescription medication. The black box warning came after the FDA received nearly 100 reports of Chantix suicide and 198 reports of attempted suicide.
Dozens of Chantix suicide lawsuits and other injury claims have been filed against Pfizer in various state and federal courts throughout the United States. The complaints allege that Pfizer, who excluded individuals with depression or a history of mental illness from many clinical trials, failed to adequately research the adverse effects of their drug before marketing it heavily as an easy solution to help people stop smoking.
All federal lawsuits over Chantix have been consolidated in an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, which is centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, where the first trials are not expected to begin until at least 2012.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article indicated that Donald Walker was the mayor of Houston, Texas, which is incorrect and we apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused. Walker was the mayor of Warner Robins, which is located primarily in Houston County, Georgia, with a small portion also extending into Peach County.
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5 Comments
jenSeptember 16, 2010 at 11:02 pm
My best friend of 20 years took Chantix and did indeed quit smoking after smoking for 25 years- she stayed on the Chantix for a few months - i saw an extreme personality change in her to the point whenever someone mentions Chantix, i tell them about what i saw with her and tell them not to take it. She previously was outgoing and cheerful, but became withdrawn, edgy, confrontational, and apatheti[Show More]My best friend of 20 years took Chantix and did indeed quit smoking after smoking for 25 years- she stayed on the Chantix for a few months - i saw an extreme personality change in her to the point whenever someone mentions Chantix, i tell them about what i saw with her and tell them not to take it. She previously was outgoing and cheerful, but became withdrawn, edgy, confrontational, and apathetic and she stopped taking part in things she enjoyed. I know quitting can cause these things, but it should only last a short time if quitting without Chantix. The thing that was most concerning was that the personality change lasted for months after she quit taking the Chantix. I didn't know if she would ever get back to normal, but eventually, she did after a year or two. She also started smoking again.
kellyJuly 8, 2010 at 10:27 pm
My brother just shot himself in the head, totally out of character! he was starting to take Chantix which mixed with alcohol pulled him into a depression that could have been avoided! This did not have to happen to my little brother! I think he would, no I know he would be here with me right now if he was NOT taking Chantix! I believe this Chantix mixed with alcholol is the result of his horri[Show More]My brother just shot himself in the head, totally out of character! he was starting to take Chantix which mixed with alcohol pulled him into a depression that could have been avoided! This did not have to happen to my little brother! I think he would, no I know he would be here with me right now if he was NOT taking Chantix! I believe this Chantix mixed with alcholol is the result of his horrific and deadly attempt, and we will NEVER be the same without my brother, he has three small children, never had signs of depression before, and NEVER the type to do this.
MelissaMay 22, 2010 at 3:14 pm
I too have used Chantix to quit smoking. I have been quit now for almost 3 years and have not had one craving for another cigarette since I took my last puff. Even the smell of it on other people makes me ill, where I didn't care before. This drug was a life saver for me. My only side effects were vivid dreams the first few nights, but not nightmares. I have a history of depression, but haven't b[Show More]I too have used Chantix to quit smoking. I have been quit now for almost 3 years and have not had one craving for another cigarette since I took my last puff. Even the smell of it on other people makes me ill, where I didn't care before. This drug was a life saver for me. My only side effects were vivid dreams the first few nights, but not nightmares. I have a history of depression, but haven't been on meds for that for years. Not once did I experience any feelings of depression while on Chantix. I think it depends on the person taking the med, not the med it self can be blamed for these severe cases. My opinion is the deep depression was there already, the quitting just triggered it on. But I would rather deal with depression than die a horrible death from cancer cause by my smoking!
FrankMarch 24, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I have followed with interest the reports that Chantix has caused depression and suicide attempts. I sucessfully quit smoking with the aid of Chantix on 7/27/07. I smoked for 50 years and that was probably my 100th attempt at quitting. I was depressed and had thoughts of suicide at almost every attempt. Quitting smoking is a very trying event, to say the least! Blaming Chantix for these psycholog[Show More]I have followed with interest the reports that Chantix has caused depression and suicide attempts. I sucessfully quit smoking with the aid of Chantix on 7/27/07. I smoked for 50 years and that was probably my 100th attempt at quitting. I was depressed and had thoughts of suicide at almost every attempt. Quitting smoking is a very trying event, to say the least! Blaming Chantix for these psychological probems after quitting only tells me that the person making the charge never quit smoking. The feelings mentioned in the above article are natural and would be caused, with or without Chantix, in almost any person who has quit.
WilliamMarch 24, 2010 at 1:09 am
A few years back I started taking chantix, and I had very little side effects. I think that the reason why I had little to no side effects was that I was already on a anti-depressant. Having had suicidal thoughts in the past, I'm not sure if I would have them while taking the medication. But having the information that's available today I would strongly suggest taking an anti-depressant along with[Show More]A few years back I started taking chantix, and I had very little side effects. I think that the reason why I had little to no side effects was that I was already on a anti-depressant. Having had suicidal thoughts in the past, I'm not sure if I would have them while taking the medication. But having the information that's available today I would strongly suggest taking an anti-depressant along with chantix. I started back smoking again after a year and half from stopping... I'm wanting to start taking chantix again, and staying on my anti-depressant medication as well.